>The House Republican Conference has given its members a 22-page training plan in the hopes of whipping them into shape for the coming campaign season. Like a work-out schedule distributed to high-school football players as they head into summer vacation, the detailed Republican plan -- titled "Tread Boldly: Solutions, Hard Work, and No Regrets" -- provides day-by-day suggestions for how to connect with voters.
The guide suggests daily retweets of House Republican priorities and divides each week into themes: jobs, spending, national security, etc. On Monday of the first week, why not conduct a "Press Conference Call recapping on the last 7 mos. and previewing the 6 wk. work period"? Tuesday, go ahead and "Record & Distribute to your local press a radio actuality on jobs." Wednesday, hold a Town Hall; Thursday, write a blog post touting the GOP's website; and end the week strong with a press release about new unemployment numbers.
The guide recommends making use of both new and traditional mediums, from Facebook messages, to radio interviews, to newspaper op-eds, and provides talking points and data to use as fodder. Its cover is graced by photos of Margaret Thatcher, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Ronald Reagan, and Winston Churchill, all waving in victory.