According to Gabriel Sherman of New York Magazine, Dick Morris and Karl Rove are off of Fox News by orders of Roger Ailes. Any show that wants to have either on as a guest must first get permission from Ailes. Rove is being penalized for his on-air temper-tantrum during the 2012 election night coverage. When Fox News called Ohio for Barack Obama, Rove went into a fit and even made Megyn Kelly run around in her high heels to consult with the network′s polling brain trust on why they called Ohio. As for Morris, well, he′s just an idiot always trying to promote his website or another stupid book he wrote. Will other political pundits get benched like Morris and Rove? How about Ann Coulter who has also drunk from the same cup as Rove and Morris?
Last night on Sean Hannity′s program, Coulter essentially argued for House Republicans to cave in and give Obama his tax increases. She thinks that doing so will help the GOP in 2014 win back the Senate and maybe the White House in 2016. But Ann was one of those who brutally went after Mitt Romney′s primary rivals, declaring that Mitt was their only option for winning in 2012. She, along with others, did not think that debates won by Newt Gingrich or Herman Cain mattered at all, since debates have not decided an election since 1980. Duh! Guess what, Ann? The only time Romney actually seemed to have a chance to win was due to a debate win. After that, it was all downhill.
Coulter, like Rove and Morris, are playing the political consultant′s game of focusing on winning votes rather than winning minds. Issues and philosophy have been relegated to the back seat, if not buried in an unmarked grave. Now it is all about how many votes in Precinct X of Whatever County USA can be turned out using ads and social media. The entire campaigns focused most of their energies and resources in a handful of states and even targeted specific communities and neighborhoods. The concept of a truly national campaign with broad, sweeping ideals is long gone in the minds of today′s pundits.
Frankly, I′m glad if the story by Gabriel Sherman of New York Magazine is true about Dick Morris and Karl Rove being taken off Fox News is true. I hope Roger Ailes also bans Ann Coulter and some of the other pundits who pushed Mitt Romney down our throats as the only capable candidate. Time to purge the GOP of the back-benchers and lightweights. Bad enough that House Republicans are being led by John Boehner who seems determined to sell out the country to Barack Obama. The Democrats are already talking about raising taxes not only on the top 1 or 2 percent, but also raiding people′s 401K and IRA plans. Give a Liberal an inch and they will take a mile. Then make poor Megyn Kelly walk that mile in her high heels!
December 6th, 2012 at 8:36 am
I watched the Fox election coverage and knew that was the end of Karl Rove and Dick Morris? I never understood his appeal. He had an incredible talent for always being wrong and let’s not kid ourselves; he is not exactly telegenic or charismatic.
Coulter on the other hand isn’t going anywhere. While I don’t think she believes a word she says, I applaud her ability to generate money by simply upping the level of incendiary remarks. I have no doubt she generates ratings and that alone will keep her on Fox.
By the way, if not Romney, than who?
Newt? No way he could have garnered enough broad-based appeal to win and would have even had issues with the “family-values” crowd.
Perry? Only opened his mouth to change feet?
Cain? Really? I would like someone to make that case. Do you think he would even motivate people in his own party and that was before the scandal.
Bachmann? Crazy as a loon.
Santorum? Ummm…no.
Sure, Romney was simply the default choice and didn’t have the record or personality to win. Not only that, they managed to find the one individual in America who couldn’t attack Obama on healthcare and also managed to choose someone who was vulnerable on the auto bailouts. Really, there was no one else in the entire country that had to overcome those obstacles. Heck, I was surprised how well he did, especially with the misstep of Ryan over Rubio.
Face it, who amongst that line-up could have won?
December 6th, 2012 at 9:30 am
“Time to purge the GOP of the back-benchers and lightweights.”
Didn’t realize they were candidates. Did I miss that memo?
December 6th, 2012 at 9:47 am
I agree that the GOP needs to clean “house”, no pun intended. Again most of Fox programming is entertainment, that is why they have some of these clowns on there. To restore credibility they need some new faces that don’t spew their hatred, and that works for the party, not against it. The proof was shown in the Democrats winning the election. Morris, Rove, Michele M., Tea Party and Coulter need to go, they even turn some Republicans against their own party because of their extremism.
December 6th, 2012 at 11:45 am
Time to support the4 TEA PARTY!!!
December 6th, 2012 at 5:13 pm
“Didn’t realize they were candidates. Did I miss that memo?”
Yes Pat. You missed the memo.
December 6th, 2012 at 6:18 pm
Means a lot coming from a guy who puts mint jelly on turkeys and says all republicans walk out the door every morning drooling with power looking for someone to shoot to death.
You wouldnt know a lightweight if you looked in the mirror.
December 9th, 2012 at 11:12 am
I understand Rove weaseled his way back on the network, but producers need to get approval before he appears.
Considering his somewhat childlike refusal to face facts on election night, I can’t imagine there is a real demand for his presence (same for Dick Morris, although I can’t imagine anyone would request him as a guest, considering he was wrong about almost everything).
Rove’s credibility took a substantial hit and I also wonder what the contributors to his Super PAC, Crossroads, are thinking.
One of those donors, legendary conservative activist Richard Viguerie, called for Republicans to purge both Rove and Ed Gillespie from their ranks. Gillespie helped found Crossroads before leaving to manage Romney’s ill-fated campaign.
“In any logical universe, no one would give a dime to their ineffective super PACs,” Viguerie said in a statement in the days following the election.
Rick Tyler, a former strategist for a pro-Newt Gingrich Super PAC, agreed, calling Crossroads a “colossal failure.”
“Rove has too much control over the purse strings,” Tyler fumed to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “I don’t think donors are ever going to invest in that level again because it turns out that the architect didn’t know what he was talking about.”
The same article that supplied these quotes, however, pointed out a contrary view.
“Cal Jillson, a political scientist at Southern Methodist University in Dallas who has long watched Rove’s career, says the Republican operative’s “access to a bottomless pool of dumb money in Texas” will ensure he remains a party mover and shaker for years to come.
“That money was the foundation of his fundraising for Crossroads in the early going of the campaign, and some of the biggest contributors to Crossroads were from Texas,” Jillson said.
“Those donors aren’t going to abandon him, and since he lacks the embarrassment gene, he’s not likely to take himself out of the game.”
We shall see, but while he was enormously successful, and getting George W. a second term was very impressive, his “game” may have become outdated.
December 9th, 2012 at 3:57 pm
Carl and Dick were certainly not the only prominent conservatives wrong on just about everything.
By the same token many party members from both sides full of officialese have gotten it wrong.
Those who think Morris or Rove represent a majority and thus the whole majority will become as irrelevant are thinking wishfully, and being just as foolish.
It means nothing.