Deliver Us From the Clueless

Friday night I was minding my own business, relaxing, watching a little idiot-tube after a hard day in the salt mines and what do I come across but a Republican "communications consultant". Oh Joy! As you might imagine I was all ears. After all, over the past several years have we not gotten our asses kicked mightily by the news media, social media, popular culture...you name it? Obviously we are not communicating our message well, otherwise campaigns like "Pajama Boy" would have never made it past the brainstorming stage. The Democrats have a very effective propaganda machine and I want our side to study their methods and at the very least neutralize their message but preferably go on the attack and put them on the defensive for a change. So, how do we do this Mr. Big-Time Consultant?

Wow, talk about let down! To me this was very disheartening to think somebody like this has influence over our messaging. I came away thinking this guy is part of the problem, in fact this guy (and others like him) may BE the problem. Anyway the pearls of wisdom this gentleman espoused were things like "We study the language of leadership, what Americans are looking for now is a leader". Sounds great, tell me more. "They're looking for someone who is responsible with their rhetoric, positive about solutions, this whole notion of getting into a fight about whether we call it Radical Islamic terrorism or whether we point fingers at others...we've tested it" So we shouldn't call it Islamic terrorism because you're worried about the language, you're worried about being PC? We shouldn't put the words Islam together with terrorism? "Everyone knows who we're talking about at this point. The time we spend talking about the language, we politicize the situation and take the focus away from agreeing on the solution. We have much less of a gap on policy solutions than we do on this rhetorical debate of what to call it." This has all been "focus group tested" we are assured.

I'll just bet it has. I'd also bet the focus group were self described "moderates" of the type the GOP is forever obsessing about. The country clubbers listen to a guy like this, they tone down their language to the most white bread, least offensive possible and then proceed to get their 40% (if they're lucky) of the conflict averse, muddy middle all the while alienating five million base conservatives who would have otherwise turned out and voted Republican. Brilliant strategy. I just wish our consultants would change sides. Maybe then we wouldn't have to deal with things like this.

President Obama compared congressional Republicans who reject his nuclear deal to Iranian hardliners who chant “death to America” during a speech selling the agreement with Tehran at American University Wednesday.

In Congress, Republicans have a bill that would let hospitals allow a woman to die rather than perform an abortion necessary to save her life. 

Harry Reid sees a common thread in GOP White House field: ‘They’re all losers’

Pelosi: The GOP is 'a political party at war with its own government'

One would think this kind of rhetoric would scare the hell out of our mild-mannered GOP Super-Genius consultant class and their testosterone free focus groups. But apparently it's only a problem when conservatives use blunt language.

Buy a clue Republicans, taking (and actually paying for) advise from clueless losers will get you nowhere. Ask Mitt Romney.