While the Republican presidential candidates spend this week battering each other in advance of Tuesday's Iowa caucuses, the Republican National Committee is going back to basics—attacking President Obama.
This role of attack dog is standard for party leaders in years when the opposition controls the White House and the "out" party is immersed in a tough contest to come up with a challenger. So, until there is a Republican nominee, the national committee's role will be to carry on the fight against the White House while the GOP candidates carry on the fight with each other.
[See photos of 2012 GOP candidates.]
To that end, RNC Communications Director Sean Spicer has emailed a memo to reporters arguing that Obama's campaign and the White House have let politics take over. "Everything will be done with securing the president's job as the top priority," Spicer says. But he adds: "Barack Obama had his chance, and our country is undeniably worse off for it. Our messaging strategy is simple: Talk about the Obama record. The Democrats won't , but we'll be happy to."
"In 2008, President Obama sold voters on promises of economic recovery, cheaper health care, reduced spending, bipartisanship, and superior ethics," Spicer says. "In 2012, President Obama will preside over economic stagnation, rising health-care costs, record spending, political division, and a scandal-ridden White House. What employer would retain an individual who has failed so spectacularly at his job?"
- Vote now: Will Obama be a one-term president?
- See pictures of the GOP Candidates Heading to the Iowa Caucus.
- Check out 2011: The Year in Cartoons
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