Former George W. Bush adviser Karl Rove appears in a new public service announcement encouraging people to fill out the Census.
In the ad, Rove says the questions are nearly identical to the ones founder James Madison envisioned for the original Census in 1790. He also points out that the Census is written into the Constitution.
“One of my favorite founders is James Madison, principal author of the Constitution. He created an instrument of democracy by writing into the Constitution a requirement for a census every 10 years to ensure fair representation in Congress,” Rove says.
“If you’ve not yet mailed back your 2010 Census form, it’s not too late. Please answer the 10 easy questions. They’re almost the same ones that Madison helped write for the first census back in 1790.”
Rove’s appearance may sway some conservatives who distrust the Census. Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN), for example, a popular figure on the Tea Party circuit, said earlier this year that she wouldn’t fully fill out the Census form and compared it to Japanese internment during WWII. (She has since backed off, or at least piped down.)
Today’s Wall Street Journal reported that Republicans are worried they may be undercounted if Tea Partiers and the like refuse to participate.
