Democrats are taking aim at Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) for admitting that he has advised his fellow House Republicans to no longer think of themselves as "legislators," but rather as mere "communicators."
"As I told my colleagues, we don't have enough votes to legislate," Boehner said, according to Saturday's New York Times. "We are not in the majority. We are not kind-of in the minority; we are in a hole. They ought to get the idea out of their minds that they are legislators. But what they can be is communicators."
By Saturday afternoon, the Democratic National Committee has released a web ad highlighting the quote, arguing that Boehner had admitted that Republicans are focused entirely on winning a public relations war with the White House.
From the DNC press release:
Boehner defended his Party's refusal to offer an alternative to any of the Obama Administration's plans, including the President's budget, by saying his party's lawmakers don't have to offer any plans and, in fact, "ought to get the idea out of their minds that they are legislators." It was the second time in a month Boehner has been quoted telling his caucus to stop offering policy alternatives and just say "no" to everything the President proposes.
The DNC's new web ad, called "No Responsibility," contrasts President Obama's responsible plan to create jobs by investing in health care, energy independence and schools with Congressman Boehner's insistence that his Party has no responsibility to say anything but "no" despite the economic crisis facing our country.
This video is also part a broader political story about the return of the DNC to the daily political fray.
Barely a week had passed after November's election before operatives at the Republican National Committee were back in campaign mode, blasting out stories that undercut Barack Obama and trying to shape the national media narrative.
Now, after a longer period of reorganizing and staff overhauls -- with Brad Woodhouse taking over as director of communications and research -- the Democratic National Committee is back in the game as well. In this case, the DNC highlighted a potentially damaging quote, drove it into the media discussion, and turned around a web ad advancing their message in a matter of hours.