August 08, 2007
Dems Roll Out 'Rapid Response' Plan
August is typically a time when the president has free rein to shape the political debate without lawmakers around to oppose him, but Senate Democratic leaders aim to change that this year.
Under a "rapid response" plan, the four top Democrats in the Senate are each spending a week on call to respond to developments regarding the war in Iraq or any other issue that comes up during the August recess, said Rodell Mollineau, communications director for Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.
"We're coordinating more to make sure the message is amplified," Mollineau said. "With rapid response, President Bush does not have the stage to himself in August."
Sharing on-call responsibilities with Reid are Majority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chairman Charles Schumer of New York, who is also vice chairman of the Democratic Conference, and Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., who is secretary of the conference.
Murray, on call this week, sent out a news release Monday tying Bush's war policies to a GAO report that found 30 percent of the weapons the United States gave to Iraqi Security Forces since 2004 are missing and possibly in the hands of insurgents. The message operation will make it more difficult for Bush to shift attention away from Iraq to appropriations bills, the spokesman said. Mollineau said the need for a rapid response team might be short-lived, since Bush will be nearing the end of his time in office next August.
House Democrats are employing a similar strategy, said an aide to Democratic Caucus Chairman Rahm Emanuel of Illinois.
"There will not be a day in August when there is not a member of the Democratic leadership available to respond to the president, congressional Republicans or news of the day," the spokesman said.
Republican leaders in both chambers said they continue working with the Bush administration to stay on message.
"All House leadership offices are staffed up, always on call and ready to respond," said a spokesman for House Minority Whip Roy Blunt, R-Mo. "We'll continue to back up the White House on two major fronts this August -- spending and the war in Iraq."
A spokesman for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said, "We always think it's better to have a message than [just] criticize a message."
-Ben Schneider with Christian Bourge contributing, CongressDaily
