Digby Nails It Again: For GOP, the Slogan IS the Strategy

[Cowpunk]

Digby comments on the GOP's ubiquitous new "Job-killing" meme:

Stephen Pearlstein writes about the new GOP meme under a headline saying that "the canard" should be killed. But it's actually more than a canard:

(...)

Their "jobs strategy", if you want to call it that, is the slogan --- call all taxes, programs and regulations "job-killers" and say they want to repeal them. The worst thing that happens is that they actually succeed in getting the president to sign on to their agenda. And either way, they blame him for an economy they are betting will remain anemic through 2012.

In a follow-up post, she writes:

Their usual agenda will now be framed as a jobs program and everything the Democrats do will be framed as "job-killing." The Dems need to recognize this and figure out how to beat the frame rather than screaming hysterically each time they come up with one of their ridiculous claims. The one who is sputtering is the one who is losing.

I would have though that they could use "the party of No" line, insisting that the economy would have been fixed if the Republicans had co-operated, but I'm guessing that the recent victory laps about the most consequential congress since the nation was formed will render that ineffective. But they'd better come up with something, because framing everything is terms of jobs is a very smart move, even if the substance is absurd. Sadly, I think a lot of people are prepared to believe anything at this point.

[elocs]

1. Republicans use a "heads I win, tails you lose" strategy.

If things go well they will take the credit saying they used their election mandate to stop the Obama/Democratic agenda.

If things do not go well with the economy they will simply blame the Obama/Democratic agenda.

Along the way Democrats will allow Republicans to not only define them, but also to define the terms of the debate, putting the Democrats on the constant defensive.

[FormerDittoHead]

2. The worst thing that happens...?

>The worst thing that happens is that they actually succeed in getting the president to sign on to their agenda.

Fortunately, there is NO WAY that that could EVER happen!

:sarcasm:

It almost makes me wonder why they work so hard - they know they're going to get just about everything (every BIG thing) they want...