The Weekly Standard's Bill Kristol has few rivals in Republican media when it comes to influence and access, so when he strays far from the party line, it's hard not to notice. And when he gives up entirely on his candidate's central rationale, it's evidence of a larger issue.
In recent weeks, Kristol has been critical of Mitt Romney's "47 percent" video, among other things, but on Fox News yesterday, the Republican media figure went considerably further.
For those who can't watch clips online, Kristol argued, "I've thought this for months. If this election's just about the last four years, that's a muddy verdict. Bush was president during the financial meltdown. The Obama team has turned that around pretty well. The Clinton speech at the convention was very important in that way. How horrible was it four years ago? [Romney's] got to make it a referendum on the choice about the next four years."
In fairness, it's worth emphasizing that Kristol went on to criticize the White House over foreign policy and national security, and urged the Republican ticket to focus on these issues. That said, this doesn't take away from the remarkable and unexpected argument the Weekly Standard editor presented, on Fox News no less.
In effect, the Romney/Ryan message is: "Obama tried to improve the economy but failed." And Kristol's argument boils down to: "Actually, Obama succeeded, so look forward not back."
Six weeks before Election Day, one of the nation's most influential Republican voices went on the Republicans' favorite network and said the driving rationale behind the Republican presidential campaign is wrong. Romney has spent a year telling anyone who would listen that 2012 is a referendum on Obama's performance over the last four years, and Bill Kristol is now arguing the exact opposite.
Consider that quote again: "Bush was president during the financial meltdown. The Obama team has turned that around pretty well." If I were to tell you, without any additional information, that this quote was repeated on one of the Sunday shows, would you think it came from an Obama surrogate or a Romney ally?
That it's from the latter reinforces the fact that Romney faces a serious challenge.
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Satan: "Man it's cold in here."
Hello? I didn't get a memo. Are we using truncated quotes today, or crusading against them?
Did Kristol mean to say Clinton's speech at the Convention helped turn the actual economy around? Or the spin? Damn, that Clinton sure is good!
Heh.
Poor Pooper242...
Much as the truth is foreign to you and the repuke party, Kristol told a truth. Four years ago our economy was in freefall. Everyone other than Fox Noise, repuke politicians, Pooper242, and a handful of pseudo-economists dedicated to the repuke party acknowledge that the 'stimulus' helped save our economy from completely going into the tank and that our economy is going uphill and not downhill like it was when Obama took the oath of office.
Please. An empty chair could do as well, if not better. If you use the number of people employed in 2009 The current unemployment rate would be 11% or worse. And no, jobs bills don't create all that many jobs.
You'll have to be nice to business for that to happen.
Even the insiders are admitting that romney is hopeless!
As to taxes paid by romney---The question is:
How many jobs did romney create in 2011, while he artificially reverse engineered his return to hit a target number...His effective tax rate would 9%....
Is there anything romney will not scam the people about? Scam and fraud...the 'summaries' are meaningless because they had to go back 20 years to get an undocumented average of 13%... They did not say paid Federal Income taxes but paid taxes! BS---his BLIND trust manager is his lawyer who played word games but has since said it was a manipulation!
Oh yeah, Romney's a terrible person for trying to live up to a promise. How dare he?
Ah Blankman, what "promise" has Rawmoney made, other than a return to the failed Bush policies - that almost succeeded in rolling US off the cliff? I realize that you GOTP types are so filled with vitriol and fear that you cannot objectively see that this President has pulled US back from the edge!
I get it, he's a black man, and there are those that really don't want "him" in the "White House"; however, your boy Rawmoney hasn't verbalized one single thing except "trust me", sorry, that's so not working! I haven't heard a plan - other than LyingRyan's "kill off the social programs so the rich & corporate can get further tax cuts" - that's not a plan - that's a demolition of the American Dream! You know where we all have not just equal access to education, but to the "rule of law"!
Your continued refusal to see or listen to the facts, is really indicative of an underlying mental disorder, and you should really see a doctor for that - now that Obamacare has been implemented you need to take advantage before it get's undone.
Will this make a difference? It may offset the evangelicals who might come out of hiding as a result of Ralph Reed's propaganda. It may make some equivocal Romney supporters stay home rather than voting for Mitt while holding their noses. Dems and impartial groups have been saying these things for quite some time, so it's not clear how this will change the alignment.
President Obama is right when he says you have to change Washington from the outside. All that is in Washington is rich lobbyists with getting their selfish goals at the cost of everybody else. The rich threw in Romney thinking they could deceive the people into their dark agenda with no concern of others. Even though the rich, extremists of hatred, and the Republicans want to blame everybody else for the wrongs that they do. Romney runs around in fantasyland saying anything to try to sway the people with lies. What are we doing dealing with little kids that lost their toys? Romney is like a pig’s ear that you just cannot change into a silk purse. Romney’s total lack of understanding and knowledge would just cause more turmoil in the world with his nonsense. How do you expect a pig’s ear to change anything when it cannot even come up with any ideas or solutions that work for anybody, unless you were rich and how fast you can steal from everybody else.
Mitt says that his minuscule rate of 14 percent -- which would have been much lower if not for creative accounting practices for political expediency -- is just right? That the rest of his fellow millionaires and billionaires shouldn't pay a penny more than 10 percent, or 13 percent, or 14 percent? Of course Mitt defends his gold plated tax rate, because it allows him to pocket a real bundle. We have a presidential candidate running on tax policy specifically created to protect his own wealth and fortune. Mitt's plan is meant to reward himself at the expense of the overall economy. Tax hikes for the workers, tax breaks for the cocktail crowd... - principledprogressive
14 percent -- which would have been much lower if not for creative accounting practices for political expediency
Don't you just hate it when job creators refuse incentive to create jobs?
Romney's entire political philosophy summed up in one perfect sentence.
No need to worry about Mitt. He has up to three years to file an amended return and claim 100% of his deductions. That will lower his rate to about 9%-12%, and meanwhile he's not worrying about putting food on the table without that extra cash.
Isn't it ironic though? This same guy who regularly touts that he pays all legally owed taxes is the same one that complains when others take the deductions and credits they can legally claim? Talk about class warfare and feelings of entitlement!
Activist, what difference does it make to you, if Romney pays 14% or something else? Whatever he pays will have zero effect on your life. The only reason remaining is spite.
Poor job Pooper242...
Being a paid troll for RMoney and the repukes is a hard job when you have nothing to use as ammunition other than the standard repuke tools of hate and fear and name calling.
Pooper - do you believe that being caught as a tax cheat is not a disqualifier for president?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-abrams/what-romneys-hiding-its-t_b_1908104.html
Is Mittens a tax cheat who got caught???
@Shooter #4.4
"Whatever he pays will have zero effect on your life."
If that's indeed the case, then I'm sure you'll agree that the tax rate the 47% that Romney was deriding has zero effect on your life.
So shooter, are willing to say that the huge deficit won't affect your life then?
What taxes he pays does in fact affect my life directly and indirectly: lower revenue means less police on the streets, less firefighters and other first responders. Less road and bridge repairs. Less education in schools. Things that taxes pay for.
They can keep repeating the words, he has failed, but noone is buying it. that's why they have to keep saying it, along with the new one, Romney should be leading...well, No he shouldn't and no he isn't. If you were to write President Obama's biography right now, the word failure would never be mentioned, it has no place. the reason we're not hearing any specifics or facts from the GOP is because there are none. They have nothing to back up their false claims, absolutely nothing, just like what the Reprubertycans in congress have done...nothing, they are outwitting themselves right out of a job.
Even as a staunch Obama supporter, you have to concede that the president isn't perfect. Nobody is. That said, he has done a whole lot right, more than enough to warrant a second term barring a candidate that has both a brilliant, well detailed plan to further bolster the economy while bringing down the debt, a solid foreign policy, and an amazingly charismatic personality.
Given that Romney has none of these things, well...
quote of the day Village Idiot Via NYT:
Consider this: If a person making $50,000 a year running for office did and said some of the things Romney says and does (e.g., the Boca remarks, the flip-flops, etc., ad infinitum) the most charitable thing they would call him is "high-functioning autistic;" the less charitable would simply call him "stupid." Only because he is famously worth $250 million does anyone think Romney is smarter than he is, instead of what he really is: damned lucky.
speaking as a 'high functioning autistic' I take umbrage with that comparison. ;)
He's not autistic- how he does things, what he pays, how he's paid, where he puts his money- none of that is 'accidental' or 'lucky'. It is cold, it is calculated, and it is very intentional. He's a snake in sheep's clothing. (as it were)
"Actually, Obama succeeded, so look forward not back."
Before you let that thrill run up your leg, take a good look at Kristol's track record.
Like Rick Perry, I'm not in the bettin' business, but if I were, I'd put ten thousand bucks on the other side of anything Kristol says.
What's up with Fox News of late? Much more of this type of commentary, bordering on the previously unheard of phrasing of impartical rightwing analysis, from Bill Kristol...BILL KRISTOL no less, and folks will begin to wonder whether Fox, dare I say, is making exploratory overatures to see if the MSM will allow them thru the door of true fair and balanced reporting.
H-m-m...naah, Mitt's just not their guy. Oh well, back to the real world.
I'd say it goes beyond Mitt just not being "their guy." I think even the "smarter" Republicans like Kristol (hah!) is starting to adopt a "the devil you know" philosophy, essentially saying "even though Mitt's our nominee, he's dangerous to the country, and worse, to the party. Better to keep Obama in the White House and fight him tooth and nail on every piece of legislation he tries to champion through Dems in Congress, rather than have Romney in any position of power."
I've predicted that before the election, you'll see popular powerful Republicans refuse to endorse Romney, or take their endorsement back. They won't go so far as to endorse Obama, but they will in no uncertain terms make it clear that Romney is not fit to be President, despite having what Grover Norquist finds important in a President - a hand that will sign his name to the legislation Grover deems worthy.
The 64K question is, what do they know that we don't? OR, do they know exactly what we know and is that enough to scare the crap out of them?
"The 64K question is, what do they know that we don't?"
They know that this 47% meme is toxic as Hell and they are running away from it as fast as they can. Its already having a profound effect on the down-ballot polling, which is turning into a disaster.
Time to cut the losses, looks like.
"Bush was president during the financial meltdown. The Obama team has turned that around pretty well. [In spite of the fact we did everything we possibly could to make that not happen]"
Fixed it for you, Bill.
Kristol is captain of his rhetorical vessel, and he's doing nothing more courageous than being first off a sinking ship.
I kind of liked Bill Kristol during the Bush years precisely because he wasn't afraid to criticize Republicans or depart from party orthodoxy, and usually had at least a semi-believable rationale to base his arguments on. That changed when Democrats started winning elections in 2006 and 2008 and his tone became much more negative and partisan and he stopped making much rational sense on any issue.
I always figured if Republicans returned to power, that he'd switch back from partisan shill and attack dog mode to conservative intellectual mode, but to see him stray from the party's presidential candidate in the midst of the campaign is essentially a public admission that, despite what Romney surrogates are saying on the Sunday shows about this being a close race, Republicans know they are very likely going to lose the presidential election, and that it's better to jump ship on Romney now in order to better defend down-ballot races.
Village idiot/town drunk (Hi Otis of Mayberry) Reince Priebus said Sunday that Willard and their Boy Wonder have "SPECIFICS COMING OUT OF THEIR EYEBALLS"!
NOT the part of the anatomy I envisioned their specifics coming from!! Where'd the Republicans ever find this creep? More please, RP...we need the laughs!
Maybe after the election the GOP will have him run their "lemonade stand"...the one President Obama's "never seen the inside of."
On a serious note...the Koch Brothers are mobilizing their minions...the darkness is gathering...well, the lily whiteness anyway........
What ever became of personal responsibility and the consequences of one's actions?
Kristol cheerleaded the War in Iraq, claiming it would all be over in a few months, that it would pay for itself, that it would be a walk-over victory completely devoid of any comparisons to Vietnam.
How wrong he was.
Literally hundreds of thousands of people are dead, our nation is on the brink of bankruptcy and this yahoo continues to be treated as if he actually knows what he is talking about.
He's a joke, no matter whether his comments can be used to support my current political agenda or not. Let's return accountability to journalism, starting with a shelving of Kristol and his demonstratively poor analytic skills.
I think the main point is even Kristol, a high profile Republican sock puppet Rat, is fleeing the sinking ship.
That Kristol is dull of mind is secondary.
Or Kristol may stillbe sock puppiting and helping is masters distance the party.
.
Why does Mitt want to be president? Putting politics aside, shouldn't it be a prerequisite that you are a good citizen? I'm not talking about his religion or morality, A presidential candidate should at least be a good citizen and patriotic. Patriatism is something the GOP could have sold.
We're still trying to get back on track after the financial meltdown and the GOP picks Mitt Romney? Mitt should have been disqualified when we found out that he had money hidden in off shore accounts. He won't show his tax returns. Then came the 47% remarks!?
When I was a kid, I had fantasies of becoming a famous singer. As I got older the reality sunk in, I can't sing.... I sing in my car, with all the windows rolled up. But if I had all the money Mitt had, I'd probably never let go of that fantasy.
MLK had a dream and Mitt has a fantasy!
Kristol is a moron. Yes, he has some influence among "conservatives," but his brain is seldom inhabited by an intelligent thought. He isn't worth our attention.
This only proves the old saw that a stopped clock is correct twice a day.
"a referendum about the choice for the next four years" ... that's why it's "forward", not "backward" ... Kristol is actually saying what the Democrats are saying. I don't want the "choice" Romney offers for the next four years. I want the "choice" President Obama does. and No, he's not a perfect person or President, but he's so much better than the alternative would bring in terms of policies, proposed legislation, Supreme Court nominees, crisis management, etc.
Damn. It sure will be hilarious to see the Teatards try to sell the son of the proto-neocon as a RINO. Sure, we all know that if Reagan wasn't dead, they'd have thrown him under the bus, but here we have another (living) icon of the right wing telling them they are reactionary idiots.
The difference between a living and a dead party? The Democrats are actively trying to re-elect Claire McCaskill. The Republicans threw out Charlie Crist because he hugged Obama.