THE BIG ALL PURPOSE PLAME OIUTING SCANDAL TRIAL THREAD

[KevinTheOmnivore]

Originally Posted by Preechr

The vast majority of normal voters don't have the depth of perception required to see the Plame part of your giant scandal, much less what lies beneath. Give it the Mom Test: Ask a relative that votes and is reasonably informed about what's going on in the larger world what they think about Plamegate. Get ready for a bad answer, if not a blank stare.

I think you assume an awful lot, and I think you have probably indoctrinated your family members beyond all hope.

Again, By saying "what do you think of this Plame scandal?" is the wrong way to phrase it, and it isn't why public opinion polls are down so low.

People see karl Rove on trial, they hear the name "Scooter" Libby thrown around, and all they know is that the White House is in trouble.

Forget the Mom test. I prefer the Jay Leno test. When scandals become synonymous with Republicans, and ineffectiveness becomes synonymous with Democrats, you know that a certain theme has crept into the minds of the "average" voter. When you become a late night punchline, you've been framed. Good luck getting out of that.

The subtleties that lead you to believe this is a major scandal are just too complex for people to grasp. Watergate became a publically tangible thing once something as simple as breaking and entering entered the picture. Yes, there was more to it, but none of thatr would have mattered without the traction of public "understanding."

But there is something tangible here, and it's about political tricks and payback. Karl Rove has been turned into this big evil boogey man, primarily by the Left and the media, but that doesn't mean a lot of what gets said about him isn't true. He has a track record for this shit, and the lesson here (indictment or no indictment) is that Karl ROve uses dirty tricks, and he finally got caught.

Ask a relative about Plame and you very well may get that blank stare. Ask them about Karl Rove, and you may get something different (no matter how many Op/Eds his buddy Novak writes to dismiss this).