According to The Hill, it seems that Republicans are becoming concerned that they are losing in the court of public opinion regarding their "nuclear option." They are only NOW realizing that.
Senate Republican leaders were due to meet last night amid rising concern that they are being beaten on the “nuclear option” by Sen. Harry Reid’s (D-Nev.) public-relations war room.
The GOP’s talks follow a meeting last week in which aides warned Bob Stevenson, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist’s (R-Tenn.) communications director, that something needs to be done to win back lost ground, a participant said.
“I think there’s a realization that this particular [Democratic] effort has to be countered and they’re in full-scale attack mode,” a GOP aide said, adding, “I think that people know that we’ve got a serious problem here.
Gee, ya think.
Soon after becoming leader, Reid hired several communication aides and created a rapid-response team akin to the one Bill Clinton pioneered during his triumphant 1992 presidential campaign.
Lord knows, they have the time on their hands to strategize about how to fight Republicans. They aren't coming up with their own plans. Imagine if they spent as much time and energy trying to actually come up with solutions to the problems facing this nation.
He (Stevenson) did not say whether Republicans would establish their own such team, noting that “having a war room inside the Capitol is unprecedented.” Nevertheless, he indicated that more aides would be drafted to the fight over the nuclear option.
It doesn't matter if a war room is "unprecedented." If it is needed to combat Harry Reid's war room, then obviously IT IS NEEDED.
Another GOP aide said: “There’s a general sense in the rank and file that we are a little in the hole and that Democrats have been more aggressive on messaging, that we’ve kind of gone dark. Democrats have gotten a head start and defined the issue ahead of us.”
Are they just realizing this?
The turnaround has flummoxed Senate Republicans and conservatives. They say it is incredible that Democrats who have “undone 200-plus years of precedent” by filibustering nominees have managed to portray Republicans as “overreaching.” Republicans say eliminating the filibuster of nominees would merely restore Senate tradition.“They turned it around,” the aide said, and “one can suggest that it’s because of our lack of organized countermessaging.”
The Democrats have figured out how to play on people's lack of knowledge of history and their emotions. They have the MSM on their side, too, and use it to full advantage. Republicans have got to realize that just having truth on their sides is NOT going to win an argument. They cannot make assumptions on the public's knowledge on the history of the Senate, government or Constitution (thanks to our school system - but that is another post altogether).
Sen. Trent Lottt (R-Miss.), one of a group of Senate conservatives that first began pushing the nuclear option — which Republicans prefer to call the constitutional option — said he has urged Frist to set up his own war room.“We need full-time people working on this,” said Lott.
What?!? They NEED to spend taxpayer money to do this! This is far more important than funding research on snail darters or any of the other frivolous projects that the Republicans don't seem to mind spending taxpayer money on. If the Republicans don't win this, there will be ramifactions that will radiate for generations.
I could comment throughout the entire article, but I need to lower my blood pressure. You can read the whole article here. I have said it before and I will say it again: Republican Senators, grow a backbone!
Blogs for Bush has this post about Frist pushing for a ban on judicial filibusters.
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