Jim Moore interview about Karl Rove

Mon, 2 Jun 2003 21:21:41 -0500

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A BUZZFLASH INTERVIEW=20
With James Moore, Co-Author (with Wayne Slater) of "Bush's Brain"=20
An excerpt:=20

BUZZFLASH: What Karl does to achieve his goals in terms of the =
candidates he's worked for is unscrupulous. He thinks nothing of =
slandering people. He is a rumor mongerer. He has allegedly used law =
enforcement personnel to undercut his opponents. How is that balanced, =
do you think, in his own mind? That the means, even if illegal or =
skirting at the edge of the law, don't matter as long as you achieve =
your ends? Clearly, there's a lot of moral relativism going on there =
because he doesn't have any compunction about starting a whispering =
campaign against John McCain in South Carolina, claiming that he has a =
black child, and he wasn't really a war hero and so forth. And yet Bush =
and Rove and the White House espouse these absolute, moral values. So =
how do those two things exist within him?=20

JAMES MOORE: Well, it's something I said all along. Compassionate =
conservatism in Texas is where they ask you if want green Jello or red =
Jello before they stick the needle in your arm and execute you. That's =
compassionate conservatism. But Karl's method for governance, which he =
has gotten this President to use very effectively, is completely cynical =
and it's based on the whole idea that we are all too busy to pay =
attention to the details of what's going on. We're all running around =
worrying about our mortgages and our 401Ks, and getting the kids to =
school or daycare, and picking up the dry cleaning, and planning =
vacation or retirement, that we don't read deeply into the story.=20

He once told a consultant that we interviewed for "Bush's Brain" that =
you should run every political campaign as though people are watching =
television with the sound turned down. And toward that end, you rely =
heavily on imagery and not very much on substance, knowing that if the =
President is photographed in a school of minority and ethnic children, =
and is interested in their future in that particular photo op, that =
people will trust that image. And they don't go beyond that image to =
look at his policy, which is signing the "Leave No Child Behind Act" in =
a big, high-profile moment with Senator Ted Kennedy, and then gutting =
the heart out of that bill with the funding that he offers up for it.=20

The President has become very good at these phony linkages. For =
instance, you'll see him running around talking about the tax bill, =
saying we need to=20
get it passed so that we can create jobs for people. Factually, this tax =
bill -=AD there's not an economist in America or a successful business =
person, Warren Buffet among them, who believes that getting rid of the =
taxation of dividends is going to create jobs anytime in the near =
future, and ostensibly in the long term. But if the President says it =
over and over enough, people will believe it, just as Karl Rove got him =
to say over and over that Saddam Hussein was involved in 9/11.=20

At time of the war in Iraq, the Pew survey showed 61 percent of =
Americans believed the canard about Iraq. So the whole concept is to =
speak as though you are a compassionate, sensitive, caring guy, and =
create these photo opportunities that prove that. But do whatever you =
want to do when you govern, because the public isn't paying very close =
attention. And they've gotten away with it thus far.=20

Read the entire interview on BuzzFlash.com:=20
http://www.buzzflash.com/interviews/03/06/02_moore.html=20

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<DIV><BR></DIV>A BUZZFLASH INTERVIEW <BR>With James Moore, Co-Author =
(with Wayne=20
Slater) of "Bush's Brain"=20
<P>An excerpt:<B></B>=20
<P><B>BUZZFLASH:</B> What Karl does to achieve his goals in terms of the =

candidates he's worked for is unscrupulous. He thinks nothing of =
slandering=20
people. He is a rumor mongerer. He has allegedly used law enforcement =
personnel=20
to undercut his opponents. How is that balanced, do you think, in his =
own mind?=20
That the means, even if illegal or skirting at the edge of the law, =
don't matter=20
as long as you achieve your ends? Clearly, there's a lot of moral =
relativism=20
going on there because he doesn't have any compunction about starting a=20
whispering campaign against John McCain in South Carolina, claiming that =
he has=20
a black child, and he wasn't really a war hero and so forth. And yet =
Bush and=20
Rove and the White House espouse these absolute, moral values. So how do =
those=20
two things exist within him?=20
JAMES MOORE: Well, it's something I said all along. =
Compassionate=20
conservatism in Texas is where they ask you if want green Jello or red =
Jello=20
before they stick the needle in your arm and execute you. That's =
compassionate=20
conservatism. But Karl's method for governance, which he has gotten this =

President to use very effectively, is completely cynical and it's based =
on the=20
whole idea that we are all too busy to pay attention to the details of =
what's=20
going on. We're all running around worrying about our mortgages and our =
401Ks,=20
and getting the kids to school or daycare, and picking up the dry =
cleaning, and=20
planning vacation or retirement, that we don't read deeply into the =
story.=20
He once told a consultant that we interviewed for "Bush's Brain" that =
you=20
should run every political campaign as though people are watching =
television=20
with the sound turned down. And toward that end, you rely heavily on =
imagery and=20
not very much on substance, knowing that if the President is =
photographed in a=20
school of minority and ethnic children, and is interested in their =
future in=20
that particular photo op, that people will trust that image. And they =
don't go=20
beyond that image to look at his policy, which is signing the "Leave No =
Child=20
Behind Act" in a big, high-profile moment with Senator Ted Kennedy, and =
then=20
gutting the heart out of that bill with the funding that he offers up =
for it.=20
The President has become very good at these phony linkages. For =
instance,=20
you'll see him running around talking about the tax bill, saying we need =
to=20
 get it passed so that we can create jobs for people. Factually, this =
tax=20
bill -&shy; there's not an economist in America or a successful business =
person,=20
Warren Buffet among them, who believes that getting rid of the taxation =
of=20
dividends is going to create jobs anytime in the near future, and =
ostensibly in=20
the long term. But if the President says it over and over enough, people =
will=20
believe it, just as Karl Rove got him to say over and over that Saddam =
Hussein=20
was involved in 9/11.=20
At time of the war in Iraq, the Pew survey showed 61 percent of =
Americans=20
believed the canard about Iraq. So the whole concept is to speak as =
though you=20
are a compassionate, sensitive, caring guy, and create these photo =
opportunities=20
that prove that. But do whatever you want to do when you govern, because =
the=20
public isn't paying very close attention. And they've gotten away with =
it thus=20
far.=20
Read the entire interview on BuzzFlash.com: <A=20
href=3D"http://www.buzzflash.com/interviews/03/06/02_moore.html">http://w=
ww.buzzflash.com/interviews/03/06/02_moore.html</A>=20
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