Last week Karl Rove took a lot of heat for intimating that Hillary Clinton has brain damage while he was speaking at an LA event. The next day he joined Fox News and denied using the words "brain damage," but then went on to attack her age by saying she's too old to run for president. We asked if the media would immediately run with his planted disparaging talking points and CNN's Candy Crowley was all too happy to oblige. She frames her Rove legitimization around an idea that 2016 is going to be a rough campaign for Hillary if she is the nominee. Pundits like ourselves call what she did Cokie's Law.
I can't help but be reminded of something I like to call Cokie's Law, after Steve Roberts wife. It comes from the Village maxim, "It doesn't matter if it's true or not, it's out there," which was based upon this quote from Cokie Roberts back in 1999:
"At this point," said Roberts, "it doesn't much matter whether she said it or not because it's become part of the culture. I was at the beauty parlor yesterday and this was all anyone was talking about."
Rove got it out there and Crowley poured more cement to strengthen its foundation. Not only did Candy ask the question, but she also put up a fight to make what Rove said not only palpable, but in her words, "legitimate." Senator Feinstein does a good job of smacking her down.
Crowley: Lot's of conversation this week about Hillary Clinton and her health brought up by Karl Rove, a top Republican strategist to the former President Bush. He talked about her accident, she had a blood clot, she was hospitalized and even president Clinton said it took six months to get over this....when you look at a number of things, what doe s it tell you about the nature of the battle in 2016 should Hillary Clinton become the Democratic nominee?
Feinstein: Well, first of all the Karl Rove effort was pathetic. And I think it's cause...
Crowley: But legitimate?
Feinstein: Caused it, no...
Crowley: ...the health of the candidate?
Feinstein: No, not legitimate.
Crowley: Well the gist of it, that she has to be, someone has to...
Feinstein: That she has sustained brain damage? That's legitimate?
Crowley: Right, the quote "brain damage, he denies, but nonetheless, yes, no. What I'm asking you, is it legitimate to say that Hillary Clinton will have to be forthcoming about her health?
Candy Crowley hosts presidential debates for CNN and she knows that health records are made available during the general election so why is she so adamant about stating and defending Karl Rove's partisan attacks? Rove couldn't have paid for for a better Stepford talking head suck up.
