Midwest Voices

Yael T. Abouhalkah

The Kansas City Star

(UPDATE : Rove apologizes. And it reportedly was one weird call.)

One of the big news events today is Karl Rove’s creepy sounding “death threat” against Todd Akin, the GOP nominee for the U.S. Senate seat in Missouri.

“We should sink Todd Akin. If he’s found mysteriously murdered, don’t look for my whereabouts!” Rove reportedly told high-income GOP donors at a private meeting in Tampa.

Obviously Rove was joking, although Akin and his supporters won’t take it that way, especially given the very real death threats against him plus the calls from Rove and many other top Republicans for Akin to drop out of the Senate race.

However, the really creepy and worrisome part of this fascinating behind-the-scenes article is the behind-the-scenes look at how Rove wants to raise hundreds of millions of dollars to attack President Barack Obama.

I’m sure the Democrats have similar things in mind for Mitt Romney, especially when it comes to funding an attack on the Republican presidential nominee’s record.

As this article makes clear, we’ve gone completely overboard in this country in financing ugly ads about political figures.

No wonder many Americans have tuned out the 2012 elections already.

Comments

1. 

   Kent Mueller

   9 months, 3 weeks ago

   Yael, you have formed a very predictable pattern.

   You make a statement about conservatives in a way to be detrimental or demeaning to them. Then you follow with a statement saying, with less harsh verbiage, that the liberals will probably be doing the same thing.

   You obviously think the second part makes you fair and balanced. It does not. You always criticize the conservative first, with harsher language and links to other sites than your faux “fair and balanced” comment about liberals. It the conservative angle that gets into your negative headline.

   Do you really think no one sees through that?

2. 

   Phil Cardarella

   9 months, 3 weeks ago

   Actually, the Dems are (sadly) not as ruthless as guys like Rove — and lack the nutty billionaire depth in their bench to match the money.

   Fortunately, much of the rightwing nutty billionaire money will be scorfed up by guys like Rove and Arney into their own pockets for “commissions” and “overhead”.

   If you think about it, it is hard to tell the wealthy that they must eat their spinach — in the form of higher taxes — and expect to get their money. Rich folks who give money to the Dems have to be acting out of pure patriotism.

3. 

   Johnathon Busby

   9 months, 3 weeks ago

   If it wasn’t an election year, Rove wouldn’t have a problem with Akin. His only issue is Akin might cost the GOP nationally. Akin’s only mistake, and why Rove wants him dead, was honestly speaking his party’s view in an election year. It shows that the base isn’t respected by the leadership of the GOP; they (the socially conservative base) are mainly a vehicle for the controllers to retain their position. Any position looks better (to the average social conservative) when you cloak it in holy writ, and hide it behind a cross.

4. 

   Kent Mueller

   9 months, 3 weeks ago

   You are laughable, Phil. The Democrats don’t have billionaires?

   And if what you say is true….which so often it isn’t, Rove will steal much the conservative billionaires’ contributions so none of it can get to the campaign. Why would you oppose that?

5. 

   Mark Hastert

   9 months, 3 weeks ago

   “The Democrats don’t have billionaires?”

   …not nearly enough but I’m working on my first but I’ll have to live as long as Methuselah.

6. 

   Robert Copher

   9 months, 3 weeks ago

   Yael, I’m disappointed. You headline you piece with a damaging accusation that isn’t true and then 3 paragraphs down, claim “obviously Rove was joking”. Really? Your stooping to that kind of reporting? Rove made no “threat” and you give no support for any of your accusations. You say the creepy behind the scenes activity is worrisome and then give no details for why. Are you paid by the word? Just throw anything out to try and get a response? This article by is creepy.

7. 

   George Hunsucker

   Northland

   9 months, 3 weeks ago

   When the libs have no record to run on, due to the big 0’s failed presidency, their water-carriers resort to this type of “journalism”.

   I thought the National Enquirer was sold in grocery stores?????

8. 

   Kent Mueller

   9 months, 3 weeks ago

   Evidently Yael doesn’t think Jason Biggs’ threats rate a mention.

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