Republicans Identify Their Problem: It's the Packaging!

Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota weighed in last Sunday on fellow Republican Governor Mark Sanford of South Carolina:

"Any time you have leading figures who are engaged in behavior that is sad and troubling and hypocritical...It certainly hurts the brand."

The brand? Interesting word choice, and Republicans have been using it quite a bit lately.

We all know that political parties are sold like shampoo or a new car. Yet politics is a somewhat different commodity. The coin of its realm is ideas and good government, not extra conditioning and leather seats.

That's why the ministers of the trade -- politicians -- do themselves a disservice when they speak in the language of advertisers and media consultants.

Talking inside baseball ("My latest internal poll has me up 5% and I've outraised my opponent by $400,000"), instead of, say, jobs and health care, is akin to Toto pulling back the curtain and revealing the mechanics. Such glibness turns public service into a mere game instead of the higher calling it should be, at least on a good day.

Let's be clear: people understand that running for high office is a business that requires professional merchandising. After 200 years, we know the drill. At the end of the day, however, we usually vote on the ideas and vision of the candidates. This is why Barack Obama is president.

Republicans need to focus on substance, if they can, rather than worry about re-branding. There is evidence this might be difficult.

In September 2002, six months before the Iraq invasion, Bush Chief of Staff Andy Card explained why the long-planned war blueprint wasn't rolled out for citizen consumption until after Labor Day: "From a marketing point of view," he said smugly, "you don't introduce new products in August."

No wonder the GOP sees its current state of affairs as a perception problem, something that can be fixed with make-up and better lighting.

Good luck with that.

Comments

[Ohioan730]

I have no idea who will run in 2012 or 2016 but whoever is president and whatever party they may be from, my active citizenship wont be affected. I'm glad to have a shift in leadership style and an increase in overall active citizenship around the country because its tough to be a protester with very few people to back you up. 2 years ago I was chatting on a friend's web forum about active citizenship and community organizing and how fruitful it is. I was cut down by so many people: "We have no reason to hope that anything we do will change anything. Look what happened with Bush. We cant trust anyone..." Then along came Barack Obama. I really wish I could talk to my old friend who got on a soapbox about evangelists and "pollyanna" new age hippies and sickening optimists-­-referring to me. She left the forum after that. The soapbox rant was the last comment she made. I'm sure she changed her mind since then.

[ThermoChemist]

I've had no major problem with "past" Republican leadership. I may disagree with some of their stances; but semi-respected their role as the opposition party. They have their ideas on how best to govern and the Dems have their ideas on how best to govern.

IMO, the "present" Repub leadership has been hijacked by the NeoCons (the "might is right" PNAC crew). The Republican party is an empty shell of its former self.

They have no one but themselves to blame as they continually select and elect inferior candidates; George ("the Decider") Bush? Sarah ("wink wink") Palin?, Michelle Bachmann?; and then claim faux outrage when their un-suitability (?) is pointed out.

The "Party of Personal Responsibility" needs to take its own self-responsibility about what it's been doing; being in continual, delusional denial. Before correcting a problem they need to admit a problem exists; NOT stay in denial and blame others for their woes (witness the current Repub "whining" parades!).

"Oh, there's nothing wrong with our party, it's just that we sent out the wrong message". [ie. the packaging!?!]

- In Repub minds, nothing's wrong; it's just the message. [then spend time/effort on PR and "Rebranding"]
- In Repub minds, their leadership is just fine [despite losing elections and constituents]

The Liberals/P­rogressive­s point out their inadequacies (putting it bluntly) and then the Repubs
get all in a huff because they're being reminded. Don't blame the critics -- blame yourselves..!

[SonnyBono]

So the party is hoping that a new package and a catchy phrase or two will hide the fact that the last idea the party had dates back to Herbert Hoover - as the article said "Good luck with that."

Of course the Republicans can always hope that President Obama fails and people will forget the last eight years under Bush Jr. - maybe if you squint your eyes real tight, you will see some resemblance between Ronald Reagan and Newt?