GOP Unveils New Rebranding Effort, Then On Same Day Attacks Obama With 9/11 Imagery
This is some interesting timing.
As you’ve already heard, GOP leaders announced a major new initiative today to revive the Republican Party brand. It’s called the National Council for a New America, and it is being led by GOPers like John McCain, Eric Cantor, and John Boehner, with an eye towards casting the party as constructive and forward-looking.
But on the very same day, the House GOP leadership has also launched a Web vid attacking Obama and Dems over national security with 9/11 imagery. The production has the feel of some of the most lurid “Dems are weak on terror” political attacks launched by the GOP and its allies in 2006 and 2004. Note the appearance of the smoldering Pentagon at 1:13:
So isn’t this pretty bad timing? Doesn’t it step on this morning’s announcement a bit?
Boehner spokesperson Michael Steel argued to me that there’s no contradiction here, claiming the vid is “forward looking.”
“It’s forward looking in the sense that, for example, on the issue of terror detainees, the Obama administration announces they’re closing the facility, but they don’t have a plan for what to do with these guys,” Steel said.
“The events of September 11th happened, and pretending they didn’t won’t make America any safer,” Steel continued. The video is “asking what the Obama administration’s overarching strategy is for fighting the terrorists and protecting America going forward.”
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Gad. There is nothing new there (and no one new) nor is there in Steel’s response to you, which is boilerplate. It seems likely that, one month from now, we’ll all have trouble remembering what NCNA was. Poor beggars.
What a bunch of idiots… this is partly the reason why people can’t stand them now… I hope they keep it up; they keep digging themselves deeper and deeper in a hole.
I have to admit that it is relatively good at invoking emotions. However, I would think that for anyone who can see through it will think it is a pretty terrible thing to put out there. It runs a huge risk of tarnishing the GOP even further. It frankly disgusts me that they would put something like this out there.
Steve Benen makes an interesting point:
It’s also worth noting who got left off the invitation list for the group’s “panel of experts.” Bush, McCain, Romney, and Jindal made the cut, as did Haley Barbour and John Thune. House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (Va.) reportedly helped pull the initiate together.
Sarah Palin, Newt Gingrich, Michael Steele, Mark Sanford, and Tim Pawlenty apparently didn’t make the cut. I wonder why.
Did Rudy Guiliani make this video or something? Can’t they come up with something new? I hope they keep up the spooky music and crazy mooslem videos. If anything they are going to piss people off who are tired of this kind of bullsh*t. Talk about not having anything new.
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Of course tomorrow they will be saying President Obama isn’t reaching out to them and the MSM will still take them seriously
Ummm…did the GOP not get the memo that the September 11th attacks happened in 2001, on THEIR watch????? How great is the GOP on national security when they ignored an August 2001 memo that told them of an imminent threat to American soil that involved the use of passenger airplanes…YEAH, right, they are GREAT on national security…Pot meet Kettle with teabags!!!
Some people will never learn. These kind of scare tactics didn’t work for Hillary in the primaries, nor did it work for McCain/Palin the general.
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To quote the President, about a hundred days ago: “On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord. On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn-out dogmas that for far too long have strangled our politics…in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history…”
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And, the coup de grace: “What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them, that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply.”
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The ground has shifted, indeed.
Saturday Night Live should make one of their mock skits on this one similar to what they did to McCain’s ridiculous ads during the general election with the scary voice guy and all.
The Right just doesn’t do irony and boy it shows. The Council for a NEW America was started by 800-year-old McCain, and a Bush.
ROFLMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Are all Republican mouthpieces named Michael Steel(e)?
Just watched Tweety interviewing Delay and Shays. What a change. A “humbled” Delay. Would like to know what fellow commenters think, if they saw it. So we have the Terry Schiavo wing and the Jeb Bush wing: whither the elephants?
I saw the DeLay segment and thought it was strange how quiet he was. Seems he’s smart enough (at least today) to just shut-up…
It’s hard for me to see this ad as directed at anybody other than that 20% of voters now self identifying as Republican. In fact, I feel it has a narrower real audience than that–those people like Kathleen Hussein’s cousin (referred to on another thread) who are foaming at the mouth against Obama. It seems intended to incite, nothing else, and the sinister music is integral to the purpose. To me, it’s further proof that there’s a real danger in having one of our two major parties reduced to such an extremist rump group with few remaining moderate voices. While, as Nicole suggests, scare tactics tend not to work in elections, they can still be highly inflammatory. Is there anyone in the Republican leadership with the sense and decency to call a halt to this? I am flashing back on those Palin rallies.
“Is there anyone in the Republican leadership with the sense and decency to call a halt to this?” — My answer would be sadly, no.
I also wanted to quickly add that I think scare tactics worked in the past. There is lots of evidence that points to this. But, as the President said, “the ground has shifted beneath them” and they don’t even get it.
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History is quickening it’s pace and many, many narrow-minded folks are being left behind.
I would amend on scare tactics as well. Willie Horton. The Daisy ad. There are plenty of other examples. But this year seemed different electorally, as if most people were tired of being made afraid of their own shadows.
Видно что автор компетентен в этом вопросе, тема раскрыта полностью. Добавить даже нечего…
собсно задание – чем ее занять с пользой ? а то у нее руки чешутся, прочитал тогда про всякие орифлеймы и айвоны, думаю может пусть косметикой банчит….кто-нибудь этим занимается, утешительный выхлоп ? и много ли мороки ?
иначе есть какие-нибудь другие идеи ?
ЗЫ взял желание к себе, только я занимаюсь техникой и расходкой….она тут не бельмеса
Wow! You know your stuff!!!