WWKRD?

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This is my newest attempt at a PPR game, What Would Karl Rove Do? The rules are simple, present a political problem, and imagine how you'd handle it if you were an unscrupulous political fixer.

This week's event is trying to work with a lackluster, unexciting and unlikable bunch of potential candidates* and make one of them into presidential material.
With the current Republican field looking pretty raggedy, if you were Lee Atwater's heir apparent and armed with a vast warchest of soft money, a nebulous PAC army, and a goal of electing a Republican, any Republican, what would you do?

Personally, I'd have the lot of them whacked and try to get Jeb Bush to run, I mean at this rate the contracts would probably be cheaper than trying to polish any of those turds, and if you could find a liberal patsy to blame the whole thing on, maybe try to tie in George Soros... Damn, that's almost too good, aside from sounding a bit much like the plot from The Manchurian Candidate. Hopefully the real KR doesn't browse WP, wouldn't want anything to happen to any of those wonderful candidates...

*obvious personal exception for Ron Paul, at this point I barely consider him a Republican anyway.

For what it's worth, Jeb wrote a piece for WSJ which the talking heads are deeming "presidential". I have hard time believing he'll enter the primary late but it's possible. It's looking like it's going to be a very long primary season with the possibility of there being a brokered convention very real so he doesn't even need to win the majority of delegates, no horrific "accident" needed. Chris Cristie could be another contender to emerge late in this fashion.

I think Jeb may be content to sit this out until 2016 when the memory his elder brother has faded from the public consciousness but I know for sure we'll hear from him again.

Karl Rove, the Prince of Insufficient Light.

ruveyn

I would actually agree, ruthlessness alone doesn't make one evil. Unethical? Maybe. Unscrupulous? Most definitely. Evil? Ehhh.

I liked Atwater's personal style a bit more, anyone who smoked cigars and sang the blues couldn't have been all bad. I admire the sort of cunning these guys have to a certain extent as well, it speaks to my own relentless practicality in pursuing goals.

Contact the spirit of Ronald Reagan for guidance...

I'll take that one a step further; clone Reagan and run him as The Gipper 2.0. That would almost be funny, as watching the other GOP candidates figure out a way to attack such a candidate without shooting themselves in their collective feet would be entertaining as hell.

If they cloned Reagan, what would they do if the clone wasn't exactly 100%? Would they aborted him?

I've got two words for any jeb bush candidacy.

Terry Schiavo.

What Would Ham Rove Do?

He needs to train all prospective Republican candidates on how to pull off the The Gipper's trade mark self-assured twinkle-eye smile when answering a difficult question... as opposed to the flummoxed deer-in-the-headlights look.

If I were Karl Rove I'd also cut a deal with one of the major pharmaceutical industries to invent some kind of super-confidence inducing pill. That way if the chosen candidate gets a tough question they won't even have to answer. This drug will make the chosen candidate so inhumanly smooth and self-assured that, no matter how ignorant they are in reality, they can smile and effortlessly dodge any question anyone dares to throw at them, while simultaneously making everyone in the audience forget what was asked a mere minute ago. Other state-of-the art mind, body, and personality enhancements might be necessary as well.

On the other hand, maybe you're right. Cloning Reagan would be easier. I'd have to research the legal grounds for that though. Also not sure if the surviving members of the Reagan family would allow me access to The Gipper's DNA without some persuasion.