New Coke: Revolutionary Republican Rebranding
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This week, the GOP launched a new effort to rebrand itself. The idea makes a lot of sense. Get away from the tired, southern, old white guy image, and go for something fresh. Immediately, however, the new effort seemed to backfire in a PR sense (and what other sense is there concerning rebranding), when House Minority Whip Eric Cantor tried to claim that “rebranding” was not the right word to describe the Republican strategy. Instead, he argued, the GOP would start talking to the American people about all of its new ideas even if those ideas—lower taxes, smaller government—haven’t changed all that much.
Presidential aspirant Mitt Romney is front and center in the negotiations concerning how to get people to stop thinking ill of his party, and he’s come up with a cheeky rebranding (sorry, Eric, we’re going to call a spade a spade on this one) concept. To hear him tell it, this whole tea party thing is just the beginning:
“We’re the party of the revolutionaries, they [Democrats] are the party of the monarchists.”
So, if they aren’t “going Galt”, they’re going Che Guevara? Oy vey. Romney went on to explain just how revolutionary this new Coke Republican party is in terms of actual policy proposals:
“We don’t have to come up with all the answers today. Thank goodness, we have a little time,” he said. “Certainly by 2010, we better.”
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I saw Mitt and Eric on TV this morning. I got a weird Batman & Robin vibe watching them. And Mitt needs to give up the bronzer and hair gel too, he’s already creepy enough.
Brian,
I find the constant morphing of “revolutionary” to be fascinating.
The repugs are mixing too many metaphors for their own good, you can’t point an accusing finger at Obama while screaming socialist, and in the next breath claim to be a revolutionary. Besides Che was hot, Ben Franklin, not so.
It’s already working! I find them totally revolting!
David,
New Coke…hmm…Whatever did happen to that? The Republican Party is such a convoluted mess. In one sense you think that would make it easier to fix as there are so many places to begin. The sudden need to listen to their constituency rings hollow as nothing has really changed.
As a Democrat, sitting around and watching what I believe in getting stomped to death for eight years was enough. I’m not saying President Obama is perfect or will be, but the Democrats certainly have an opportunity to fix all that is wrong here. Eight years probably isn’t long enough. If I was a Republican serving the people in any capacity, I would really take my time and look at what has been done and all the damage that has to be undone from one man and his eight years at the top.
I remember when Bush said he didn’t believe in polls, knowing that the Republican Party was in trouble. To try and rebrand that is ludicrous. The party out of touch with the American people can’t fix it with a clever slogan or offering the same thing and hoping that no one notices. The fact that the pendulum swung so far as it did meant only one thing; it would swing just as far the other way. I feel some relief after the elections and the arbitrary first 100 days. Maybe it’s not relief; maybe it’s hope.
Sandy
anybody notice how much Mr. Paradigm Lost is resembing che himself?
ditmas,
Ha! Calling the ghost of Allen Ginsberg!
Sandy,
Let’s enjoy this part of the pendulum ride while we can…
David, I’m not trying to insinuate anything by saying this, but you look a little like Che in your profile photo.
Nevermind, Ditmas already said that.
In response to another comment. See in context »Phillip,
Che G. Not exactly one of my heroes, but a fine looking guy. Did you catch “The Motorcycle Diaries”?
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