After sinking into near political obscurity and finding itself without one single national leader, Republicans are beginning to express concerns that the public image of the party is becoming one of pettiness and vitriol.
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Rep. Joe Wilson’s now famous “YOU LIE” outburst to the President of the United States on the floor of the U.S. Congress is just one example, after it drew winces from members of the GOP, none of whom were willing to come to his defense. Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota has also been a constant embarrassment for her party, after calling for an investigation last fall into whether members of Congress are “PRO-America or ANTI-America.” Other prime examples include Orly Taitz insisting President Obama was born in Kenya; Sarah Palin warning that Mr. Obama is planning “death panels” for senior citizens; Georgia Rep. Paul Broun comparing the President’s plans to “Nazi” policies; and Ohio Rep. Jean Schmidt telling a birther on camera: “I agree with you, but the courts don’t.”
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The GOP is greatly concerned it has a growing image problem, according to Republican media consultant Mark McKinnon. “Unfortunately, right now the Democrats generally get defined by President Obama, and Republicans, who have no clear leadership, get defined by crackpots — and then they begin to define the Republican Party in the mind of the general public.” Former Rep. Vin Weber of Minnesota couldn’t agree more, saying “The president was helped more by the optics of House Republicans than by his own speech. It’s not likely to do any long-term damage, but they need to be very careful how they oppose this president.” And one veteran GOP official summarized it very bluntly: “The image of a bunch of white guys booing an African-American president is about as bad as it gets.”
