Obama: Above the Rove Strategy
“Silly Season” in the presidential election continues as the baser political animals among us try to adopt Karl Rove’s strategy of attacking your opponent’s strengths.
Ben Smith at The Politico writes that tomorrow Obama will address the larger issue of race in a speech. I look forward to a speech that addresses core concepts, not a reflex reaction. I suspect that Obama understands the politics of frames and is not foolish enough to step into the obvious trap of responding in his opponents’ terms.
Of course, Obama’s already busy using his diplomatic skills and showcasing his stance on human rights regarding the issue of Tibet:
The diplomatic condemnation was led by Barack Obama, the American Democratic presidential hopeful, who warned China’s leaders that the eyes of the world were upon them in an Olympic year.
Mr Obama said he was deeply disturbed by reports of a crackdown and arrests, and called on the Chinese government to respect the basic human rights of the people of Tibet.
“This is the year of the Beijing Olympics. It represents an opportunity for China to show the world what it has accomplished in the last several decades,” he said. “Those accomplishments have been extraordinary and China’s people have a right to be proud of them, but the events in Tibet these last few days unfortunately show a different face of China.”
Needless to say, I don’t think the Rove Strategy will work this time. Obama has walked the walk of fighting racism in America, and I imagine that he will talk circles around anyone who tries to trap him on race issues.
Good luck, Mr. Rove, but I don’t think the American People are falling for it this time.
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