The outside Republican group "Young Guns" has launched a new campaign to reward political allies who vote for leadership priorities. But don’t worry it’s not bribery—just a ripe combination of politicking and legislating.
Founded in 2007 by three House Republicans — Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.), Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and Budget Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) — the YG Network first gained media notoriety earlier this year after campaigning for the 36-year Indiana incumbent, Dick Lugar, in the Indiana primary. If you didn't catch that he had been a member of congress for 36 years, then let me reiterate that Dick Lugar was anything but a "young gun." (No matter, Dick Lugar lost that race.)
In the months since then, the YG Network has launched environmental and women’s issues campaigns. The "Woman Up" campaign was particularly humorous — but not because of the stupid play on the term "man up," or because it made me think of a particularly ridiculous 7-Up ad, but because Senate Republicans recently shot down the Paycheck Fairness Act, which was a key women’s rights issues.
Now, the Young Guns club is buying advertising time in eight districts for Republicans who vote for leadership priorities in an attempt to "encourage cohesion on difficult-to-whip votes," said one aide to Cantor.
There are a number of ideas behind YG’s ad campaign: one is to counter ads that put pressure on congressmen to challenge leadership priorities; another is to generate party unity to extend the Bush tax cuts and repeal the Affordable Care Act.
When Majority Leader Eric Cantor outlined the GOP’s priorities for the summer, he offered little in the way of substantive law and policy. Instead, his priorities offered a shape and form for Republican messaging, which will be used in the battle for the control of congress in the fall. In support, a majority of YG's ads focus on repealing "Obamacare" and lowering taxes to avoid "taxmageddon," all in an effort to combine electioneering and lawmaking to reinvigorate the party base.
Few of Cantor’s propositions will become law. They will, however, set the stage for a number of GOP members' bids for re-election. Cantor and the Republican leadership are hoping to unify the GOP on a number of issues, like tax reform, de-regulation and energy consumption. For instance, Republicans will be pushing for more energy exploration after Father's day, which marks the beginning of driving season and increasing gas prices. Although no legislation is expected to be realized as a result of republican efforts, the focus on gas will help to vilify the Democrats and generate support in the republican base.
It’s hard not to see the nefarious intentions of big wigs in Congress forming an outside group to reward their allies and punish their foes. But don't worry. This isn’t giving anything in exchange for votes, which is illegal. This is just voicing support in exchange for votes. What's strange, though, is that the votes aren't for any legislation, but the general form of the party's political messaging.
---
Follow on Ology: David Barnett | PoliticOlogy
Follow on Twitter: @blankbarnett | @OlogyPolitics
Comments (1)