More Quote of the Day Honorable Mention, Part 141

Special "Kaptain Karl and his Ship of Fools" Edition
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Reagan to Palin:

"Karl Rove... is a most petty man with a lofty opinion of himself. He is aligned with the ‘Romney wing’ of the political spectrum, the compromise at all costs crowd... He knows only too well that savaging Palin, just as he did Christine O’Donnell, makes him popular with the Washington elite. However, that is a despicable and selfish motivation for one who pretends to care about the future of our nation. Rove may get some perverse pleasure attacking Sarah Palin, providing ammunition for her detractors on the left..."

Cheat Sheet at The Daily Beast:

"Karl Rove is about to learn what happens when someone crosses a 'Mama Grizzly.'"

Allahpundit at Hot Air:

"Is he … trying to alienate grassroots conservatives? And if so, why? ... Isn’t the response to this simply that Palin plays by her own rules and is playing … pretty darned well right now? The reality show is unorthodox, but being authentic and unpretentious and outdoorsy have always been key to her appeal, and the show feeds all of that. No doubt Rove would have said three months ago that appearing on Maher’s show in the 90s meant that O’Donnell could never beat Mike Castle, and yet here we are."

ZIP at "Liberty Juice:

"Considering how intensely the left hates him, you’d figure pissing off the right wouldn’t be the smartest idea…"

Sheya at Conservatives4 Palin:

"Karl Rove has completed his rounds trashing Governor Palin in the US media and has now decided to go international this time ranting off to the London Telegraph... Ironically this happens on the same day that the show is being acclaimed by even the Governor's usual critics... With all due respect to Mr. Rove, I think he’s way past his buy-sell date. It’s no longer 2000. Much has happened since the architect couldn’t get his candidate to win the popular vote even when the climate was all in his favor."

Perry de Havilland at samizdata.net:

"Sarah Palin could not have asked for a better endorsement... If I were her, I would be grinning from ear to ear."

Clyde Middleton at Liberty Pundits:

"Karl Rove... thinks he has a right to speak about about Sarah Palin and her gravitas to be president: 'There are high standards that the American people have for [the presidency] and they require a certain level of gravitas, and they want to look at the candidate and say that candidate is doing things that gives me confidence that they are up to the most demanding job in the world,' Rove said. Really, Karl? Is this how you explain Obama, or was he just a fluke? Maybe Jimmy Carter, too, was a political heavyweight?"

RR Roark at Politician, Tar, Feathers:

"Karl Rove is an Autocratic Establishmentarian... By his nonsensical disdain it is easy to see his view of the political game is that competition should only be between the gentry of the 'political class', who are rightfully our lords and masters."

Toni Fitz at famecrawler:

"Um, Karl? Since when does pop cultural relevance hurt you in this country? You’re talking about a nation that has elevated Snooki and The Situation to near gods. We had a former pro wrestler as governor of Minnesota, a former actor as governor of California, and the former head of eBay running to succeed him. Plus this Ronald Reagan guy who was president a few decades ago – I hear he made movies? ... Gravitas is just a catchphrase for middle-aged men who might back the wrong candidate."

Adrienne Ross at Motivation Truth:

"Karl Rove is a hypocrite whose real problem is jealousy that Governor Palin's influence has pushed people like him and his establishment buddies to the back burner."

Andy Aplikowski at True North:

"I’m sorry, I know its sacrilege, but I am completely against elitists like Karl Rove pooh poohing 2012 hopefuls when he is simply a hired goon. Its troubling that he gets away with it, but its even more so that the establishment in the GOP circles are blatantly sending him onto FOX to pimp for candidates and crush grassroots passion... Karl Rove is largely to blame for Obama and Democrats controlling this country right now. Their win at all costs, sell your principles to pass something, is why the voters lost faith in the GOP and actually believed Democrats were the more fiscally conservative choice... So excuse me for not taking his criticism of Sarah Palin’s TV show to heart."

Joe Klein, of JournoList fame, at TIME's Swampland blog:

"This election cycle has exposed Rove for what he is: man-servant to the oligarchs."

TC at As IF Times:

"At the moment, there is an obvious rift between the ‘established’ right, represented by Karl Rove and the ‘new right’, represented of course by Sarah Palin. Conservatives like Rove have to be careful because much of the elitist accusations that have been thrust at Democrats apply to the GOP as well. I wonder how Karl felt about Ronald Reagan in his time. Rove, while certainly a political genius, has spent all of his life in this space. The disdain he shows for upstarts such as Palin and Christine O’Donnell smacks strongly of elitism. Like the other side, he is in danger of proposing that politics become a club for professionals only and that common people need not apply. This kind of mentality is what led to the decimation of the Republican Party and which perception lingers in the minds of voters despite the reality. Not everyone can be a professional BS’er. Occasionally people with real lives are valid candidates. The last thing we need are two elitist parties."

Jamie Downey at The Brilliant Stories:

"Former Alaska governor Palin has given out a flippant image on her show, said Rove, adding that she does not have class enough for the White House. Look who’s talking."

Adrienne at Adrienne's Catholic Corner:

"Karl Rove thinks Sarah Palin doesn't have the 'gravitas' to be President. This said, while the sitting President of the United States is appearing on comedy shows... [Dana] Milbank points out that Stewart called Obama 'dude.' In just two years, Obama has reduced the person who holds the office of the presidency of the United States to being called 'dude' by a second rate comedian. Now that's what I call gravitas."

- JP