Quote of the day

Karl Rove worries about the influence of polling on the White House. No, seriously

Published August 6, 2009 6:35PM (EDT)

Sometimes, like when he danced at the Radio and Television Correspondents' dinner, Karl Rove is intentionally pretty funny. Other times, it seems unintentional.

Take the former Bush advisor's latest column for the Wall Street Journal, about healthcare reform and the current administration's approach. In it, he writes:

Americans are now seeing the damage that polls and focus groups can inflict on White House decision-making .... Every administration has to take into account public opinion. Without doing so, Abraham Lincoln said, little can be achieved. But too much polling doesn’t raise presidential vision. It narrows and pulls it down. Substituting a weekly dose of opinion surveys for thoughtful consideration is causing White House aides to find new scapegoats whenever administration policy initiatives get into trouble.

And to think people have been declaring irony dead.

 


By Alex Koppelman

Alex Koppelman is a staff writer for Salon.

MORE FROM Alex Koppelman


Related Topics ------------------------------------------

Karl Rove War Room