The Great Republican RebrandingBy E. J. Dionne Jr.
Saturday, May 6, 2006; Page A17
Sen. Rick
Santorum wanted to talk.
His purpose, he said over breakfast earlier this week in the Senate dining room,
was to "tell the other side of the story" about his record, which his foes use to cast him as -- these are his words -- "a mean-spirited, hard-right country club Republican."-snip-
Santorum is not alone.
All over the country, Republicans are engaged in a massive effort at rebranding, reframing and, in some cases, wholesale retreat from past positions. The surest sign that the nation is in the middle of an ideological transition is that Republicans don't want to sound like -- well, Republicans.Thus are
those who once derided Al Gore's environmentalism now painting themselves in very bright shades of green. Last month Rep. Jack Kingston (R-Ga.) took a drive in a hydrogen-powered car to show how much he cares about conservation and the planet.
Members of Congress who once eagerly showered tax breaks on the energy companies now want you to know they're tough on Big Oil. Last month House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) and Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) urged federal agencies to investigate possible price gouging by the petroleum giants.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/05/AR2006050501477.html