Sunday, June 12, 2005

Appealing to the base

I have noted here and there that if there is a lesson to be learned from the Republicans, it’s that appealing to the base works. Now I’m for real here, I’m open to hearing an articulation of an opposing view on this, but I’ve heard none. I just hear that the dems should be building bridges and must be drinking the Kool Aid if they think it’s a good idea to back Howard Dean, while Karl Rove’s a genius architect for skillfully, if cynically, appealing to the Republican base.

Maybe Digby’s put his finger on it:

[On Meet the Press this morning] Gwen Ifill pointed out that while Dean is popular with the rank and file, the Washington Democrats are very upset. The Knights of the Botox all made it quite clear that while Bush catering to his base is a smart strategy, they agree with the DC Dems that catering to the filthy Democrat rabble is quite beneath any civilized politician. But then, as we all know, Bush’s base are Real Americans while the Democratic base consists of a bunch of godless, bi-coastal, terrorist sympathizers who are waaaay outside the mainstream. All 49% of ‘em. No way are Judy, Gwen, Father Tim, and Dean Broder associated with those treasonous bastards. Why, everybody on Nantucket practically lives on pork rinds these days. (Atkins, don’t you know.)

Read the whole post. And when you’re done click-on-over to Crooks and Liars for the FoxFight between Hume and Kristol over Gitmo.

UPDATE: More for the chattering class. Dean today, Next “My view is FOX News is a propaganda outlet for the Republican Party...” Via Atrios.

Newt video

The last time I linked to Trey Jackson it was for the Laura Bush correspondent’s dinner video. I didn’t know then that he was a fellow Georgian.

So last Wednesday Trey and Lance, from RedStateRant, got themselves a video interview with Newt Gingrich:

We will have to post it over a couple of days, but I am confidant each of you will enjoy it as much as we did. We covered border control, Linda Foley, Hillary Clinton, Howard Dean, democrats, the technology revolution, Mr. Speakers current book Never Call Retreat and even got to hear a little about my favorite President: Ronald Reagan!

I want to start everyone off with this video that we were very fortunate to get. We were allowed to video tape the former Speaker while he was on the phone conducting an interview with Bill O’Reilly for the Radio Factor. Even though I know now what Bill’s questions were, I want to give it to you the way we saw it, not knowing the questions and just watching Mr. Gingrich answer. I think it’s much more enjoyable that way.

Great work!

Via Joe Gandelman at The Moderate Voice: “Increasing, video bloggers are offering some of the most interesting and must-view sites on the Internet… Original video blogging opens up a new frontier.”

Where there’s smoke…

...is there fire?

It looks like Frist chief of staff Eric Ueland was prescient when he said, in another context, “We are moving into ‘here there be dragons’ territory.”

Via Oliver Willis.

UPDATE: And in other Frist news, it looks like it was he refused to have a real roll call vote on the anti-lynching resolution.

Then come’s word that the results of Terri Schiavo autopsy call into question Dr. Frist’s observation that “She certainly seems to respond to visual stimuli.”