The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is launching a campaign aimed at tying GOP Senate candidates to their party's divisive battle over threatening a government shutdown....and how Republican operatives like Karl Rove are approaching it:The DSCC will run web ads as part of an online campaign attacking Republican Senate candidates who back the plan spearheaded by conservatives that has divided the Republican Party.
There is, however, one issue on which independents disagree with Republicans: using the threat of a government shutdown to defund ObamaCare. By 58% to 30% in the GPS poll, they oppose defunding ObamaCare if that risks even a temporary shutdown. [...]If Democratic operatives are giddy at the fact that Republicans are merely considering shutdown, just imagine the punishment they'll dish out if the GOP is crazy enough to actually go for broke. And that possibility has got Karl Rove so freaked out he actually commissioned a poll to try to make the case to his fellow Republicans that heading down the path of the Boehner-Cruz bill would be absolutely insane.The desire to strike at ObamaCare is praiseworthy. But any strategy to repeal, delay or replace the law must have a credible chance of succeeding or affecting broad public opinion positively.
The defunding strategy doesn't. Going down that road would strengthen the president while alienating independents. It is an ill-conceived tactic, and Republicans should reject it.
It isn't any fun giving Rove credit, but for the first time in the past 4 election cycles, it appears like he's actually given Republicans some pretty good advice. The question now is how long it will take for them to realize he's right.
