Coming soon to a battleground state near you: a new effort to revive the image of the Republican Party and to counter President Obama's characterization of Republicans as "the party of 'no.'"
It will involve an outreach by an interesting mix of GOP officials, ranging from 2008 Republican presidential nominee John McCain to Jeb Bush, the former Florida governor and the younger brother of the man many Republicans blame for the party's battered brand: former President George W. Bush. -
CNN
Guess who their, "National panel of experts [their words, not mine]," will be?
They include:
Lamar Alexander
Bobby Jindal
Haley Barbour
Mitt Romney
John Thune (Sen. R-SD)
Among the GOP members who have signed on:
*House GOP Leader John Boehner
*House GOP Whip Eric Cantor
*House GOP Conference Chairman Mike Pence
*Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell
*The No. 2 Senate Republican, Jon Kyl
*And the Senate GOP Conference Chairman, Lamar Alexander
The letter of intent for this new organization, dubbed the
National Council for a New America (shades of PNAC here?), stresses:
However, this is not a Republican-only forum. This forum will include a wide open policy debate that every American can feel free to participate in. We do this not just to offer an alternative point of view or to be disagreeable. Instead, we want to ask the American people what their hopes and dreams are. Since January, the President and the Democratic Majority in Congress have - rightfully so - put forward their plan for the future, now we must listen, learn and lead through an honest, open conversation with the American people that will result in building policy proposals that will yield the best results for our nation's long-term success.
I'd love to think they're sincere in all this, yet I don't see one of the more liberal or even moderate Republicans listed. It's the same tired list of neoconservative old white guys. I suspect that they're just looking to be told what they already believe (and no, not that the earth was created in six days). What the Republicans desperately need is fresh blood which hearkens back to Goldwater values and they need to address all the states, not just the battlegrounds. I fear this NCNA thing will just push the Republicans further to the margins. They're not listening now and they're not going to listen in the future unless their own seats are directly threatened. It's also doesn't help their image that they're not including Palin (or any other woman) as it shows they have no faith in their former nominee.