RNC Chair Steele Proclaims An Image Makeover For GOP

Newly-minted RNC Chairman Michael Steele is gearing up to attract young and minority voters in order to stem the tide of these groups siding more and more with the Democratic Party. Though don't worry if you are an arch-conservative, the party is going to stick to their old, antiquated ideas that have failed the country for decades now. This is merely an image makeover, one that reaches out to whoever will listen, including those in “urban-suburban hip-hop settings” and even "one-armed midgets."

From The Washington Times:

Having been elected to the job that the Bush White House and its political guru, Karl Rove, once denied him, Mr. Steele is running the show his way. To those who claimed he can't make the trains run on time, he has this message: “Stuff it.”

He stiff-armed an attempt to get him to elaborate on his public relations effort, saying he would be an idiot to give his opponents too much information, but indicated the Republican Party needs to break out of being considered a regional party.

”There was underlying concerns we had become too regionalized and the party needed to reach beyond our comfort” zones, he said, citing defeats in such states as Virginia and North Carolina. “We need messengers to really capture that region - young, Hispanic, black, a cross section ... We want to convey that the modern-day GOP looks like the conservative party that stands on principles. But we want to apply them to urban-surburban hip-hop settings.”

But, he elaborated with a laugh, “we need to uptick our image with everyone, including one-armed midgets.”

Always nice to throw an un-p.c. term in the mix to bring in those new groups, eh? Other than that though, he really had nothing to say policy-wise and doesn't want to. Instead, he utters words with nothing behind them. He talks about a new image, a new G.O.P., but really it is more of the same, only this time as a minority party with a much weaker power base. Though that doesn't mean he can't make people laugh, especially with quotes like these:

“It will be avant garde, technically,” he said. “It will come to table with things that will surprise everyone - off the hook.” Republican National Committee Chairman Michael S. Steele says the Grand Old Party is in need of an "off the hook" public relations offensive to attract young blacks and Hispanics. Does that mean cutting-edge? “I don't do 'cutting-edge,' “ he said. “That's what Democrats are doing. We're going beyond cutting-edge.”

Steele may think he's being cool by using the phrase "off the hook," but really when you are beyond the cutting-edge, it simply means you've already walked off the cliff...an appropriate metaphor for where the Republican Party wants to take this country.

Obama Decimates McCain In July Fundraising Efforts

It seems that July isn't much different from June when it comes to fund-raising numbers from the Obama and McCain campaigns. Barack Obama blew out John McCain in June, and he did the same thing last month. He didn't just beat him by a few million, he didn't just do it with 65,000 brand new donors, he did it because the American people desire change and do not expect or believe it will come from John "McSame" McCain.

From The Political Wire:

Sen. Barack Obama raised more than $51 million in July, the AP reports. His campaign began August with $65.8 million on hand and has had more than 2 million donors.

In contrast, Sen. John McCain raised $27 million in July and had just $21.4 million in cash on hand. He has had approximately 600,000 donors.

Those figures aren't even close. Now Republicans generally try and remind themselves that they at least have the fund-raising prowess of the RNC to counter the candidates' discrepancy. In July, they have no such comfort. As far as raising money goes, there is no contest between Obama and McCain. When Americans tune into the race after labor day en masse, they'll see there is a similar relationship between the two men in terms of policy, issues and character.

Jackson Browne Sues John McCain

"Running on Empty" is one of Jackson Browne's greatest hits and a rock 'n' roll classic. However, it is at the center of a lawsuit brought against John McCain by the award-winning artist. See, John McCain and the RNC used the song in a commercial to mock Barack Obama, but they forgot to ask for permission to use it. Now the Republicans have to deal with Browne in court.

From The Wall Street Journal:

The suit alleges that Senator McCain and the Republican Party failed to obtain a license for the use of Mr. Browne's song in the television commercial. In the commercial, Senator McCain and the Republicans mock Democratic candidate for President Barack Obama for suggesting that the country conserve gas through proper tire inflation.

In addition to a claim for copyright infringement, the suit alleges that by using a song famously associated with Mr. Browne, Senator McCain and the Republican Party violated the United States Lanham Act by falsely suggesting that Mr. Browne is associated with and endorses Senator McCain's candidacy. The suit also alleges that the use of Mr. Browne's voice in the commercial violates Mr. Browne's right of publicity under California law. The suit seeks a permanent injunction prohibiting the use of Running On Empty and any other Jackson Browne composition, as well as damages.

"We are confident that Jackson Browne will prevail in this lawsuit. Not only have Senator McCain and his agents plainly infringed Mr. Browne's copyright in Running On Empty, but the Federal Courts have long held that the unauthorized use of a famous singer's voice in a commercial constitutes a false endorsement and a violation of the singer's right of publicity," Lawrence Iser of the Santa Monica, California law firm Kinsella Weitzman Iser Kump & Aldisert said. "In light of Jackson Browne's lifelong commitment to Democratic ideals and political candidates, the misappropriation of Jackson Browne's endorsement is entirely reprehensible, and I have no doubt that a jury will agree."

I've never gotten why conservatives and/or Republicans like to use liberal artist's recordings so much for their ads and campaign rallies. Perhaps it is because they want to co-opt the messages within the song (especially Reagan's use of Born in the USA) and flip them upside down. Though I think in this case there is simply no talent on the right and being creative is typically a liberal trait. Of course, when it comes to being sneaky, deceptive and hypocritical....the GOP takes the cake. And this year, McCain is their (dimly) glowing candle on top of that pie.

Inflatable Rat Follows Lieberman To RNC

Not that Joe Lieberman needs a thirty foot tall inflatable animal to remind him of who he is, but it certainly is comical that there are enough passionate activists out there to do it anyways. The increasingly hawkish Senator Lieberman turned his back on his party and now he's practically a Republican. So what better animal is there to represent him than a big nasty rat.

From The Stamford Advocate:

If Lieberman's detractors get their way, their prop would be a 30-foot inflatable rat, the kind unions typically use when construction workers cross picket lines.

"The 30-foot rat is a big rat. A 12-foot rat you can kind of put in the back of a pickup truck A 30-foot rat you have to put on the back of a flatbed," said Ed Anderson, a New Haven Democrat who helped start the Web site DumpJoe.com.

A spokeswoman for Lieberman, who has broken party ranks to endorse McCain, said the self-described independent Democrat hasn't been invited to the GOP convention.

"At this time, there are no plans (to attend)," said Erika Masonhall, Lieberman's press secretary.

Lieberman outraged many Nutmeg State Democrats when he came out in support of his longtime friend McCain for president. To many of them, the move was the latest insult to the party by the man they call a "Democrat in name only."

Lieberman isn't even a DINO, he's lower than that, and thanks to the Democratic voters in Connecticut, he's officially an "independent" politician that had to form a party just for him. It would make a great photo-op to see the inflatable rat next to the real-life version but he doesn't have to show up to the convention in Minneapolis, his support for McCain, the war in Iraq and war in general is plenty for our party.

RNC Fires The Wrong People For Their Fundraising Problem

Sixty five-people were abruptly fired from their jobs as phone-bankers at the Republican National Committee last week. Anne Hathaway oversaw the project at the RNC and confirmed the event after the former workers went to the press. The RNC maintains that the program was canceled due to outdated phone-banking technology but the staffers don't believe it.

The real problem was the precipitous drop in small-donor donations. Staffers estimate donations are down 40 percent this year and is primarily due to the President's controversial stance on the immigration debate. Many conservative donors want their President to back up their xenophobic tendencies with actions, while George wants to keep his friends supplied with cheap labor. The difference in opinions is hurting George's party where it hurts, in the wallet.

From The (sometimes credible) Washington Times:

Fired employees acknowledged that the committee's phone equipment was outdated, but said a sharp drop-off in donations "probably" hastened the end of the RNC's in-house phone-bank operation.

"Last year, my solicitations totaled $164,000, and this year the way they were running for the first four months, they would total $100,000 by the end of 2007," said one fired phone bank solicitor who asked not to be identified.

There has been a sharp decline in contributions from RNC phone solicitations, another fired staffer said, reporting that many former donors flatly refuse to give more money to the national party if Mr. Bush and the Senate Republicans insist on supporting what these angry contributors call "amnesty" for illegal aliens.

"Everyone donor in 50 states we reached has been angry, especially in the last month and a half, and for 99 percent of them immigration is the No. 1 issue," said the former employee.

The RNC denies all of this of course but it does not matter. The story shows that there is a lot of discord within the party and all over the conservative landscape. The fact that the highly dubious Washington Times would publish this shows their discontent with the President.

Reverend Moon's publication takes substantial losses every year in order to keep conservative propaganda alive and well within the District of Columbia. So when they are going against Bush, you know there is trouble in the ranks.