Talking Politics and Congressman
October 19th, 2006I wholeheartedly enjoy bad advice, but only when it isn’t given to me. RealClearPolitics is running a realclearandbad article urging the President to “go for it,” and that “it” is best defined by its last paragraph.
Go to an Indiana courthouse in a closely-contested district, Mr. President. Make a tough but funny speech taking on the media, telling the truth about the liberals who want to change America into something only a European could comfortably call home. Tell the truth about the media’s distortions of the news. The Sulzbergers and Downey’s will scream. And the louder they do, the better off you and your party will be in the next two years. Go for it, Mr. President.
Ooh, we’re going the Populist route! “Give ‘em hell, Georgie!” I can see more bad advice coming. “Take a train across the country and introduce Laura as “the boss” and your daughter Jenna as “The Boss’ Boss’” and then Barbara as “The Boss’ Boss’ Hoss!”" “Maybe the people will think that you’re folksey and vote back the Republicans!” Or maybe the President should understand that he is not going to Win any more elections in his lifetime. And he certainly won’t turn the tide by giving any sort of speech, and he’ll do even less good if he decides to do something transparently phony like give a speech in an Indiana courthouse.
Besides the fact that this advice — to take a populistic, angry attack forward in the spirit of Harry Truman — is ridiculously simplistic, there’s another, glaring item that makes it stupid: Indiana is not a swingstate. What good would that do the GOP for him to speak in a GOP stronghold?! Durr!
Listen, I’ve said it all along. If Bush wanted good to come out of these mid-terms, or if he were interested in minimizing his harms, he would shut up, do his job and leave the politics to the Congress. There is nothing he can do this year to help himself politically. Nothing, and Karl Rove can’t do it, either. Karl Rove, incidentally, is an okay political advisor who’d never stand out if he weren’t Machiavellian. Today, I went to Slate and saw an article saying the same, and I’m glad someone else doesn’t buy into the myth of Rove as God.
Speaking of Slate, my favorite blogger, Bruce Reed, has a new piece up about Idaho politics. Believe it or not, I’m a big fan of Idaho as a state — it’s beautiful, and I want to go as soon as I can — but also of its politics, and often read my friend’s blog, Liberal Idaho. Reed’s piece is about the First District Congressional race in Idaho, and it’s fascinating. At the least, you should give it a read to learn about Helen Chenoweth, the last Great, Authentic Rightwing Nutjob. And speaking of Rightwing Nutjobs, I’d like to, first, endorse Brad Miller of North Carolina who is fast becoming one of my favorites. In part it’s because he can talk to Republicans about sex without laughing, and because he’s a genuine good guy, it seems, from reading about him and reading his blog entries, too. He’s cool beans, and speaking of cool Beans, let’s talk about Melissa, a Congresswoman near me seeking re-election.
I like her. Very good woman. If she loses re-election, it’ll be a great loss to the Congress (in terms of taking it back numerically and keeping good people in Congress), and if there’s anything you can do to support her, do it.