Rove offers advice to Barack Obama

See also: http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/04/28/rove-tells-obama-how-to-win/

Rove offers Obama six suggestions on how to win the nomination. While I can’t stand Karl Rove, I am rational just enough to see that he is offering solid advice here.

Here’s a good example in no. 1:

Your stump speech is sounding old and out of touch. You made a mistake by not giving the bored press (and voters) something new last Tuesday when you lost Pennsylvania. Come up with something fresh that’s focused on the general election. Recapture the optimistic tone of your start and discard the weary, prickly and distracted tone you’ve taken on. “

That is certainly true. Obama is tired of this campaign. You can tell. He seems lost. While I didn’t spend a lot of time trying to hunt down what he said about Pennsylvania, I have noticed that there have not been good fireworks from the Obama campaign lately. He needs the energy more than ever now, and Karl muthafuckin’ Rove is certainly correct about this. (God, writing that surely creeps me out. It’s like some little conservative alien is going to burst through my chest as I write this. “EEEEEEARRRRGGGHHHEEEEEROWWWWRRRRRR!” *Splat* *splat* *thump*. Yuck.)

You have talent, intelligence and tapped into something powerful early in your campaign. But running for president is unlike anything you’ve ever done. You’re making mistakes and making people worry that you’re an elitist. So while you’ll almost certainly win the nomination, Democrats are nervous about the fall. You’ve given them reasons to be. “

You get the sense that Rove respects his enemy here–deeply. And I can respect Rove for that. It’s very hard for someone to say that this political strategist is offering bad advice here.

-MC Spanky McGee