The RNC's New Ardor

One more note about the RNC:

A few months ago, Republican campaigns and even some White House officials worried that the Republican National Committee was abrogating its responsibility to begin to define Hillary Clinton. It wasn't so much that the RNC doesn't have reams of material -- and they do -- it was that the RNC wasn't selling the material, wasn't getting it into the press, wasn't convincing state parties that the dirty work had to be shared, and simply wasn't being aggressive enough.

Since early September, when a new RNC communications director took over, the intensity of that effort has risen several candelas. The volume of e-mails to national political reporters has doubled. State parties have begun to bracket Clinton when she visits their states. At this stage, the attacks against Clinton are broadsides, not longitudinal. The RNC doesn't seem to have settled on a particular frame for Clinton, although the words "liberal" and "dynasty" will probably have something to do with it.

It was the RNC/Bush Cheney campaign's early definition of John Kerry, as orchestrated by BC04 Research Director Matt Rhoades that helped the Bush campaign immeasurably. The Democratic National Committee recognized this success and adapted it. (No charge is too ridiculous, such as the party's attempt to get Republicans to apologize for something Ann Coulter said.)

Comments

Do Republicans have any credibility left on anything?

Posted by uselessattacks | October 16, 2007 12:40 PM

If the MSM decides to report on this rumor, which is just a rumor, then it shows that the media has sold itself to RNC. I would not be surprised if Fox News showed it, but other networks should remain away from it. People are more concerned about Iraq than Hillary stuff during the 80's

Posted by American1989 | October 16, 2007 12:58 PM

Shall we bust out the nostalgia file? In '04 I recall the RNC asking Kerry to disavow things Whoopi Goldberg said at a fundraiser ... I'm pretty sure Jesse Jackson was routinely quizzed on whether everything out of the mouth of every black public figure in America was "helpful", etc.

The shrill right-wing is would be carrying the message against Clinton because (a) enough of the RNC thinks it's a good idea, and (b) the shrill right-wing won't be able to contain itself. But it will come off as simply too much relitigating the 90s, too much complaining about unfounded ticky-tack stuff, etc.

Posted by Nicholas Beaudrot | October 16, 2007 2:35 PM

The RNC has been a sea-change since the new comms team got in place. It has been night and day.

Posted by GOPer | October 17, 2007 5:49 PM