Shoot the Messenger?

In keeping with the last post, let's ask ourselves: what's the problem with the GOP? Is it the message, or the messenger? Are the party's policy's flawed, or is it marketing them in the wrong way?

The latter, says Daniel Larison of American Conservative Magazine. He questions the notion--made by more than a few bloggers in the wake of the 2008 election--that all Republicans have to do is work on outreach a little more.

Writes Larison:

The track record of GOP outreach efforts in the past, as I have said before, is not reassuring as a matter of politics or policy. In principle, expanding a voting coalition is the right idea, but I have yet to see a proposal along these lines that does not sound like a call for a new marketing strategy, which fundamentally misunderstands why the GOP does not win the support of these voters.

Ouch! That's harsh. Larison doesn't propose any alternatives, but then again, he's writing a blog post and not a manifesto for a new party.

In terms of marketing, the GOP has made a couple big steps forward in the past few weeks. The election of Michael Steele as head of the RNC was one. The fairly well-coordinated opposition to the stimulus plan was another. The first showed the GOP was at least going to make an effort to reach out to minorities; the second, that the party wouldn't be outmaneuvered by the Obama administration in the PR wars. We'll see if they can keep up the trend, or if they'll end up earning the moniker of "the Stupid Party" all over again.