The Hill reported this morning that the GOP has found its “shutdown message” as a tactic to buy time to dig itself out of a hole as most Americans blame them for the mess. The mess is getting worse, and therefore they are going to have to massage their message even more.
Here are a couple of things to consider in evaluating shutdown messaging:
- Republicans who have a long record for being the party of “No” now want to paint Democrats with “No,"
That is because Democrats want a comprehensive solution to addressing budget and debt issues for the purpose of providing longer term stability.
Republicans don’t want that because it denies them the opportunity use critical financing gates to chip away at policies they don’t like.
The question is, what is best for the country and for the economy? Chipping away and instability are not the best.
- Polls are against Republicans, but they don’t mind the 10 point deficit.
“Two polls out late in the week found the public is blaming Republicans for the shutdown. A Fox News poll found 42 percent of voters blaming the GOP, with 32 blaming Democrats, while a CBS poll found the split at 44 percent to 35 percent.”
http://thehill.com/homenews/house/326747-gop-finds-its-shutdown-message
Their message is that they believe they are right to pick targets of opportunity and to wear down the President with an accumulation of “No’s.”
The Hill Story concludes by asking the question, “What is the endgame?” For American citizens, many of whom are now furloughed, and many more fearing economic disaster, they want a resolution immediately that will avert default. If default happens, there won’t be a prayer for the GOP as people will remember in November.
“GOP finds its shutdown message
By Cameron Joseph - 10/05/13 06:00 AM ET
Republicans are seeking to paint Democrats as the "party of no" to help dig themselves out of a hole on the government shutdown.
The effort is aimed at softening the political blow of the shutdown while buying Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) time to figure out an end game.
Polls show more people are blaming the GOP for the shutdown than the White House, but Republicans think their work on a stream of bills that would fund specific parts of the government is helping them build a narrative of Democratic intransigence.
On Saturday, the House will vote to provide back pay to the 800,000 federal workers furloughed by the shutdown, another step meant to cast Republicans as the party proposing solutions to the shutdown.
“Republicans have figured out a strategy, by sending rifle-shot bills to open different parts of the government, that has put Democrats into a box of saying no. By voting no repeatedly it allows Republicans an excellent messaging opportunity of painting Democrats as refusing to negotiate,” says Ron Bonjean, a top GOP strategist.
[...]
“They threw some seeds into the field and it kind of worked,” said Republican strategist Andrew Shore. “This strategy of opening up particular parts of the government and the president threatening to veto these rifle-shot bills makes him look intransigent.”
The GOP remains in a tough spot, however.”
http://thehill.com/homenews/house/326747-gop-finds-its-shutdown-message#ixzz2gr9WZxxn
