First Post - and What a Way to Go

With the crumbling edifice of the Republican party gaining speed in its, well, crumbling, the rest of the political spectrum of the United States seems to want to come to terms with the departure of Karl Rove. His presence has been truly gigantic in the days following Bush's 2000 victory, and his reputation for invincibility seemed to defeat opponents even before they appeared.

To be honest, such a sudden and catastrophic end for the architect of the most significant Republican victories in the last decade seems pretty shocking. How could a party so renowned for its discipline and fundraising simply let their most prized leader go? Even though the Republican losses in 2006 were catastrophic, to say the least, he still managed to raise more money than Rahm Emmanuel, ($175 m vs. $145). Even in defeat, he defies political logic.

His victory in 2000 was not because he re-aligned the political spectrum into two warring poles, but because he tried to smear the Republican message as thinly as possible across the the center of the US political spectrum. The RCN made a huge effort to demonstrate their close ties with minorities, gays, and the rest of the liberal community, leaving their base in a state of confusion at the same time. 2002 was a referendum on Osama bin Laden, and a time when the Democrats were truly cowed. 2004 was a surprise: a squeaker finish with only a few wedge issues defining the outcome: gay marriage and the unelectability of the hapless John Kerry. The crippling loss that the Republicans suffered in 2006 was likely inevitable, given the administration's obvious corruption, incompetence and betrayal of their own base since 2004. In fact, it is impressive that Rove was even able to raise $140 m, much less $175. For the first time that I can remember, the party that spent a considerably larger sum lost, and lost achingly.

His departure is the public appearance of a decapitated Republican party, and perhaps the most significant re-alignment in national politics since the 2002 demolition of the Democrats. Truly, he has left a profound mark on this nation, from working with Cheney in the babysitting of a front-man executive, then a front-man governor, finally a front-man president, to bringing back old-fashioned, dirty, hateful, spiteful, evil politics. All of his wins were close, and none were clean. Yet, they all counted, and 6 years of Rove at the helm makes us all remember just how much our political apathy can cost us - it reminds us of just how vulnerable we all are.

George Bush was not elected by a cabal, but by tens of millions of Americans that truly believed that he was the man for the job. That was Karl Rove's legacy, the Bush-Herald - empowered by years of a cowed media, a pliant congress, an endless bankroll, and a trusting and forgiving public. I hope that we shall not make the same mistake again, my fellow Americans.