Rebranding Will Not Be Enough For These Republicans

Last week, the news that the Republican Party, was kicking off an initiative called the National Council for a New America, as part of an effort to rebrand itself, was somewhat lost due to the extensive coverage of Barack Obama's first hundred days as president and the news of Arlen Specter switching parties. Republican Party heavyweights, from the past and, presumably, future such as Haley Barbour, Mitt Romney, John McCain, Jeb Bush and Bobby Jindal and others behind this initiative apparently think the problem their party faces is one of branding and image, suggesting things may be worse for the GOP than initially thought.

In politics, rebranding generally means shifting emphasis and image away from negative and towards positive associations. This is why President Obama has sought to, and already begun, succeeding in rebranding America. During the presidency of George W. Bush many people around the world began to see our country through a negative prism based on the arrogance and destructive policies of our president. Obama's presidency makes it possible for people to see the US through a different prism, one of hope and opportunity. Importantly, with regards to the notion of rebranding, regardless of whether or not much of our foreign policy may not change all that dramatically during the Obama presidency, the way we present those policies and ourselves will.

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