WASHINGTON — House Republicans may have the wind at their backs heading into the fall elections, but they know that polls show many voters still don’t like the GOP any more than they like the Democrats.
So to improve their image — and strengthen their bid to win control of the chamber — House Republicans on Tuesday opened a website, www.americaspeakingout.com, to solicit input for a broad GOP governing strategy — an update on Newt Gingrich’s “Contract with America” that shaped the Republicans’ message when they took over the House in 1994.
“The purpose of this project is to give the American people a megaphone to speak out,” said Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio, the Republican minority leader.
But the party may be playing with fire. There are sharp divisions within the GOP, as well as between the party and many independent voters. The public attempt to develop a consensus may expose those fault lines.
Moreover, voters appear to be in a surly mood toward Washington, which is one reason why Republicans unveiled their new effort in a museum instead of using such iconic backdrops as the Capitol or other federal landmarks.
The party’s mission is further complicated by the power of the tea party movement that is pressuring the GOP to shift even further rightward toward positions that many rank-and-file GOP lawmakers do not want to see attached to their brand — witness the intramural controversies touched off among Republicans when Kentucky Senate nominee Rand Paul recently questioned the 1964 Civil Rights Act and called the White House’s criticism of BP “un-American.”
In fact, within minutes of the website’s unveiling, the Democratic National Committee pounced on submissions that included one suggesting a repeal of civil rights provisions. House Republicans said they removed a handful of inappropriate comments Tuesday, including that one because of a reference to Hitler.
“People can have ideas we don’t agree with,” said Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., who is leading the House campaign. He expects a “civil discussion about the nation’s challenges.”
Aides said that when the White House conducted a similar online outreach to set priorities during President Barack Obama’s transition to office, one of the top suggestions was to legalize marijuana, which the incoming Obama administration politely rejected.
Republicans in Washington are divided about this town-hall strategy, and Senate Republicans have not taken up a similar initiative.
Some Republicans argue that maintaining the strong anti-Obama stance they have held since the president took office is valuable currency heading into the November elections. Debating thorny policy details opens them to Democratic attacks.
But supporters say Republicans must answer the grass roots frustration that Washington is not listening to ordinary Americans, pointing to the town hall protests last summer.
Democrats pounced on House Republicans’ use of office funds — rather than campaign accounts — on the effort, saying it should not be paid for on the taxpayers’ dime.
Republicans said the site cost about $20,000 to establish and is being monitored by a dozen congressional staff members. They say it is not a campaign tool, but whether the website would remain running after the election, is “for the next Congress to take up,” Boehner said.
Boehner expects ideas gathered from the website submissions will begin appearing as policy proposals on the House floor in the weeks to come.
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