Mr. Ricketts' Hate-the-President Plan Halted. Let the Fancy Butt Covering Dance Begin!

Yesterday the New York Times “outted” Joe Rickett’s plan to infuse race into the 2012 presidential campaign, creating a whirlwind of negative responses. Even Mr. Romney was quoted as saying "I repudiate that effort", albeit after having to think about it for a while. 

Mr. Ricketts has decided to withdraw his plan for “The Defeat of Barack Hussein Obama”. A spokesman for Mr. Ricketts said late yesterday that the plan was “merely a proposal” and “reflects an approach to politics that Mr. Ricketts rejects and it was never a plan to be accepted but only a suggestion for a direction to take”.

what eye thynk: That sounds like there is a lot of butt covering going on.

Mr. Ricketts may want us to believe that this was some simple preliminary outline, “only a suggestion”; but, in fact, it was a 54 page, professionally produced, full color document that had been viewed in its polished form several times by Mr. Ricketts without any hint of rejection.

There is the fact that Mr. Ricketts liked the divisive ad designed for John McCain’s 2008 campaign that used Jeremiah Wright in essentially the same manner as this new proposal--an ad that John McCain would not allow to run. The McCain ad was what Mr. Ricketts told his people he wanted to imitate saying, “If the nation had seen that ad, they’d never have elected Barack Obama”.

Then there is this quote to Mr. Ricketts from the final proposal’s architects: “With your preliminary approval at the New York meeting, we have discussed this plan in highly confidential terms with the following proposed team members (who) are ready to jump into action upon plan approval”. (The underline is mine.)

Brian Baker, president of Mr. Ricketts’ PAC, met with Mr. Ricketts and two of Mr. Ricketts’ sons in Chicago last week to view the proposed plan. Mr. Baker is quoted as saying that he was “troubled by what I saw. It was not what we asked for”. When asked if Mr. Ricketts had rejected the plan, Mr. Baker could only say that no decision had been made.

None of this sounds anything like it "reflects an approach to politics that Mr. Ricketts rejects”. It sounds like he got exactly what he wanted and got caught.