I see Matt Dole has beaten me to the punch with a post over at Lincoln Logs about this article from CongressDaily AM... Here is the meat of the piece that everyone else will be talking about:Democrats are in control of the House for the first time since 1994 and their poll numbers are steady, but there is an uneasy sense among some democratic lawmakers and top aides that their kingdom might come unglued for want of a cohesive message strategy from Speaker Pelosi and others on the leadership team.I think it is pretty accurate to say that the Republican operation in the House is firing on all cylinders. But I want to focus on this bit of spin...
“There simply is no direction,” said the spokesman for one mid-level Democratic member closely tied to leadership. “Press is an afterthought on our side, and it shows.”
One freshman Democratic member — like others willing to speak openly only if he could also speak anonymously — expressed frustration that Republicans have a superior message operation that includes members receiving talking points each morning that they use to blanket the airwaves with the GOP’s message of the day.
“You look at the Republican apparatus and it is like they’re playing chess and we’re playing checkers,” the first-term lawmaker said.
Spokesmen for Pelosi and House Democratic Caucus Chairman Rahm Emanuel of Illinois , whose press shops closely coordinate on message, said the critics are not taking into account that Republicans can only complain about process because the public, judging by poll numbers, is generally in sync with the Democrats' actions on policy.That's not quite right...
"We've reduced [Republicans] to whining about procedure and that is all they do," said a Pelosi spokesman. "That shows a successful message, when you reduce them to talking about process. They do not come to us with substantial attacks."
Yes, the Republicans have been touting their procedural victories...as well they should, they have managed to pull victories using tactics that the Demcorats were unsuccessful in using when they were in the minority. That is a significant story in and of itself.
But let's talk about substance. The Murtha/Rogers story is just one example where Republcians are engaging their political enemies with substance. Democrats campaigned on establishing the most open and ethical Congress in history, but they can't seem to put that ideal in to practice. They have failed to enact earmark reform. They have failed to enact lobby reform. Most of the laws passed by this Congress have been renaming of federal properties...
What was that about substance?
