Andrea Tantaros, who recently tried to slime Barack Obama as a "fancy lad," is referred to as a "Republican strategist" by both Fox and MSNBC. So I decided to look into what passes for Republican strategy these days, and it’s pretty funny.
Tantaros’ previous experience apparently consisted of spokespersoning for the unsuccessful William Weld race in New York and both of Jeanine Pirro’s flameouts. (Did Tantaros have anything to do with Pirro’s do you have page 10 moment?) Prior to that, her most newsworthy mark was made as conservative columnist for her college newspaper, Lehigh’s The Brown and White. The New York Observer caught some of her more choice lines in one column :
"...Mrs. Clinton realizes that her time as first lady is coming to a close and this power-hungry monster..."
"...Mrs. Clinton is a power-hungry congenital liar..."
"Whitewater. This was the Clinton`s real-estate scam in Arkansas that ended up costing us taxpayers $69 million and White House Deputy Vincent Foster's life."
But you say she was still in college – it’s just a youthful indiscretion. Actually, I agree. But when she was questioned about it much later, this is what she wrote:
"Man I was angry. Either the Wawa was out of smokes or I had been woken up before noon when I wrote that."
This was not a deer-in-the-headlights moment; she responded by email and had time to compose her thoughts. And it happened well into her professional career, after she had staffed on at least two major campaigns.
Blaming her behavior on a lack of "smokes?" Bad stategery.
Grammar challenged "I had been woken up" – by a press secretary? Bad stategery
Using the derision inducing "Wawa" (since most of the country has no clue about the grocery chain’s name.)? Bad strategery.
Both MSNBC and Fox need to reevaluate the word "strategist," and if Andrea Tantaros is an example of the Republican Party’s bench strength, then I’m feeling good.