Seriously, this helps how??

[On Our own]

The Plum LineGreg Sargent's blog

GOP Rep: Our Goal Is To Bring Down Approval Numbers For Dems
GOP Rep. Patrick McHenry, a key player in helping craft the Republican message, has offered an unusually blunt description of the Republican strategy right now.

McHenrys description is buried in this new article from National Journal (sub. only):

We will lose on legislation. But we will win the message war every day, and every week, until November 2010, said Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., an outspoken conservative who has participated on the GOP message teams. Our goal is to bring down approval numbers for [Speaker Nancy] Pelosi and for House Democrats. That will take repetition. This is a marathon, not a sprint.

McHenrys spokesperson, Brock McCleary, tells me his boss is standing by the quote.

McHenrys description of his partys goal to bring down approval numbers for Nancy Pelosi and House Dems is being much talked about today among Congressional Dems. Its likely that Dems will grab on to the quote today to bolster their charge that Congressional Republicans arent interested in playing a constructive role in governing and see their hope for political revival in the eventual failure of the Democratic majoritys policies.

How exactly is this constructive?

If you say it long enough it becomes true......

 

[me&thegals]

This has hugely frustrated me for a while now, this "If I read it, it must be true" mentality. People are losing trust in the media to report the truth. So, politicians can say what they want and people will believe them. Very sad and very scary, because if we lost trust in good reporting we soon won't believe ANYthing! Think The Boy Who Cried Wolf...

 

[Woodland Woman]

I am fed up with both the Republicans and the Democrats. It is politics as usual hyped up x 10. I wish there was a way to break the 2 party system. I wish the media would hold all politicians accountable equally. I wish they would report accurately and intelligently. The only way to have true change is to get rid of all the politicians in Washington and start over.

 

[Big Daddy]

The repubicans lost the election in a big way. So now they have decided to be obstructionist. Every thing they have done for the past 6 weeks has been designed to try to make the democrats look like failures. It will either work or it will blow up in their faces. I think a lot of people can see through it and find it disgusting, particularly with the financial crisis we are in.

 

[me&thegals]

I don't want to get into a republic-versus-democrat fight, but I really had hopes that both sides would work hard together. The stakes seemed too high for people to play much politics. I guess I am still naive...

 

[Big Daddy]

I am fed up with both the Republicans and the Democrats. It is politics as usual hyped up x 10. I wish there was a way to break the 2 party system. I wish the media would hold all politicians accountable equally. I wish they would report accurately and intelligently. The only way to have true change is to get rid of all the politicians in Washington and start over.

Tom Clancy wrote a book where that very thing happened. A disgruntled Japanese pilot flew a 747 into the capitol building during a joint session of congress. Took out the whole thing. It was a very interesting concept.

I would like to see term limits as a more humane alternative. It is too hard to kick out incumbents. Some fresh ideas would be nice. Some of these congressmen are already dead and just don't know it. They keep the same old ideas in place because they have so much power.

 

[SKR8PN]

I am fed up with both the Republicans and the Democrats. It is politics as usual hyped up x 10. I wish there was a way to break the 2 party system. I wish the media would hold all politicians accountable equally. I wish they would report accurately and intelligently. The only way to have true change is to get rid of all the politicians in Washington and start over.

We need all new media as well........So ya might just as well clean ALL the houses out at once.

 

[Big Daddy]

We need all new media as well........So ya might just as well clean ALL the houses out at once.

You pretty much have whatever media you desire now. All the major newspapers are going bankrupt because they cant sell any ads. But you can get any view point you want on the internet or radio. The sound bites on the news shows are so short it's hard to tell where they're coming from. I think the whole mass media leaning one way or the other thing is so much fooey. People just get upset when they hear an opposing viewpoint. If you get all your news from one viewpoint or source than you are missing out on a lot.

 

[sylvie]

We need all new media as well........So ya might just as well clean ALL the houses out at once.

You pretty much have whatever media you desire now. All the major newspapers are going bankrupt because they cant sell any ads. But you can get any view point you want on the internet or radio. The sound bites on the news shows are so short it's hard to tell where they're coming from. I think the whole mass media leaning one way or the other thing is so much fooey. People just get upset when they hear an opposing viewpoint. If you get all your news from one viewpoint or source than you are missing out on a lot.

It's time to resurrect the Fairness Doctrine, or way past time. That would be a start.

 

[dacjohns]

I will be glad when the partisanship on this forum runs out.


Fairness Doctrine sounds like it goes against freedom of speech and freedom of the press.