I've been assuming, as I said a couple of weeks ago, that you're being spun every time it's rumored that Mitt Romney might pick Condoleezza Rice as his running mate. Right now it's Drudge saying that Rice is the VP front-runner -- but it's not just Drudge, as Hot Air's llahpundit notes:
This piece by Bill Kristol published last Friday seemed strange and random at the time, but in light of tonight’s Drudge tease, it looks in hindsight like maybe BK got a tip from someone who’s tapped in and seized the opportunity to look prescient. Coincidentally, Rush Limbaugh mentioned her on the air yesterday too; doubly coincidentally, Peggy Noonan's new column in the Journal tomorrow is all about how awesome Condi Rice might be as VP. I didn’t take Ann Romney seriously when she hinted that Team Mitt was considering a woman for the ticket, but the sudden Condi buzz among big-name Republicans makes me wonder if either something's leaked or if Team Mitt is feeding this to friends who have microphones in order to try to create some advance grassroots buzz for his eventual pick.I'm starting to wonder if this is more than just Mitt wanting to seem like a friend to women and minorities -- I'm wondering if maybe he seriously wants to pick Rice, much as John McCain really wanted to pick the pro-choice Joe Lieberman, not just because Rice will check off the black, female, and foreign-policy boxes he can't, but also because he really likes to think of himself as a g's a guy whouy who's a great friend to those who aren't white males -- and because he thinks Russia is America's #1 foreign foe and Rice is an old Russia hand.
He won't pick her. He wouldn't be allowed to pick her. She's called herself pro-choice, and that's all that matters. But maybe he's begging the party to permit him to pick her. This is totally a hunch on my part -- otherwise I can't explain why there's so much Condi speculation.
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Ahhh, but I see this from a National Review guy:
I hear a few UT retreat attendees (donors, etc.) are stirring Condi buzz. Per people I trust, it's not Boston-driven
— Robert Costa (@robertcostaNRO) July 13, 2012
Rich donors at Romney's Utah retreat? Hmmm -- maybe one of the zillionaires really digs her and is trying to buy her the #2 slot.
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UPDATE: I didn't really finish making that last point. How would a fat cat's money translate into multiple mentions of what the fat cat wants in the media? Would the fat cat merely have to whisper in the ears of prominent right-wing journalists to see his pet idea prominently discussed? Or would cash actually have to change hands? I don't know -- I don't know how these things work? But something's going on.
6 comments:
You're right. It does make sense he would want this is a number of ways. Perhaps the most dangerous being his conviction, just as you say, that post-Communist Russia is our number one enemy.
The Democratic foreign policy establishment thinks pretty much the same thing, but as always is less bellicose about it.
Foreign policy is like trade policy.
There's the loony crackpot Tweedle-dee and his slightly less loony, less crackpot brother, Tweedle-dum.
I don't know. I just don't see it.
Condi is a black woman - so, yes, that may peel off some blacks and women.
But how many of the right's racist and misogynists base,
who'll support anyone against Obama because he's black, feel about him having a black woman as the the rich Mormon's VP candidate?
Condi's on record as being pro-choice - so yes, that, again, may peel off some women.
But Mitt's NOW on record as being pro-life. He'll NEVER do anything during his Presidency, if he's elected, to do anything to piss-off his pro-life base. Plus, that base is already leery of him for flip-flopping - bringing Condi aboard as VP won't help him. They'll grow even MORE suspicious.
Even if Condi, in a purely political move, declares that she's now reappraised her position, and is now pro-life. Having TWO flip-floppers one one ticket ain't gonna help Mittens.
And how does black, pro-choice, Condi help with the Dominionist Christian Evangelical base?
They've been the loyal foot soldiers in every election since Reagan.
Romney needs them to not only show up and vote, he needs them to do their usual legwork. And they already can't stand, or hate him, because he's a Mormon.
Another point - Condi was one of the key figures during the Bush years. Romney's already surrounded himself with a 'who's-who' of W. Bush moronic neocons.
Another one won't help in the public's eyes. Remember, a majority still blame W for the mess this countries in.
Even though I'm aware of the right's bases singular ability to reconcile any and all contradictory things as, "Well, she's OUR black, pro-choice, female" - all in all, this just doesn't compute.
Maybe, after his turn at the NAACP, his team is looking to mitigate at least SOME of the damage by indicating that Mitt is open to a black VP.
And maybe it's some damage control with women, to show that he's at least open to considering a pro-choice black woman as his VP.
I just can't see how a flip-flopping, lying, richer-than-rich, Mormon is helped by bringing aboard a black, pro-choice, woman, who was formerly one of the central figures in this nations problems. That pre-9/11 PDB will haunt her to her dying days.
And the Obama team shouldn't hesitate to remind everyone one of either her incompetence, or her negligence, prior to that day.
True - all of this may help with some "true" independents and moderates.
But the 'real' independents - the lazy, stupid, ignorant, and mis-under-un-informed ones, will awaken from their 'dope'-induced slumber, and see the choice as between a black man being re-elected, or a filthy-rich, white, Mormon man, with a black, pro-choice woman, who they remember as part of the bad last few years of the previous administration.
Is that a plus for Mitt?
And Condi will not help to pump-up the base, who are needed to help show-up to GOTV, and actually vote themselves. A Mormon and a pro-choice black woman will not provide them with any motivation - rather, it will probably demotivate them?
'What, that rich Mormon couldn't find a good, black or white, male of female, Christian who believes in the sanctity of life, and chose a pro-choice Christian black woman instead?'
"Color" me skeptical.
I'll believe it when I see it.
I think the safe money's on a white, very Christian, bland, male.
Steve, in the update, you ask:
"Would the fat cat merely have to whisper in the ears of prominent right-wing journalists to see his pet idea prominently discussed? Or would cash actually have to change hands? I don't know -- I don't know how these things work?"
I think a whisper will do it, no cash needed.
Further "access" to that source is often worth more than gold to "reporters."
This is mostly why the Sunday and Cable TV news shows suck!
The Sunday gab fests, and FOX, will suck-up sycophantically to any Conservatives.
CNN, ABC, CBS, and NBC don't DARE call them on their lies - they'll lose "access" to that Conservatives, and maybe others.
Meanwhile, on all of those shows, Democrats are given the 3rd Degree with no consequences - and especially if they're telling the truth.
One must look tough on them, lest one get a reputation as being too partisan to the Left!
And don't interrupt the Conservatives while they're lying for the same reason.
OY!
MSNBC does - once in awhile. Matthews, on a good day - on a bad day, he's as sycophantic as FOX with R's, and as tough on them on the D'. And Rachel and Ed, of course - if anyone's stupid enough to come on their shows - which is why Conservatives appear so infrequently.
If there was any doubt that Drudge now completely runs our political discourse, this has put a .50 caliber round right through the brainpan of any semblance of integrity left in the DC press.
The guy literally runs in the room with a SHINY OBJECT and the Bain story and Romney's habitual lying is now forgotten with people asking about Romney's veep, as if Romney or Rice would be any good running a food truck, let alone a country.
Mission Drudge-complished.
I dunno. By the time the R convention rolls around, the lumpenright may be so ginned up with hate-O sentiment (and, perhaps, reconciled to a Rice candidacy by some red-meat speeches from Her MushroomCloudness) that they'll let Mitty have anybody he wants as VP. (Of course, it's hard for me to imagine the lumpenright hating O any more rabidly than they do now, but I'm not very imaginative.)
If it does end up being Condi, my only regret is that Biden (who voted for the Iraq resolution) will be debating her instead of someone (like O) who nayed it. Nonetheless, it seems to me she's got a sizable Iraqi bull's-eye painted on her supposed foreign-policy genius, as well as a long, close association with W, whose unpopularity seems to persist.
BH,
What I left out of my comment earlier, are rumours that she's gay.
THAT, is another strike against her!!!
Drudge, good sycophantic lapper of zociopathic dicks and kisser of the asses of the rich and powerful, was told to give Mitt some cover with Blacks and women, and take some heat off all of Mitt's 'Bain-in-the-ass' problems.
And so he did.
NEXT!
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