Rove shares historical context to illustrate nation’s resiliency

Perhaps many attending Tuesday evening's 30th season opener of Purdue University Fort Wayne’s Omnibus Speaker Series expected Karl Rove to strongly critique the current White House occupant. Instead, the special advisor to President George W. Bush shredded the entire political system with a history lecture that did conclude with a glimmer of hope for the future. Perspective will help guide us forward, he taught.

After asking everyone in Auer Performance Hall to raise their hands if they were happy with the state of American politics, a rhetorical question that drew the intended laugh, Rove provided his perspective on past governmental eras when no one could seem to get along, suggesting the dysfunction has been even worse.

After reminding everyone of the turbulent and often violent events of the 1960s and early 1970s, Rove addressed the unrest of the 1800s through the election of 1904. Under his narration, it’s a wonder the nation survived so much drama and constant arguing that seemed to never relent.

“If this gets bad today, it's been worse before, and we ought to take a little bit of solace from that, because it can get better,” Rove said.

Speaking with the authority of someone with total command of their subject, Rove treated the audience to a well-researched address with sprinkles of vibrancy and charm. He quoted presidents, senators, and representatives from both sides of the aisle, mostly well-known figures, but also some from behind the scenes who influenced lasting changes.

Drawing upon personal experiences, Rove provided vivid descriptions of major scenes and events inside the Oval Office, on Air Force One, at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, and in the backrooms where rivals built deals. He brought a sense of awe and mystique about working in the White House, but also spoke of the stamina and dedication that was necessary to make it all function.

“Don’t tell me that we have screwed it up in such a way that it has never been this bad before, and that we are going through unusual times,” Rove said in conclusion. “We are going through unusual times, but they are unusual times that we have experienced as a county in slightly different ways before—and we found our way out of it.

“We want to be able to talk to our neighbors and be respected by others who may disagree with us, and we’ll get there. We will get there because we have always gotten there before and because it’s what the Constitution and the declaration say. It is the people who rule here, and we will make ourselves heard as we have made ourselves heard in the past.”

During an afternoon classroom session with students from PFW’s Honors Program, Rove answered 20 of their questions, talking about James Comey, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Dick Cheney, Joe Biden—and, of course, Donald Trump.

“The question is going to be when we get through this period of time, is the next person who occupies the Oval Office going to have an attitude different from `I won,’ and different than `This job is about retribution,’?” Rove asked. “I don’t know yet. I’m pretty confident that ultimately people will restore norms because we have broken the system before.”

The bigger pivot issue is coming soon, Rove said, when the dozens of legal challenges driving through the court system are ruled upon conclusively.

“There’s always a tension built into the Constitution,” Rove said. “One of the many questions is, what happens when the Supreme Court says `No’ to Trump? I have confidence that he’s going to say, `OK.’ He’s not going to like it, and we’re going to have to read lots of trash on Truth Social, but he’s going to be bound by it. The question is going to be, what kinds of norms that have not been constitutionally established are going to be renewed?”

The Omnibus Speaker Series at Purdue Fort Wayne is made possible in part due to the support of the English-Bonter-Mitchell Foundation, which has sponsored all 30 seasons.