Wednesday, January 7, 2009

On the hunt: Cantor leading search for real alternatives

The Hill reports on Eric Cantor's new gig: leading the GOP effort to create viable alternatives to Democrat legislation.

House GOP leaders are working on ways to change the perception that they reflexively oppose everything Democrats do.

The leadership has created a working group to develop ideas they will present for inclusion in President-elect Obama’s soon-to-be-released jobs creation package.

Then there's not just the issue of legislative alternatives; there's the problem of how to effectively communicate that to the American people (and no, twitter can't do it alone, nor can it save your eternal soul, in case you were under illusions*).

Rank-and-file Republicans want to communicate their positions effectively, which may mean looking beyond the mainstream media, according to one of the leaders privy to the discussions.

Many GOP officials want to deliver the party’s message directly to the people, because they claim most of the media do not give them a fair shake.

*Over at the Daily Beast, Wonkette Ana Marie Cox writes about RNC candidates trying to out-tech each other to prove their savvy, and includes this priceless anecdote: "the twitter."

The most telling moment at the debate among contenders for the chairmanship of the Republican Party might have been when they took turns bragging about how many friends they had on Facebook. The spectacle of six grown men comparing an accomplishment that only 18-year-olds should be really proud of did not seem to bode well for a party that is struggling to maintain purchase on the 21st century......

Their measure of each others' followers on Twitter... might also have been embarrassing except that a few minutes earlier, current RNC chair Mike Duncan referred to it as "the Twitter," that definite article condemning him to Old Fogey status among anyone who cares.

(Ea). I will call it "The Twitter" from now on. You watch.

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