Quick hit: Republicans say problem is tone, not message

Written by Ralph Schwartz | The Bellingham Herald | January 28, 2013

By Ralph Schwartz

I had a blog post in mind for today but didn’t get in touch with my sources to get all the info I needed. Hope I can pull it together for you tomorrow.

Meanwhile, in a small attempt to not be shut out today, I found this interesting report on Politico.com about the Republican National Committee’s meeting last week in Charlotte, N.C. (recently occupied by the Dems for their national convention)

What Politico’s James Hohmann got out of his reporting there was that the Republicans are sticking to their guns on the issues, despite the observation by some outsiders that the party needs to shift to the center, moderate its positions, so it can appeal to a broader base.

This won’t happen anytime soon, according to the report.

What did Republicans say about things they need to change? They need to smile more when delivering their messages, rather than being such sourpusses; need to stop making dumb statements about rape (this cost two GOP Senate candidates their races); and need to wait out the victorious Barack Obama, who will overreach with nothing at stake politically for him over the next two years. A Republican national committeeman from North Dakota said the party will be able to capitalize on Obama’s “socialist” agenda in the 2014 elections.

“This administration is a socialist administration. There’s no question about it,” (national committeeman Curly) Haugland said. “America’s not a socialist country.”

RNC Chairman Reince Priebus said it thusly: “We can stand by our timeless principles and articulate them in ways that are modern, relevant to our time and relatable to the majority of voters. That, I believe, is how we’ll achieve a Republican renewal.”

Here is the sentiment, put more colorfully by West Virginia national committeewoman Melody Potter: “We don’t need a new pair of shoes; we just need to shine our shoes.”