It’s Like Looking at a Car Crash

Looking at the GOP after having been totally rejected by the public reminds me of passing a terrible car wreck but not being able to look away. From a messaging point of view they are simply all over the place and don't appear to know where they are going or who is going to lead them.

A new Rasmussen poll finds that GOP voters actually think that there is a clear party leader. The problem is that those people can't agree on who that leader is: John McCain 18 %, Michael Steele 14%, Sarah Palin 10%, Rush Limbaugh 6%, and Dick Cheney 4%.

Speaking of Dick Cheney…Even though he has been all over the TV in recent weeks, a majority of Republican insiders say that he has been nothing but trouble for them since he left office. Yet he continues to suck the energy right out of the room and there is nothing that they seem to be able to do about it.

The GOP disorder has filtered all the way down to even something as simple as their web ads. Democrats have been quickly cranking out very effective web ads that share a common overall theme and help push forward a real agenda. Even if there are slight differences in their web ads they all say the same basic thing: the GOP is lead by all the same old guys and they have no ideas. When I compare that with the last two GOP web ads they stand in stark contrast. Frankly, I can't even remember the exact point of the first GOP web ad. I only remember that it seemed like a scary trailer from a B movie. Now their most recent web ad seems to be attacking the President's dog, Bo. I'm sure that they are trying to make a point in there somewhere but a viewer is mostly left with the image of Republicans being against puppies or something.

Just throwing up web ads because the other guy is doing it is not a very good strategy. You should have something relevant to say and you should try to stay on topic to reinforce your message. That is a big part of the problem however, right now they are not relevant and they can't seem to decide on a message. They are simply flailing about all over the place.

After suffering under right wing polices for the past eight years, I am very happy that they are not effectively pushing those failed ideas. But I must admit that I sometimes feel a bit guilty as I observe their complete disorder. It's kind of like looking a little too long at a terrible car crash.