Where is the GOP’s Jay Carney?
Smarting from defeat by Barack Obama’s made-in-Silicon-Valley messaging network, congressional Republicans in Washington are getting tutorials to bring them into a Twitterized world. I have a simpler idea: First join the 20th-century communication revolution by creating an office of chief party spokesman. One for the House and one for the Senate.
Presidents figured out the utility of a prominent, unelected spokesman about 80 years ago, when Stephen Early did it for Franklin Roosevelt. The current incarnation, Jay Carney, may be the most phlegmatic White House spokesman ever. But on any given day on any issue, he commandeers airtime across the cable TV and media universe. With a personality flatter than a cold pancake, he simply states the president’s position. Reporters for media outlets around the world restate that position for their audiences. You don’t have to believe it or like it. But from Jay Carney’s lips to your screen, inbox and RSS feed, you get it. …
Mitch McConnell and John Boehner have been trying to serve both functions—leader and spokesman. It can’t work. I can think of virtually no other walk of life other than Congress in which the leaders of organizations assume the job of stating their institution’s position on everything. Cabinet secretaries, CEOs, generals, university presidents, cardinals—nobody does that anymore. A leader speaks when the stakes or moment require it. …
The best members are becoming frustrated at the messaging vacuum, and some are moving to fill the void. Marco Rubio comes to mind, and more power to him given the nonexistent alternative. But others will follow, creating a GOP tower of Babel. The TV networks know they can dial up a Lindsey Graham to blow a hole Sunday morning in any leadership effort at a unified message. It will get worse, and the near-term consequence of getting worse is being out of power.
Blowback
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I don’t know but wherever he is please ask him to remain in hiding. One loathsome lying hack is enough thanks.
Rocks on January 17, 2013 at 1:03 PM
Where is the GOP’s Jay Carney?
I did not know the GOP needed a lying azzwipe who’s
room growing up was filled with partcipation trophies…
Leave those parasites to the Democrat party please.
ToddPA on January 17, 2013 at 1:06 PM
You mean we don’t have enough incompetent front men?
nobar on January 17, 2013 at 1:06 PM
I get the point but nobody should be stuck being anybody’s “Jay Carney”. He should have likened the job more to a likable spokesman like the late Tony Snow.
Bitter Clinger on January 17, 2013 at 1:07 PM
It’s not that there aren’t good spokesmen. It’s that the media won’t cover conservative spokesmen.
See the real problem? If Jay Carney was a Muppet, he would still get the air time because he represents the views the media wants us to see.
tbrosz on January 17, 2013 at 1:08 PM
Just about every sodding one of them are carnies!
MelonCollie on January 17, 2013 at 1:08 PM
Two words.
Fred. Thompson.
Rebar on January 17, 2013 at 1:09 PM
We lost our very best when Tony Snow died!
L
letget on January 17, 2013 at 1:10 PM
What? The GOP needs its own Goebbels?
Schadenfreude on January 17, 2013 at 1:11 PM
If the price of media exposure is Jay Carney, I’ll be content to stick with Morse Code.
Besides, it’s not like the presence of Carney, or the reluctance of the President to hold his own pressers, has given us any shortage of eminently quotable material, e.g. you didn’t build that.
The Schaef on January 17, 2013 at 1:13 PM
A GOP Carney ?
He’d be squashed like a bug in 5 min !
Lucano on January 17, 2013 at 1:13 PM
Obama lies.
Carney lies for Obama.
Media repeat lies verbatin.
Is this the media’s job?
Suffocate, all of you, from the left to the right, for consuming Obama’s sh*t, mistaking it for Beluga caviar.
YOU are the real problems of the world.
p.s. all media who are married with the gov’t, I wish you all cripples.
Schadenfreude on January 17, 2013 at 1:15 PM
verbatim
Schadenfreude on January 17, 2013 at 1:15 PM
Joe “banjo boy” Scarborough, baby!
Rixon on January 17, 2013 at 1:15 PM
For sure. He poisoned his own well when he cited Jay Carney.
Otherwise, he makes an interesting point.
petefrt on January 17, 2013 at 1:15 PM
Where is our jay carney???Ick
We have Dana Perino…we had Tony Snow
Jay Carney…in fact all of Obama’s spokesmen have been incompetent boobs.
So, say what you mean? Where is the Media helping the GOP to look good, and get out our message…oh, right, for the GOP they don’t do it for free.
Fleuries on January 17, 2013 at 1:15 PM
The eunuchs deserve to be out of power. Obama will divert the populace with guns and Mali, until 2014, when he’ll promise more stuff, to get Pelosi back. Then he’ll destroy the land, fully.
Such a stupid land deserves him, in full.
Schadenfreude on January 17, 2013 at 1:18 PM
Obama needs boobs like them and Biden, to appear competent.
Schadenfreude on January 17, 2013 at 1:19 PM
Why not ask “Where’s the GOP’s Baghdad Bob?”
They both have the same relevance and believability.
RoadRunner on January 17, 2013 at 1:22 PM
Has Boehner actually spoken lately?
Last I heard he saw his own shadow and in fright jumped back into the broom closet thereby forecasting two more weeks of winter.
viking01 on January 17, 2013 at 1:23 PM
A consistent message coming from the GOP? You’re kidding right? If we cats were joiners and followers, we’d be Democrats.
rhombus on January 17, 2013 at 1:32 PM
Oh come on, I’m sure the GOP has plenty of buttlickers out there like Carney to choose from.
Red Cloud on January 17, 2013 at 1:33 PM
GOP media types make too much money. Carney only left Time magazine.
rhombus on January 17, 2013 at 1:37 PM
Reporters for media outlets around the world would not “restate” any GOP position regardless of who states it. Reporters for media outlets around the world would simply continue to MIS-state the GOP position.
The problem isn’t that the GOP doesn’t have a Jay Carney. The problem is that the liberal media is so happy to state whatever spin Obama’s person provides them.
blink on January 17, 2013 at 1:43 PM
Those who remember Ronaldus Magnus well know that he had spokespeople but he didn’t need spokepeople. When Ronaldus Magnus had something to say he delivered direct and went to the people with his message.
That’s another reason the GOP fossils resented Sarah Palin. Whether the Beltway elitists agreed with her message or not she connected strongly with people through needing no middleman. That made a lot of DC milquetoasts jealous. How dare some outsider actually say what she means with no PR slick in a shiny suit to parrot for her instead!
viking01 on January 17, 2013 at 1:48 PM