The Clintons and President Barack Obama appear to be losing their political acumen when it comes to recent public statements, said Karl Rove.
In an opinion piece for
The Wall Street Journal, the former deputy chief of staff to President George W. Bush says he is baffled by a series of instances which, he says, seem to prove they are out of touch with the electorate and how they may be perceived.
"The year isn't half over, and already more than a few things in the Democratic political world have left me puzzled — and in some cases downright mystified," Rove wrote.
First on his list were comments made by former President Bill Clinton when responding to questions about potential conflicts of interest due to donations by foreign governments and companies to the Clinton Foundation. He noted that Clinton agreed there were a different set of rules for the Clintons and everyone else.
"How has such a talented man become so tone-deaf?" Rove wrote. "He wasn’t self-aware enough to know that's precisely the problem, though in exactly the opposite way he intended."
He also said that Clinton's justification for accepting lucrative speaking engagements as a way to "pay our bills" showed he was out of touch with how the average American lives.
Meanwhile, Rove said that Hillary Clinton appears to have withdrawn herself from public scrutiny by refusing to answer more than eight questions since declaring herself a candidate for president.
"Does she really think campaigning in a cocoon now will make her a better candidate later? If so, she has a surprise coming," Rove wrote.
Obama, he said, has also erred by attacking Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren over her opposition to granting him trade-promotion authority.
"Mr. Obama poisoned his relations with congressional Republicans through personal attacks, and he now is doing the same thing with congressional Democrats. Why?"
Rove said he is also curious as to why no young Democratic governor, senators, mayors, or representatives are mounting a bid against Clinton to try to influence the future direction of the party.
"As a lifelong Republican, I can be counted on to disagree with Democrats most of the time but not usually to be baffled by them. This year, I am.
"It's one thing for Democrats to be wrong; it's another for their political heavyweights to be so wrongheaded. Maybe this is a sign of deeper problems to come for the world's oldest political party."
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