GOP lawmakers were in a state of shock on Wednesday after suffering a devastating special-election loss in Mississippi. That loss, coupled with special-election losses in Illinois and Louisiana earlier this year, has House Republicans questioning their message, candidates and fundraising efforts.
They also are grappling with what changes, if any, to make to the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC).
One such possibility deals with speculation that NRCC Chairman Tom Cole (Okla.) will be replaced by former NRCC Chairman Tom Davis (Va.).
…According to a copy of House Minority Leader John Boehner’s (R-Ohio) talking points, one possible query, written under the heading “Possible Tough Questions,” reads, “Are the results in [Mississippi] another indication that 2008 is setting up to be a disastrous year for House Republicans?
“Our leadership team and our members just had one of the most candid and open meetings we’ve ever had,” read the talking points, presumably prepared before the meeting. “And we made this commitment: We’re getting up off the mat to fight, and we’re going to prove to the American people that we are the agents of change they expect their Washington leaders to be.”
So in response to this gloomy predicament for House Republicans, possible future NRCC Chairman, Davis, passed out a 20 page memo suggesting his strategies for changing the situation:
In a telling development, Davis distributed a 20-page memo Wednesday to GOP members outlining strategies that he advocates for changing the direction of the party. No other member released such a memo.
In his memo, Davis wrote that the House GOP could lose another 20 House seats in November and a half-dozen in the Senate if Republicans continue on the same path.
“Democrats are not winning, we are losing,” the memo stated, adding, “Failure to fundamentally change the GOP brand can lock us into a very long period of minority status.”
Davis called for shifts on healthcare (“the weakest issue for Republicans”) and immigration: “John McCain, being from a border state, may be out of sync with many Republicans but he has standing among Hispanics. Barack Obama has not made the sale to Hispanic voters. Thus this issue is a tar baby for anyone who touches it, with land mines everywhere. But the Democrats control Congress and are doing nothing. This needs to be highlighted. Put the onus on them to produce a bill. Put them on defense.”
a-huh… that should work out real well for them … don't you think …because nothing says "agents of change" more than using racial slurs in your agenda memos where you discuss possible outreach to people of color ...then being so utterly clueless as to release them to the press. ...jeez
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