House Republicans want to leave for the August recess on a high note, so they're planning to spend next week tackling their favorite targets: bureaucracy and regulations. And an internal GOP playbook urging members to express their natural indignation at government exposes a simple truth about what the GOP is calling "Stop Government Abuse Week": Republicans know that bashing bureaucracy is an easy political win. Much like the House Republican Conference August planning kit that CQ Roll Call obtained last week, the "#StopGovtAbuse Playbook” lays out a constituent outreach plan fueled by anti-government fervor. The playbook addresses key messaging strategies on 10 measures, with the House Republican Conference conveniently telling its members just how fed up they should be with each bureaucratic misdeed. The playbook contains a number of sample materials: press releases, letters, Facebook posts, tweets, op-eds, a video script, talking points, fliers, graphics and ready-to-tweet hashtags. In doing so, it hopes to capitalize on an issue on which Republicans have a natural advantage. “Stopping government abuse is a clear advantage for House Republicans because the American people know it’s the Democratic majority in Washington which has created a runaway government that abuses its power,” said Nate Hodson, the House Republican Conference’s communications director. (more…)
