Tuesday, April 12, 2016

GOP guru Karl Rove was grooming Alabama Governor Robert Bentley as possible VP candidate--until Rebekah Mason sex scandal tore those plans asunder


Karl Rove
(From msnbc.com)
Republican political guru Karl Rove was promoting Alabama Governor Robert Bentley as a possible vice-presidential candidate in 2016, but those plans imploded from recent revelations about Bentley's extramarital affair with a former senior advisor, according to a new report from a Washington, D.C.-based investigative journalist.

Wayne Madsen reports today that Rove's reputation as a strategic wunderkind took a huge hit with the stillborn presidential campaign of Jeb Bush. Now. Bentley's sex scandal involving Rebekah Caldwell Mason has raised even more questions about Rove's judgment.

The Bentley revelations are part of an article titled "Rove backing Cruz and Hillary at same time." Sources tell Madsden that Rove is desperate to keep Donald Trump from getting the GOP nomination--or from becoming president.

With that in mind, Rove is backing Ted Cruz in an effort to generate a brokered convention and cost Trump the nomination. If that doesn't work, Rove reportedly is planning to offer advice to the Clinton campaign to help overcome Trump in the general election.

The Wayne Madsen Report is a subscription Web site, but we've received permission to run certain information at Legal Schnauzer. How did the Rove-Bentley connection develop? Here's how Madsen describes it:

The value of Rove's political acumen has plummeted in GOP circles since the collapse of the Jeb Bush campaign. Another political decision by Rove is also subject to ridicule. In the lead up to Alabama Republican Governor Robert Bentley's successful re-election campaign in 2014, Rove and his acolytes, who view Alabama as a personal political fiefdom, convinced Bentley that he would be a highly-sought-after vice presidential running mate in 2016.

To prepare for a spot on the national ticket, Bentley's chief adviser, and, as it turned out his reputed mistress, Rebekah Mason, a married mother of three, began acting as Bentley's fashion adviser. Among other makeovers, Mason advised Bentley, a former dermatologist, to ditch his trademark khaki trousers for Brooks Brothers suits.

Rove's plans for Bentley now lie in ruins as Bentley faces impeachment over his alleged affair with Mason. A leaked conversation in which the evangelical Bentley refers to Mason's breasts and buttocks has all but ended the governor's statewide political career, let alone any hope for national office.

Would anyone connected to Hillary Clinton be stupid enough to listen to Karl Rove. Madsen says someone might:

Robert Bentley and Rebekah Mason
(From nytimes.com)
According to longtime Republican Party insiders, chief GOP strategist Karl Rove, dubbed "Bush's brain" during his long service for George W. Bush, is providing campaign advice for both GOP candidate Ted Cruz and leading Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. Rove, who backed the aborted campaign of former Florida governor Jeb Bush, is doing everything necessary to deny the GOP nomination to Donald Trump.

By backing Cruz, Rove hopes to generate a brokered Republican convention in Cleveland, one that will turn to a "fresh face" to challenge Mrs. Clinton in the general election. As an insurance policy against a Trump presidency, Rove, according to our sources, is also providing advice to the Clinton campaign via the auspices of Clinton loyalist and Democratic strategist James Carville, who has become a friend of Rove. Carville is married to GOP strategist and pundit Mary Matalin.

James Carville, one of the sharpest progressive minds of the past 25 years, has become friends with Rove? Good God, maybe being married to Mary Matalin will turn your brain to mush.

No one should be surprised that Rove is thinking of himself in all of this. Writes Madsen:

The political failures of Jeb Bush and Bentley mean that Rove's street value as a political adviser has plummeted sharply. However, Rove still has contacts at the highest echelons of the Republican Party and the Cruz campaign has found them helpful as it tries to wrest convention delegates away from Trump's column. The more delegates Cruz swings from Trump the greater the likelihood that Trump cannot reach the magic 1237 delegates required for nomination. In a brokered convention, Rove hopes to become a major broker for a "new face" candidate and thus ensure a restoration to prominence in GOP politics nationally and in Washington, DC

Will it work? Madsen seems to have doubts:

Rove earned the nickname "Turd Blossom" from George W. Bush for Rove's supposed knack for finding success in political adversity. However, Rove has recently become more "turd" than "blossom" in Republican circles.

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

Rove and Bentley? I didn't see that one coming.

Anonymous said...

Bentley seems a little old to be considered as VP. If this is true, not sure what Rove was thinking.

legalschnauzer said...

For the record, Bentley and Joe Biden are the same age, 73.

Anonymous said...

Here's how the "breaking" story of Dennis Hastert's taste for young wrestlers actually broke nine years ago

" Madsen saw the Hastert story brewing way back on September 30, 2006. From his WMR post on that date:

Congressional sources told WMR that Hastert, while working from 1964 to 1980 as a popular history/government teacher and wrestling coach at Yorkville High School, in Yorkville, Illinois -- a suburb of Chicago -- was the subject of persistent rumors about inappropriate contact with male members of his high school wrestling team. "

Anonymous said...

"Good god, maybe being married to Mary Matalin will turn your brain to mush". 'Bout wet my pants on that one Roger!! I never did figure out how those two got together to begin with. If they have children, they must be the most conflicted kids ever. "Meet my son who is both pro-life and pro-choice, who believes in rights to immigrants once they get over the fence, and is fine with a more socialist environment as long as we can lower taxes on rich people at the same time".

Sorry...poor are to at humor, but still a puzzling marriage (not to mention the Bentley/Rove relationship).

Keep it up LS...this is excellent stuff exposing the corruption of elected officials!

Anonymous said...

A guy like Paul Ryan at the top of the ticket and some guy similar to Bentley would probably make a lot of sense to someone like Rove.

legalschnauzer said...

Thanks for the reminder about the Hastert story, @12:12. Madsen was way ahead of everybody on that one.

Anonymous said...

I'd like to see some misprision of felony charges on some folks. I'm sure there were some who were aware of it but didn't report any of it or maybe they did and Luther Strange punted it.

legalschnauzer said...

Good point, @12:55. Misprision of a felony and obstruction of justice seems to be all too common in Alabama and elsewhere.

Anonymous said...

Do you see any of this type of corruption in Missouri? I know with the sheriff there and his goons, but wondering if Alabama is the only state this messed up. Any insights or sources there that could provide insight?

legalschnauzer said...

Oh, I absolutely see this kind of corruption in Missouri. Keep in mind U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO) is from my area (Springfield) and he has been a close ally of Dennis Hastert. John Ashcroft is from this neck of the woods, too, and he's a nauseating "God Squader." (World HQ for Assemblies of God--think Jimmy Swaggart and Jim Bakker--are in Springfield.)

When I started this blog and began to research judicial corruption, I found major cases in every region of the country--from Florida to Washington, from Vermont to California, from Illinois to Texas, from Georgia to Oregon.

Certain parts of the South--Alabama and Louisiana--have a particularly colorful form of corruption. But the dishonesty and double dealing is a nationwide problem, I'm convinced.

If it makes Alabamians feel any better, you are not alone. Other states are screwed up, too.

Anonymous said...

Bush Bentley would have been epic

Anonymous said...

If Rove and the GOP is against Trump, and the billionaires are against Trump, then maybe the rest of us should look a little closer at him.
http://www.politico.com/story/2016/04/billionaires-fund-anti-trump-delegate-push-221819

e.a.f. said...

The demographics have changed in the U.S.A., just as they have in Canada. therefore it maybe safe to conclude Rove's days of being the "big dog" are over. The changing demographics maybe also the reason Republicans are so interested in voter suppression.

The continued emphasis by the Republican party elite to rid itself of Trump is just another e.g. of "voter suppression". Don't get me wrong, I don't like Trump and it would be terrible for him to become the President, but if that is what the majority of Americans/Republicans want, then that is democracy, however crazy it may be.

Cruz is no better than Trump, in fact worse. Trump is a loose cannon, but Cruz isn't. We may not like his beliefs, politics, etc. but he is smart, knows what he wants, knows how Washington works. he also has some very worry some ideas and his religions spills all over his political work. if Cruz were to become President it would be the beginning of a evangelical Taliban running the U.S.A. We had that sort of thing in Canada for 9 years where Prime minister Harper was an evangelical, who belonged to a church which believed the second coming was iminent and the bible was inerrant. You can see why we didn't have much of a environmental policy during those years, well if it was all coming to an end...... There was de funding of all major womens groups, auditing of charities and churches who didn't agree with the P.M.'s views, so if the U.S.A. goes down the road of Cruz, Canada will be looking forward to the political refugees.

What is interesting is in Canada, Harper was defeated by the party, lowest in the polls and in third place. Today we have a young, 42 yr old P.M. who is somewhat more progress. The Americans have Bernie Saunders.

Rove, in my opinion, has been involved with such terrible things, using him in any manner in a political campaign says about as much about the candidate as Rove. Now thinking of using the Alabama governor as a v.p. candidate, just is way beyond the pale of things. I'd want doctors to have a look at Rove's health to ensure early on set of dementia wasn't at play here. On the other hand, getting the governor of the "second most corrupt state" in the U.S.A. to go as V.P. not a bad idea if you run with crooks.

Lets hope the exposure your article is giving the subject encourages all politicians to get away from Rove, his tactics, etc as fast as possible.

What frightens some of us about Trump is not what frightens the financial elites about Trump. When Trump came on the scene he talked about making America great again. That would have meant less money for the one percenters. Trump talked about bringing jobs back to America. that meant less money for the 1%ers. Now it is doubtful Trump would have changed tax laws but the thought might have been on the minds of the billionaires. The billionaires meeting in Los Vegas a couple of weeks ago, well, our former P.M. Harper was present to speak to them.

My opinion, the days of the Rove types are over. Democracy may once again become democracy. The Republican elite, billionaires may sit this one out. with that, Rove's days as a "rain maker" are over. the Republicans will sit back, navel gaze and come up with a new strategy to destroy democracy,.

Anonymous said...

strange punted everything he was told to punt... shelby calls the shots?

Anonymous said...

Bye Bye Turd Blossom

Sizzler said...

Maybe Rove saw Dr. Robert Bentley as Jeb Bush's answer to Dr. Ben Carson, back when Carson was leading the GOP race.

James Greek said...


King Karl has always been a turd!