Republican Super PAC Threatens To Put Religion On The Table
Via the NYT:
Timed to upend the Democratic National Convention in September, the plan would “do exactly what John McCain would not let us do,” the strategists wrote.
The plan, which is awaiting approval, calls for running commercials linking Mr. Obama to incendiary comments by his former spiritual adviser, the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr, whose race-related sermons made him a highly charged figure in the 2008 campaign.
“The world is about to see Jeremiah Wright and understand his influence on Barack Obama for the first time in a big, attention-arresting way,” says the proposal, which was overseen by Fred Davis and commissioned by Joe Ricketts, the founder of the brokerage firm TD Ameritrade. Mr. Ricketts is increasingly putting his fortune to work in conservative politics.
The $10 million plan, one of several being studied by Mr. Ricketts, includes preparations for how to respond to the charges of race-baiting it envisions if it highlights Mr. Obama’s former ties to Mr. Wright, who espouses what is known as “black liberation theology.”
My first thought is… are they seriously considering putting religion front and center? That strikes me as politically nuts since the last thing Romney obviously wants to discuss is his Mormonism – Hell, he can’t even refer to his religion by name! And if this PAC goes down the religion road then I’d expect Romney’s religion would suddenly become fair game… and he’d end up not only uttering the word Mormon, but explaining its tenets to his Real Christian base.
Tags: Mitt Romney, Religion, Super PACs
You have to look at this in republican rules. It will be just fine and dandy to say that everything Wright ever said is Obama’s personal mantra…. but one hint of a negative comment about Romney’s cult and Obama hates religion… and guess what. it will work.
This reminds me of the 1996 election. Then Republicans were going to attack the character of Bill Clinton yet again, convinced that this time their attacks would work where they failed in 1992. Now, given Bill Clinton’s personal issues with keeping his fly zipped, I can understand that strategy, even though it was still stupid since it failed already.
But if Republicans think they can win this election by attacking the character of President Obama, oh boy, are they going to be in for a shock. First, this President is a good, honest and moral family man whose personal life, family and character have been above reproach. No one questions that. There are no allegations of womanizing or cheating. Second, the American people have lived with President Obama for four years (and more, if you count the time campaigning in 2007 and 2008. They like him. He has high favorability ratings. Third, the American people have already heard of all the Rev. Wright shit. They lived through it in Spring of 2008 and then again in the fall campaign thanks to Sarah Palin and other Republican groups. While John McCain did not use it, other Republicans did. And they lost. Obama won.
So go ahead you stupid feckless Republicans. Make this election about character. We will destroy you in that department.
If this guy has $10 million to blow on this nonsense, something is seriously out of whack. Imagine what $10 million could do to help prove Obama was born in Kenya? How many frozen embryo Americans could be unfrozen with $10 million invested in toaster ovens? $10 million used to prove that tax cuts stimulate the economy would be money well invested.
First Read’s reaction, which I think is correct:
Sorry to disagree, Ben, but this will backfire, mainly because Romney does not want to discuss Mormonism in any way, shape or form. If this PAC goes down this path they will open the door to a discussion that Romney desperately wants to avoid.
And while the Reverend Wright issue will be a rerun, Mormonism will be a brand spanking new issue… and a very foreign one.
Look, I’m an agnostic, so I think all organized religions are cults. 😉 That said, most are familiar. Romney avoids his Mormonism for a reason.
I bet you Romney is on the phone to Ricketts right now.
I am with Pandora, if they attack Obama’s character, then everything about Romney is fair game, including every single attack on his cult-like religion.
Unless the goal is to get people who already don’t like Obama to not like him more, I don’t get it.
Maybe they are so blinded by their own outrage over Obama that they can’t imagine their expose not working, and I agree it will probably backfire. The Rev. Wright? Really, at this point?
Im not saying it will work well…. ive just observed these trolls long enough to know how they operate. Think Saint $arah trotting out her spawn for everyone to see…but they were OFF LIMITS!!! IOKIYAR is their creed and code, and a number… maybe not a majority…. but a number of voters will go along with whatever double standard bull they try and pull.
Here’s the other think. My personal liberal beliefs prevent me from passing “they are a cult” judgment on mormonism. It took them A LOT less time to do away with polygamy than a lot of other “real” religions. they also never embraced slavery. Sure, it’s fun to say Romney and Warren Jeffs share the exact same belief system, but it isnt true. I doubt Romney is all that religious anyway. He’s wealthy, and like ALL religious institutions, his church loves him for it. If it’s a game that has to be played… play it. Obviously Obama has to fight with the same weapons he is attacked with. No one ever won an election by being the better person.
Talk about a way to fire up the African American base too. From most of the pulpits in America, no less. Because what Wright had to say is not too unfamiliar to most church-going African Americans.
A “look he’s a mormon!” campaign isn’t going to happen, so if Romney never mentions it, the topic will never be mentioned.
RE: this…”It took them A LOT less time to do away with polygamy than a lot of other “real” religions.” …there were about to forfeit the tax exempt status. Same thing with letting in blacks.
A “look he’s a mormon!” campaign isn’t going to happen, so if Romney never mentions it, the topic will never be mentioned.
As much as I hate disagreeing with you… the press is chomping at the bit to go there. They’ve been toying with Romney’s Mormonism for a while, and if they get the Religion “green light” from this Super PAC, there will be no holding them back since the rebirth of the Rev. Wright issue will give them cover.
Actually, they have some cover now (not enough, but they’ll add it to the fire of this Super PAC) with all this talk about Black Churches and gay marriage.
Mormonism is a topic just waiting for a justification. It’s easy and sensational.
What press? Fox will never bring it up. CNN will only mention is vicariously through twitter coverage. Only MSNBC MIGHT go there and they are too afraid to look “liberal” I dont see it being mentioned other than how inappropriate it is to question…. right before they ask some white blob from the confederacy if he thinks Obama still secretly attends Wright’s sermons.
Team Obama Statement:
This is “swift-boat on steroids” and blatently racist. There are people who will belive it and vote accordingly. The only hope is that it is playing in an echo chamber and those people wouldn’t vote for Obama anyway. The risk, of course, is that it gets the crazies to turn-out when they might have stayed home. Not liking Romney and all.
As a staunch Romney supporter, I look at this plot of the republicans this way. First of all for political reasons, it is the completely wrong thing to do, and I surely hope and believe Romney will keep them from going through with this, or at least minimize how much they do it. It does not have anything to do with morminism. That part won’t be a problem. What it has to do with is that Wright is not running for President, and Wright is not the President. It just won’t work. President Obama is running for President, and this is not 2008, he now has a record, and his record viewed my most conservatives is bad. There are mountains and mountains of chrony capitalism that has gone on the last 3.5 years. Enough to spend 100 million on. So the money should be redirected towards pointing out obama’s record while in office. That is what the republicans should spend most of their resources on. I am confident that Romney, (even though he can’t actually run the pacs), will somehow get the message across that Obama’s record in office is a big target, and that is where the money should go.
As far as whether it is a fair plan or not, I don’t know, but I don’t think that is relevant, politically speaking, it is a bad bad plan, and I don’t think it will happen, at least on the scale they are talking about
Latest update
http://www.newser.com/story/146245/rich-donor-rejects-ads-on-jeremiah-wright.html?utm_source=part&utm_medium=inbox&utm_campaign=story