Scour the mainstream media for the first eight years of the current decade and you will invariably find a reference to the nefarious machinations of the diabolical Karl Rove. In nearly every single report, you’ll find that the accusations against that good man and shrewd political tactician were based more on circumstantial evidence, innuendo and prejudice than anything else.
No one, for example, has been able to substantiate the “conventional wisdom” that Rove was behind the spate of initiatives defining marriage on various state ballots in 2004.
When evidence emerges, however, that a Rove counterpart in the Obama campaign/Administration, David Axelrod is drawing money from a firm tapped to make ads touting Obamacare (and with money from those dread pharmaceutical industry), there is virtual silence in the mainstream media.
Rove never profited from deals like this, getting the Administration’s lobbyist allies to pay his firm to produce ads while working in the White House as senior adviser to the President.
Over at Politico (via Glenn), Ben Smith observes:
It’s hard to imagine a situation in which, say, Karl Rove was still getting checks from a firm that was, in turn, employed by the drug lobby not drawing fire from the left, and Axelrod’s arrangement is, a bit belatedly, getting that attention.
UPDATE: Thanks to the blogs, looks like this is finally getting some MSM notice.
FROM THE COMMENTS: An insightful collegiate blogger offers:
I don’t think it’s a political conflict of interest. Axelfraud supports government-run healthcare, and now he’s getting paid to support it, so it doesn’t change anything.
This is an incredible story. By the way, I am a San Diego resident, could you blogroll me?
LCR
I don’t think it’s a political conflict of interest. Axelfraud supports government-run healthcare, and now he’s getting paid to support it, so it doesn’t change anything.
Culture of Corruption It’s-okay-when-Democrats-do-it Watch: Top New Mexico Democrat Party officials indicted for fraud, embezzlement and money-laundering. Much like in New Jersey, where the arrest of 43 Democrats and 1 Republican was a “bi-partisan” corruption scandal.
Wonder how open the bidding process was. Were any companies BUT Obama cronies considered?
“drawing money from a firm”
Why not report this straightforwardly and honestly? Its the firm that Axelrod founded and led. He left the firm when Obama won. The money is money he was owed at that time, which he is being paid over time. Nothing that the firm does or doesn’t do, nor nothing that Axelrod does or doesn’t do, has any effect on the payment of this money – it is money he is owed for work done in the past.
Its almost like you are trying to decieve your readers!
“now he’s getting paid to support it…”
And hey look, its working!
Why not report this straightforwardly and honestly? Its the firm that Axelrod founded and led. He left the firm when Obama won. The money is money he was owed at that time, which he is being paid over time. Nothing that the firm does or doesn’t do, nor nothing that Axelrod does or doesn’t do, has any effect on the payment of this money – it is money he is owed for work done in the past.
Too bad the Obama Party and Barack Obama already insisted that all of that is irrelevant and that it still constitutes a conflict of interest.
Once again, Barack Obama demonstrates his complete ignorance, stupidity, and hypocrisy. Why can’t he apply the same rules to Axelrod that he and his Obama Party applied to others? Is he incapable of doing so? Or is he simply banking on the fact that puppet liberals like Barack Obama’s “Tano” are incapable of criticizing him because it would be “racist”?
Wow. Nobody wants to take a stab at defending this? I know Tano did, but he’s an idiot.
Any article that starts by calling Carl Rove a “good man” looses all credibility. Even White House insiders of the Bush Administration will tell you he is a manipulative little weasel and nothing more than the puppet master of the President.
That said, this is America and the 1st Amendment protects your right to print whatever drivel you see fit. Should you desire to continue to do so, next time, vote Democratic or go back to the status quo and have more of your rights stripped away.