Last updated on August 10th, 2014 at 05:45 pm
In a pot and kettle moment, Karl Rove accused President Barack Obama of being arrogant in his press conference last night, and of saying things that weren’t true. The Democratic National Committee responded by telling Rove that if he wants to see arrogance, he should look in the mirror.
Here is what Rove said after Obama’s press conference last night, “I don’t know. I’ve always said I think he’s sort of an arrogant guy, and I think he thinks I’m showing how much in command I am of this material and I’m on top of it and I’m doing the right thing by reciting talking points and by saying things that are simply not true. I could not believe it tonight, we’re going to move from an era of borrow and spend to save and invest?”
This led DNC Communications Director Brad Woodhouse to say, “If Karl Rove wants to call someone arrogant, perhaps he and Dick Cheney should look in the mirror. It was, after all, the Administration he worked for and helped lead that left America entangled in two wars, tarnished our reputation aboard, squandered a budget surplus and drove the American economy into the deepest economic crises since the Great Depression by insisting on their arrogant, ‘our way or the highway,’ ideological approach to domestic and foreign policies.”
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He continued, “Arrogance was a staple of the Bush-Cheney-Rove approach to politics and policy – eschewing accountability, blaming others and failing to level with the American people. The only thing the America people are interested in right now is the type of measured, informed action the President detailed last night to stabilize and grow the economy, improve health care and education, create green jobs and reduce our dependence on foreign oil. They are not interested in the musings of the men who, more than anyone else, are responsible for creating the challenges we currently face.”
Rove was trying to still find a negative way to define Obama. He is trying desperately to find a way to dent Obama’s popularity. This has become a common theme with all of the Bushies, with the notable exceptions of the former president himself and Condi Rice. Rove calling anybody arrogant is a sick joke, because this is same man who once set as his Republican control of every level of government. This is the same guy who once proclaimed that the Republicans would never lose another election because they found the magic formula of increasing spending while cutting taxes.
Rove was a part of one of the most arrogant administrations, outside of Richard Nixon, to ever occupy the White House. One can criticize the Obama administration for being sloppy in their vetting of appointees which has slowed down their agenda. It would be more than fair to criticize the administration for sticking with the Bush positions on issues like warrantless wiretapping, but calling Obama arrogant is real stretch.
This is an attack that the Republicans tried in 2008 with no success. They probably will try it again in 2010 and 2012. The problem is that Obama doesn’t come off as an arrogant person to most people. The DNC is enjoying going after easy targets like Rove and Cheney, because every time these two speak, the anchor that was the Bush administration attaches itself to Republican necks. Rove is already playing political games in preparation for 2012, but it seems that Republicans still haven’t learned how to attack Barack Obama.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
