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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsRove-Romney Camp, GOP Likely Genuinely Perplexed That Stephanie Cutter has not Apologized
Their strategy for years has been to feign outrage, focus it on what they perceive to be a minor functionary, amplify that, then wait for the Dems to cave by putting out the sacrificial lamb.
Unfortunately, this strategy has worked far too often. You're obviously not going to get Plouffe or Axelrod to go down, but if you get a surrogate (and it helps if it's a woman), then that stands in for the whole, and etc.
I think they really believed that focusing their fake outrage on Cutter would cause the whole thing to go away, since they could get her to apologize and make her the story. Instead, the Obama people put her on the Sundays and told her to go full bore at Romney's eyeballs. The Romney camp is probably genuinely mystified by this, as is Rove, who is still pathetically attempting to make Cutter's statements the story. How is it, Rove is probably thinking, that this tried and true method of turning the story on to the Dems is not working?
Cheers, then, to Stephanie Cutter, for holding the line against these pigs, and to the Obama campaign, for understanding how best to aggravate and flummox the Rove-Romney Machine. Remember, Rove wasn't really involved with the McCain effort. Rove has never really gone up against Obama before.
The Magistrate
(95,248 posts)"Romney loves America like a tick loves a dog."
lonestarnot
(77,097 posts)Ackety.
Douglas Carpenter
(20,226 posts)trademarked?
The Magistrate
(95,248 posts)I do not remember where I read here on Democratic Underground, but I hooked it off some other member here.
BumRushDaShow
(129,142 posts)TheMath and how well that worked out for him?
tblue
(16,350 posts)And thank you, Mr. President for having her back.
Ikonoklast
(23,973 posts)The ones that get the daily memo are here pushing the "Cutter really stepped in it" line.
maddezmom
(135,060 posts)Ikonoklast
(23,973 posts)We're supposed to be fooled.
freshwest
(53,661 posts)I consider most posters who do this to be victims of the media machine. Much of the poutrage or disdain posted against Obama and the Democrats is veiled by media to appear to be legitimate concerns when it's just the GOP cleverly playing us against each other. They take our very highest values and use them to divide and conquer, while they have none.
As disheartening as reading such things is, and it certainly does depress 'turnout for our candidates during election season,' I hope it's not knowingly done. The conservative OWNED media, and I don't believe that can be emphasized enough, is paid very well to distort what is really important. While they suddenly wax hysterical on some wrong or omission by Obama and Democrats, they never did under Bush.
They don't bring up much more serious issues while they push this stuff. And we are limited by our sources of information, and it's not our fault. So we fall for it. We want to do the right thing at all times, to help all people and promote respect and equality, but we are faced with those who we don't want to acknowledge believe in winning at any cost, including destroying the entire country to get their way.
So we are anxious and look for a cause, and the media manufactures several for us to get into a tizzy about, and don't give us the information we need to make informed choices and connect with like minds. Or at least, that is what I think, except in the case of trolls or those proven to never, ever support anything, not even one thing, that Obama or the Democrats do right.
emulatorloo
(44,133 posts)latest strategy.
freshwest
(53,661 posts)Will get with you in a minute.
JDPriestly
(57,936 posts)And the source is reliable -- Bloomberg News.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-07-15/romney-s-bain-yielded-private-gains-socialized-losses.html
Romney borrowed huge amounts of money against the assets of a few of the companies he bought during the 1990s, ruined the companies, fired the employees (mercilessly), stiffed creditors and took enormous profits. That is an essential and repeated part of his "business experience."
We don't want the country to be managed in that way. We had enough of that borrow and steal mentality under Reagan and Bush II. Never again.
The hullabaloo over Cutter and Romney and Bain's tax returns is just the beginning. When Americans become aware of what Romney did to some of the companies he bought, they won't want a thing to do with him.
NNN0LHI
(67,190 posts)The drawbacks of being on an anonymous website.
Been this way since I got here.
Don
MNBrewer
(8,462 posts)Glad I haven't run across them.
aquart
(69,014 posts)lunatica
(53,410 posts)Which is why they are attacking Romney hard on his business record and doing it at the very beginning of the official campaign so they can control the message and dictate the talking points.
Rove tactics, only the Democrats are using facts and the truth where he just made things up.
madrchsod
(58,162 posts)Volaris
(10,272 posts)BOOKS will be written about him in another decade.
Smilo
(1,944 posts)Texas State Board of Educamation =
Volaris
(10,272 posts)Enrique
(27,461 posts)with that ad, Obama violated some rule that Democrats always obey. I am actually a little surprised that the media hasnt been enforcing that rule in this case, I expected a number of pundits explain that Obama is not allowed to put out such an ad.
msongs
(67,420 posts)directly at the ad the whole time. but it is excellent otherwise nt
magical thyme
(14,881 posts)Few things are funnier than some no talent who really thinks he/she can sing trying to put it out there and failing miserably.
People don't tune into American Idol from day one, week after week, to see the future stars. They do it to see the off-key, rhythm-free wannabes.
The only thing I might have changed would be to put the Obama scene at the end, to avoid spooking off the other side before they see and hear what's coming.
Because once Mittens got going, I plunked myself down and couldn't take my eyes off...or stop wincing, cringing...and laughing. I don't think I'm that different from most people.
Not only is this ad red meat to dems, it's totally demoralizing to the teaparty types who already hate that they're stuck with Mittens. It's just brilliant enough to get some of them to give up politics and stay home
MattBaggins
(7,904 posts)whathehell
(29,067 posts)rufus dog
(8,419 posts)Reinforces that he is off key, literally and figuratively. Not sure I have ever seen a better political ad.
NYC Liberal
(20,136 posts)and gets them to look over at the TV if they're not. So I don't think it's necessary.
freshwest
(53,661 posts)NYC Liberal
(20,136 posts)that make his voice sound eerie and hollow should clue people in.
freshwest
(53,661 posts)I was really taken aback at the thread with Obama talking to people at a tomato stand who said they were not sure who they were going to vote for in November.
He's so open minded and liberal, believes that people should get to be whatever they want to be, that he doesn't take offense, like Republicans always do. They see that as a weakness, I see it as his greatest strength and also the way to heal the country.
But if those people can look at half of what the GOP has done to their state and the country and have any doubts who to vote for in this contest, I'm worried Americans are too dumb to vote or this country is splitting into two nations.
uponit7771
(90,347 posts)uponit7771
(90,347 posts)barbtries
(28,799 posts)i played the ad and when it was over thought, what was so good about that? lol
i played it, didn't watch it, but i played it.
bemildred
(90,061 posts)But you are right, they ought to know that.
young_at_heart
(3,770 posts)What a great question----will it ever be answered? Will a MSM employee ever ask it?
patrice
(47,992 posts)can be taken as confirmation that there are significant problems that they need to discuss in detail but won't, because they can't, without causing themselves more problems.
They do this all of the time, skipping over, or entirely ignoring certain words or phrases, or construing them into something else, in what is said so that they can raise hell and scare people into thinking that you are saying things that are unfounded or things that you don't mean at all.
calimary
(81,329 posts)So many of us are recognizing what's REALLY going on here.
This is IT.
It's all strategy. You accurately and shrewdly point out that they're used to this tactic working. Turn it back on the Dems and make them AND it the story. Deflect, deflect, and then deflect some more. But - gasp! - it isn't working. They can't deflect because this haughty elitist would-be king and his queen, the lady ann of dressage, are so accustomed to their word being taken as law instead of taken out for an un-spin-cycle spin. The questions keep coming and at least SOME reporters and writers and bloggers are smelling smoke and building themselves a hard-on to find the inevitable fire somewhere nearby.
And they're not used to this. They've been experts at attacking and deflecting and distracting for years! It's always worked the way they schemed and manipulated and timed and dictated. But it's always depended on the same accompanying conditions: that Dems would always cave, back down, capitulate, apologize, resign or otherwise fall on their swords, and go away quietly. These seem to be different Dems, though. They don't act as expected - OR AS PREDICTED. They're outside the comfortable, well-worn, long-established parameters of the playing field. It's a lot harder to manage. The GOP's desired result depends on a set group of conditions being met, establishing a climate, a foundation, that leads to that desired result. That's why they like to stack the deck. They're all about tilting the playing field. They have to - because that's the only way they're assured of winning. (Why do you think they're all over voter suppression at the state level these days?)
The nice thing here is this:
We talk a lot about battle tactics. Some of us have read or at least skimmed Sun Tzu's "The Art of War." Some here have studied other warriors' tactics and strategies, based on the premise that this is actually a war we're fighting. This is war. The other side has certainly declared it against us. The GOP is falling back on some of their old tricks. Their default positioning. Do this, the Dems react like that, then you close the deal by doing thus. It's worked for years! And what happens after you've seen the same tactics always work in the same way? You start getting used to it. It's always worked, so you figure it's always GONNA work. You have no evidence to the contrary - BECAUSE it's just always worked. So you fall into complacency and start getting arrogant, and maybe just a very tiny bit, you drop your guard a little. It's a pattern, a habit, and soon enough, a republi-CON "law of nature." It becomes an "IS" is you will. As in, this just IS. That's how it IS. Remember those snot-nosed rich ladies driving into and out of the romney fundraisers in the Hamptons - about how it just IS - the common people simply don't understand how things are and how things work. The template is in place.
Meanwhile, however, the opposition has changed it up a little. They're not following the unspoken rules about how they're supposed to react, and how their response is supposed to go. Suddenly, the ol' reliable template doesn't fit anymore. If you're suitably preconditioned to something always working the way you expect it to, you will be thrown for a loop as to how to respond when something suddenly STOPS working the way you expect it to. You won't have the ol' template to work from, because all of a sudden the template doesn't work in this case. THAT IS WHY so many teabaggers and other knuckledraggers have trouble articulating beyond the talking points and the bumper-sticker sloganeering. The response template was provided to them free, reinforced with repetition and effective results, and they didn't have to think about this or reason it out for themselves, and frankly, they didn't even have to understand it - just like we "common people" were told was how things work.
And what happens when you don't exercise your muscles? They become flabby. Then sometimes they go as far as to atrophy. Well - works the same way in the human mind. That's why so many experts recommend stuff that keeps the mind active - to Alzheimer's patients. Keep it exercised and nimble. That's not what the GOP has preconditioned most of its operatives below the rove/kristol/ailes/luntz/romney level on the zigurrat to respond to. They're all rendered a bit psychologically lazy, spoiled, and flabby after so many years of the same reliable template working for them so well, like it always did. But it's a mile wide and a millimeter deep. Barely scratch the surface or ask the wrong question or probe just a bit below the veneer and the whole thing starts to go to pieces. They have no experience or practice dealing with anything else.
They're probably gonna be hiring a whole bunch of crisis-management PR firms in the next week to try to get out in front of this again. But there may be nothing left to get out in front of. The train, as they say, may already have left the station with a solid majority of the electorate on it. Remember the mistakes of John Kerry and how easily he was swiftboated on his military experience. That meme was left un-tamped-down by his campaign until it had already started sinking in through the national pores. And once it did that, he was sunk. Oh yeah, he finally woke up and started raising a defense and tried to go on offense, but we waited for a week while the Kerry campaign did nothing and the questions grew and he just started looking worse and worse and fishier and fishier, and they gave up on their ivory-tower "don't DIGNIFY it with a response!" shit. Which clearly wasn't working. Once it seeps into the public consciousness - either consciously or unconsciously, the seeds of doubt are sown and take root. And the candidate is done. If this sinks in deep enough in the public mind, it won't matter how many hundreds of millions of dollars they throw mitt's way. The impression will have been made. First impressions and all that. And as we all know, if those first impressions are negative, you spend the rest of your life living them down.
The Dems just have to hold firm, defiant, NON-COMPLIANT and CERTAINLY non-apologetic, and keep asking questions. The enemy is all standing their with their dicks caught in their zippers and they do not know what to do or how to respond. This is unfamiliar territory to them and they don't have an effective counter-strategy for it. Blind-sided like Tom Cruise, who wasn't expecting any pushback from his "mousy little wife" he thought he knew and had under control, who'd never dare to defy him. Nicole Kidman let herself get rolled. Katie Holmes is DIFFERENT. Same thing going on there as the GOP is grappling with now. This is not the Nicole Kidman party they're dealing with (at least in this case). If this sinks in deeply enough, it may already be too late to turn around.
Funny - does that mean it's OUR turn to be the "Party of NO"?
Even the "common people" know when they start smelling a rat.
OH crap - ran too long again... sorry.
tallahasseedem
(6,716 posts)You should make this a separate post! Thank you so much for taking the time to articulate this!
DallasNE
(7,403 posts)While Romney took all of the hard drives with him when he left the Governor's office we have a pretty considerable paper trail regarding Bain and it is this paper trail the Obama team is using against Romney. Romney has no paper trail to support his public statement about resigning from Bain in February 1999. It hasn't stopped Romney from demanding an apology from Obama, but, alas it is Romney that should be apologizing to the American people for his dishonest statements regarding his departure from Bain. Well --- I'm waiting Mittens.
JustAnotherGen
(31,828 posts)I feel better about Van Johnson. That HAD to happen the way it did - so that this could happen the way it is.
It's about god damned time.
bleever
(20,616 posts)You walked through this politico-psychohistory so well it was a pleasure to cover the territory with you. You could call it A New Kind of Democrat.
calimary
(81,329 posts)coalition_unwilling
(14,180 posts)John Lauber is smiling.
maindawg
(1,151 posts)As I watched Mary Matlin on the ABC stephanopolis show, and she tried to stick with the GOP talking points rather than address the questions, I wondered, how long will it take, for here to tire of apologizing ? She is a strategist.She is an advisor. She is not a representative. Strategists must base their ideas on facts.They know that we dont live in a make believe world. Matlin has to face the truth and base her strategy on the what is true.
Now, its all good when you are in a comfortable position and you can have some wiggle room to move ahead.
But this thing is a concrete wall of clusterfuck. There is no doubt that Mittens is lying and every time he opens his mouth he lies some more. I dont think he is capable of telling the truth at all. His life is a lie. He believes in magic underwear and all that kooky morman crap, thats all lies. He has made a living selling lies to people in order to become a successful business. Its about getting what you want.The law has never applied to a Romney , or a Bush for that matter. But the law is the law. There is a line and I fell like this is it.
orpupilofnature57
(15,472 posts)Poppy puppy.
SCVDem
(5,103 posts)He forces the guest to the point and allows no talking point recitals, politely of course.
Why do so many allow their show to be hijacked by rambling nonsense which evades the question?
By the way Mitch, How will you cover all those millions who will lose benefits under your repeal of the ACA?
We're still waiting! It's been a week!
TBF
(32,070 posts)I really like her also. Cutter does a good job of explaining complex issues and she does not back down
mchill
(1,018 posts)She impresses me each and every time she appears against her opposition.
orpupilofnature57
(15,472 posts)Cracked Actor.
Douglas Carpenter
(20,226 posts)really come out fighting. Remember how much heat Howard Dean took from the party regulars for raising his voice just a little bit? All those professional politicos wanted him to back-off. Republicans could say anything - absolutely ANYTHING, no matter how personal and how nasty and the Democrats were supposed to just take it. If a prominent Democrat raised their voice in self-defense just a little bit - they would inevitably be met with a chorus of condemnation from high positioned Democrats for not playing nice while the side was going for the jugular. I'm very impressed - it's bloody about time - In fact about 40 years past due.
tallahasseedem
(6,716 posts)I can't believe how giddy I have been the last couple of days...I could get used to this feeling!
Historic NY
(37,451 posts)attack, attack, and attack some more.
Rmoney has a glass jaw & he is bankrolled by those big money crooks that want to buy the presidency.
malaise
(269,067 posts)Rec
greiner3
(5,214 posts)Have assailed the strategy of always 'caving in' by the Dems a series of cowardly acts, think again. If the Dems ALWAYS replied 'screw you' then just when it matter most, say RIGHT FUCKING NOW, there would not be any MAJOR impact.
I try not to cuss; no REALLY! I stopped in the 80s because my young children were picking up on the words. Also, I knew that just to have these words in my vernacular did nothing to emphasize my emotions. They were just a few words.
So my friends and family knew if I cussed there was some serious crap on the horizon.
I feel this is somewhat akin to the Stephanie Cutter episode. If you always do something then the other side is expecting that response and nothing else.
After all, isn't it all one big poker game and those who can bluff the best usually win, in the long run?
ananda
(28,868 posts).. Scott just got a free pass to the entire Fed immigration database.
DallasNE
(7,403 posts)In the basket that FactCheck.Org has found the Obama statement to be false. This only makes it look more like Romney and FactCheck are in a partnership on this issue. The problem with FactCheck is that they theorized that Obama is wrong because if Romney is wrong it would mean that he comitted a felony. They apparently didn't consider the paper trail that the Obama people used to support their position. The responsible thing for FactCheck to have done is to declare that it is inconclusive because key data is being withheld by Romney. Now Romney did leak a document to Fortune but upon examination it proved nothing because it was a single snapshot and it would require a 2nd document prior to February 1999 for it to be conclusive. Also, Bain stationary before and after February 1999 should show a change in management if one happened. There are all kinds of ways Romney could put this behind him if what he claims is true. That hasn't happened and that strongly suggests Romney has lied to the American people regarding his departure from Bain. You would have to ask him why.
JDPriestly
(57,936 posts)to be used by Bain, as long as he permitted Bain to claim him as their CEO, etc., he was responsible, publicly and legally (it would seem to me) to people with whom Bain had dealings.
The argument that Romney kept his titles for several years but wasn't really doing anything suggests that Romney is quite willing to take credit for doing work he is not doing. It also suggests that he is willing to trick people into thinking they are dealing with him when they are dealing with someone else. Romney is very wealthy, and by keeping his name on the some or all of the official documentation of Bain Capital, he was leading investors and creditors to believe that his money and business acumen were behind that company.
So, Gillespie can explain that Romney was just named in legal documents because Romney was trying to get a better golden parachute out of Bain, but that does not fly with me. If Romney's name was on the Bain documents filed with the SEC, then people who dealt with Bain had the right to believe they were dealing with Romney. That looks like misrepresentation to me. But then, what do I know.
But that is why I think that Romney cannot so easily gloss over this mess he made. If he had just been an employee, he could have done that. But the papers filed with the SEC came close to claiming he personified the company. He can't now come to us and claim he had nothing to do with running the company when at the time, a reasonable person could have believed he was the company.
And then, there is the fact that this is probably just the first in a series of scandals about how Romney managed his companies in at times a despicable manner. That is how fortunes are made. That is a sad but true fact for not all, but for many fortunes.
turtlerescue1
(1,013 posts)Things like "hanging chads" in Al Gore's run for the White House; Citizens United actually getting a nod from the SCOTUS; Montana now being told "No, not your way-OUR's"; The Teabaggers and the deadlock deadheaded b.s.; The Fundies and their "leading" people in the direction 180 degrees from where THEY Know they should be going and leading- the money of the SuperPACS is going to buy someone's soul to cover Mitter's "mishap".
What does my soul good is my Democrats are FINALLY mad as hell, and hopefully stay serious!
This is a lot more important than just four years at 1600! Still there are turncoat among us, and that always makes me wonder about who sold their soul to the devil, it is about "follow the money". I have never been more concerned about the future of this US of A, and it is about a democratic republic being totally-dare I call it a coups de tat?- a plutocractic entity.
It is TIME to stand firm and Stephanie needs to have strong support systems to be the one in front. Its not that dems don't have courage, its that there is a tendency to be more kind than mean. Its time to be mean as hell.
tallahasseedem
(6,716 posts)that's why getting out the vote is so important!
Tx4obama
(36,974 posts)and she did NOT call Rmoney a felon.
What David Axelrod had to say about it here: http://www.mediaite.com/tv/david-axelrod-on-cnn-we-never-called-romney-a-felon-just-said-he-might-have-committed-a-felony/
lobodons
(1,290 posts)stating he was CEO of Bain through 2002. But what if she is not sorry that Mitt signed his name to SEC documents which contradict what he had previously publicly said?
arely staircase
(12,482 posts)I think you are right on every point.
emulatorloo
(44,133 posts)protect our future
(1,156 posts)I have just learned a lot about strategy that I didn't previously know.
Xyzse
(8,217 posts)Someone to have the cojones to stand up like this.
Even better to find that it would have to be a woman.
Again, please, please please get rid of Frum. When a political operative is most known for his concession speeches, you know something is not working.
Historic NY
(37,451 posts)it don't work that way when its the truth Pukes.
BlancheSplanchnik
(20,219 posts)I hadn't realized that.
Innnnnnteresting!
Erda
(107 posts)Said nothing yesterday to counter Matthew Dowd's assertion that "President Obama could not run on his record." I don't get it -- why are they conceding such an important point?
alcibiades_mystery
(36,437 posts)Looks like Romney's actually the one who can't run on his record!
This must be so painful for you, watching your guy go down in flames.