Rebranding Republicans

"We're going to give you the change you deserve" --

House Minority Leader John Boehner

That's not a threat; it's a promise -- from the Republican congressional leaders. Really. Led by perpetually tanned House leader John Boehner, Republicans have suddenly discovered that the country wants change -- and they have decided to offer it to us. Washington is broken and they promise to fix it. They rolled out a new slogan -- "the change you deserve" -- to be followed by a new "American Families Program." (The campaign ran into trouble from the start: an alert blog -- Bluestem Prairie -- revealed that the slogan is the registered advertisement for the anti-depressant Effexor XR -- which, come to think of it, might just be what Boehner needs these days).

Republicans for change; now that's a switch. Until last week, congressional Republicans have been systematically, resolutely, and consistently committed to obstruction, not change. It was a clear strategy. No minority ever gets blamed if nothing gets done. After Democrats took over the majority of both Houses in 2006, Republicans set out to obstruct everything they could. Then they would run against a do-nothing Congress, accusing the Democrats of breaking their promises. Sort of like knee-capping the postman and then complaining about the mail being late.

They went about this with Tom DeLay-like discipline. The Senate minority set a new record for filibusters before the first session was over. The president issued a record number of veto threats. House Republicans perfected procedural tricks that would put sand in the gears. As last as last week, they switched their votes on a resolution celebrating mothers on Mother's Day simply to obstruct business on the Senate.

They blocked the resolution to set a date to get the troops out of Iraq. They blocked extending health care to children. They blocked allowing Medicare to negotiate lower prices on prescription drugs. They blocked overturning subsidies to big oil and investing them in alternative energy.

But despite their success in gumming up the works, the strategy hasn't been working out too well for them. Congress has grown less popular, but increasing majorities think the solution is to throw out Republicans, not Democrats. 29 Republicans looked at the race and decided to retire. Republicans suffered stunning special election defeats in former House Speaker Dennis Hastert's seat in Illinois (to an anti-war candidate), and in a solidly Republican district in Louisiana (despite running ads painting the Democrat as an Obama clone). Newt Gingrich warned that they faced "real disaster" this fall unless they changed course. "We can't win solely by tying our opponents to Barack Obama and his liberal views," Boehner concluded, "We also have to prove Republicans are agents of change."

"Our brand is still under repair," Boehner noted in a presentation for his Republican colleagues. So he called out the marketing gurus. Over the next week, he promises to roll out a new agenda to go with the new slogan. With the open seats, Republican candidates not scarred by the past can run as agents of change. If John McCain, a 35-year veteran of the beltway, can market himself as a maverick for change, why not the House Republicans?

But Boehner's rollout is likely to run into craters a lot more perilous than the slogan pothole. Every Republican candidate for Congress will have to answer a few basic questions: Are you with Bush and McCain on sustaining the war in Iraq? Do you support Bush and McCain's economic policies -- the tax cuts, the corporate trade deals, the privatization of Social Security, the unraveling of employer based health care?

If you are not with Bush and McCain, why should Republicans support you? If you are with them, why would the eight in ten Americans looking for a fundamentally new direction vote for you?

But no one believes in the magic of marketing more than politicians, eager to re-package themselves like the new Coke. Forget consistency. Forget conservatism. Boehner and his colleagues aren't worried about learning from the failures of the past years. They are worried about survival. And a snappy slogan, a new bumper sticker, and a fresh jingle may be the best hope they have.

Comments

[WorkingClass]

Americans are ok it seems with war crimes and stolen elections. Not to upset it seems over loss of civil liberties and privacy. Not moved to action by crime and corruption in public office. But the economy is a different matter if they are personally effected. Americans are losing their homes, their jobs, their health insurance, their pensions and their savings. By November it will be much worse. The Republicans will be punished severely at the polls. They may be beaten so badly that they never recover. There is nothing they can do to avoid their fate. Good riddance.

[magen]

But but but but but............

I thought everything was just as it should be in republiCONland.

War, tax cuts for the wealthy at the expense of all government services, no affordable healthcare, highest gas prices ever, economy nosediving, trillion dollar deficit, etc.

As L'il Bush says-"Only you have the power to make NO difference"

When they say "The change you deserve" they're talking about pocket change. Nickels and dimes-that's what you deserve, don't be fooled.

[BADEN]

Fool me once, shame on you.
Fool me twice, shame on me.

NEVER AGAIN.

Boehner....as in 'boner',

[toyopet]

I wonder if Boehner's rebranding efforts will result in himself dropping the tanning bed for the tanning spray booth? He must have one in his office.

SGK

[Rubyfoo]

It's true that politicians must sell themselves to the public, but the idea of applying marketing concepts to our federal legislature is to me incredibly repugnant. It puts them on a par with laundry soap, which is probably not terribly off the mark.

[HearNoWeasel]

It's just like BP's ads about being an alternative energy company.

[EFC]

Great post-it"s all too appropriate that these soulless hucksters have co-opted the slogan of a medication whose name is a meaningless marketspeak creation. They will, no doubt, augment their new slogan with Orwellian attempts to create the appropriate reality to suit their "rebranding". But, the stench of the current brand is certain to linger on.

[BPCentrisAmerican]

It took 38 yeras to create this mess and Boehner is not going to fix it in the few months. McCain took fire from Rush and a host of wing-nut talkers yesterday becasue he is trying to talk about climate change. People like Rush, Caulter, Savage, Kristol, and rest of the fanatics on right are going to be hard to change.

[Binx101]

I'm afraid the Limbaugh and collaborators are pulling a huge scam on the American electorate that finds their words to be important.

Here's the scam.

Phase One: the McCain slam. But did you notice that there is never any substantive slam against McCain excpet - he's not our guy. That's it. Nothing accusing him of complicity if failures... no mention of the Keating 5, no mention of Phil Gramm, the architect of the current mortgage debacle ... nothing of substance.

Phase Two: Ostensibly support Hillary- Operation Chaos.

Phase Three: The big make up party. Rush and McCain come to the center ---- the party starts and McCain is redeemed.

There is no other possible resolution that would benefit neocons - who are likely to be the largest beneficiaries of Dem domsinance.

Don't ask the corporate media about this - their still trying to figure out what exactly Hillary's credentials are, other than former first lady, former Republican and former health care czar?

Respectfully,

Binx101
The Almost Daily Binx
http://binx101.wordpress.com

[Binx101]

Just watch what happens if the American public would be permitted to see the body bags of Americans offered as some sacrifice to the Oil Gods.

Americans wanted so badly to believe that we were fight the 'Good Fight'

Republicans promised they were.

Republicans lied.

Some Democrats lied with them.

Boehner is the most repugnant of Republican Shills - he is a propagandist of the most despicable ilk. No doubt he likes trains to run on time. Craters ??? This is guy would be better off finding a job driving an armored car - of course one with better armor than he advocated sending the troops- so he might be safer in public.

He's in our sights for an article later on this season.

Binx101
The Almost Daily Binx
http://binx101.wordpress.com

[Angelus2007]

I am a little worried about the GOP rebranding itself. Those of us reading this blog know whats going on, unfortunately most of the 100 million voters in November only see commercials, and watch CNN, MSNBC or Fox News. They don't dig into the issues.

Politics is no longer about issues and policies as it should be, it is about branding and image. It is about buzzwords and half-truths. Paint Obama as unpatriotic, or out of touch with the American people. The GOP is great at creating brand and image.

If the GOP does 2 things in November correctly I think it can be bad.
#1-Make all the races local, don't talk about Iraq, but about how the congressional district needs money for a new bridge, or to bring more tourism, create local jobs, help the local housing market ect. If people think, I may disagree with Iraq, but they will help our local economy I don't care about the rest of the country.
#2-If the GOP says things are worse since this congress took over, it isn't Bush, but congress that increased gas prices. Gas prices have increased more since January of 2007 to now than January of 2001 to 2007. The housing market crashed during the democrats in congress, things like that will nullify any "are you better now than in 2000" arguments.

[ErnestineBass]

Excellent observation, Angelus2007.

Several HuffPo trolls are already flogging those exact "talking points".

HEADS UP, PEOPLE!
HAVE YOUR ARGUMENTS AT THE READY!

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr (bring 'em on heh heh)

[FirstShirt]

And you don't think Obama is branded with an image?

[Angelus2007]

He is branded with an image, but the GOP will brand McCain and their candidates with an image also, while at the same time saying Obama is out of touch with the average American, that he is unpatriotic ect. In the end it won't come down to issues as much as their image.

It will come down to who has better branding and paints a more likeable image of their candidate thant the other that will win. Just as and example, if I were a GOP candidate, I would say

In Aug. '03 gas prices were $1.35, and in Jan of '07 2.30, an increase of $.95, or 2.4 cents a month. Now the price is $3.60 and increase of $1.30 or 8.1 cents a month, since the democrats got control of congress gas prices have increased at a rate of 337% more than they did with the republicans in congress. At that rate, gas prices would $8.21 in January of 2013 if democrats stay in power.

While we all know that is not true, and the democrats having control of congress will make it better, the average American who isn't into politics won't. They will just a see a commercial with a large graph, and $8.21 over Obama's face, and an ominious voice telling you Obama will give us $8.00 gas prices.

[Rubyfoo]

It's the economy, stupid.
J. Carville

[BigTuna]

Schadenfreude is a beautiful thing.

[leftbehind2000]

This is the age-old "put a dress on a pig, but it's still a pig" problem.

[Grunty1]

"We're going to give you the change you deserve" -- House Minority Leader John Boehner
"That's not a threat; it's a promise"

It sure sounds like a threat to me. If we are dumb enough to give Republicans Congress or the White House, we definitely will get the change we deserve: from a democracy into an official fascist government.

[darcy]

Grunty, so true! leftbehind, so funny!

[rbspickles]

How about this for their new slogan......Got Vaseline???

[demigod]

How about "Let them eat cake" ?? That one hasn't been used for a while. Set up the guillotine, and give the Republicans their numbers. Liberty, Equality, Fraternity !

[Economike]

I'm sure they'd be happy to sell it to us, after all it's a petroleum product.

[iratior]

And now it's time for the GOP to spin the result of the Mississippi election. The First Congressional District in northern Mississippi is one of the most conservative in the country. Dick Cheney was brought in to speak. Over a million dollars was spent. The Democratic candidate was smeared as having ties fo Obama and Pelosi. But the GOP candidate lost. So now, to put the best face on that, we have people saying, "Oh well, the Democrat is pro-gun and anti-abortion." Well, he may be pro-gun and anti-abortion, but given the effort the GOP put into trying to defeat him, he can't be all bad.

[Economike]

For their sake they should figure out that they need to leave Cheney in the bunker.

[FreedomsEpitaph]

Hey Everyone riddle me this....Do you remember the Contact with America?
"The Contract with America was a document released by the United States Republican Party during the 1994 Congressional election campaign. Written by a team of representatives including Newt Gingrich, Robert Walker, Richard Armey, Bill Paxon, Tom DeLay, John Boehner and Jim Nussle, and in part using text from former President Ronald Reagan's 1985 State of the Union Address, and relying on polling from Frank Luntz, the Contract detailed the actions the Republicans promised to take if they became the majority party in the United States House of Representatives for the first time in 40 years. Many of the Contract's policy ideas originated at The Heritage Foundation, an influential conservative think tank."
Make me laugh, we won't get fooled again

[daddysboy]

You won't get fooled again, but there's one turning eighteen every minute and most of those voters don't read, they watch television which as it happens is kind of fooling allot of people right now.