A Dubious Connection and a Dumb Conservative Strategy

Prominent conservatives led by Newt Gingrich and Sarah Palin like to describe Barack Obama as a "Saul Alinsky radical," thereby linking the president to a Chicago community organizer and leftwing theorist of the 1950s and '60's. White House defenders reject the label, insisting Obama was only ten when Alinsky died and that his later work as a community organizer focused on practical help for the poor, not sweeping social transformation.

Regardless of the president's possible affinity for Alinsky's philosophy, it's dumb politics to obsess on a forgotten activist few Americans could pick from a police lineup. To discredit the president through possible Alinsky associations you'd first have to explain who Alinsky was. Instead of wasting time describing an agitator's bad ideas from last generation, conservatives should concentrate on exposing President Obama's bad policies from last year.

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Rich White and Orange wrote...

D_umb and a forgotten social activist

February 7, 2012 3:05 pm

D_umb - Palin thinks Saul Lewinsky is Monica's brother. And a forgotten social activist describes Gingrich in about 5 years.
Nice job 'conservatives'. (Palin is a 'prominent Conservative? Oh boy. You guys are in serious trouble.)

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Chuck Gould wrote...

Be careful, Mr. Medved.

February 7, 2012 5:17 pm

Questioning the reasoning behind *any* criticism of Barack Obama, regardless how ill advised or far-fetched, just might get you labeled as a "liberal", and drummed right out of the Republican party. :-)

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cdbtx wrote...

I'll agree

February 7, 2012 7:34 pm

Simply start an ad showing Bernie Maddow denying that he knew anything about what was going on with his company, or the Enron Folks and their denials.. then show Eric Holder testifying before Congress that he knew nothing about Fast and Furious.
Fade to scene two... Obama critisizing the Supreme Court in his State of the Union address over the "Super Pac's", then show the administrations announcement today
Fade to scene three... Show Obama's speech on how he's going to reform Wall Street.. the begin scrolling down the list of dollars and donors to his campaign.
Next scene - show Obama preaching to young blacks about taking personal responsibility.. then quote and quote (stop after 3 minutes) of Obama blaming Bush..
hmmmm.. starting to sound like documentary.. not an ad..

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Rich White and Orange wrote...

cdbtx = rmds

February 8, 2012 8:33 am

'Rachel Maddow Derangement Syndrome'
It's Bernie Madoff -- 'Made-Off'. Not Maddow.
tx = texass?
if so = figgers.

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Chuck Gould wrote...

cdbtx; blame and personal responsibility

February 7, 2012 11:39 pm

You move into a house. The previous resident had poisoned all the plants in the yard shortly before moving out, and during the first short while you live there most of the plants die.
Are the dead plants your fault, or the previous resident's?
You fault Obama for not taking personal responsibility (for the recession ?) yet you let your guy duck any culpability or responsibility because the wheels were only partially off, and the plants had merely started dying, the day he left office?

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SeattleNative wrote...

Linked to Saul Alinsky? No.

February 9, 2012 11:04 am

Linked to Bill Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn? 100% yes.

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SeattleNative wrote...

@Chuck

February 9, 2012 11:08 am

You inherit a Congress that is run 100% by your own party. You have carte blanche to pass any policies you want. The economy is heading into a recession. People are losing jobs.
What do you focus on as POTUS?
It's been three years. This is Obama's economy now. He owns it.

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Drool wrote...

@Seattlenative

February 9, 2012 11:03 pm

Don't let the facts get in the way.
-- The recession from which the United States is still struggling to recover began in December 2007, 13 months before Obama took office in January 2009. That's according to the National Bureau of Economic Research, the nonprofit agency that tracks business cycles.
-- The bureau found the recession officially ended in June 2009, five months after Obama took office. The economy has grown in every quarter since then, though barely in the past six months, according to the Commerce Department.
Unemployment is going down, albeit slowly. And we have lost a lot of government jobs which should make you very happy.

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Updated Feb 7, 2012 - 3:08 pm

A Dubious Connection and a Dumb Conservative Strategy

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