Wednesday Must-Reads: Rebrand Battles

Rumors swirl that the Republican Party, rather than rebranding itself, is now trying to rebrand its opponents—as the “Democrat Socialist Party.” Wasn’t that tried before? At any rate, Michael Steele already gave up on that approach, but supporters of this official resolution seem not to care. As the GOP works out what to do, though, they may want to heed the NY Times’ advice that angry and downbeat does not make for the best branding. Perhaps some Illinois Republicans have the best idea: Set your brand around a beer—in this case something called Big Tent Brew. Even while the GOP mulls over its image, campaigning continues. In New Jersey the Republican gubernatorial candidates held their first debate, while in Virginia Democrat Creigh Deeds laid off field staffers to devote more money to TV buys as he tries to win his gubernatorial primary. The lack of female politicians has been highlighted in the media lately, but there are some campaigns this year that could put more women in power. And don’t forget the European Parliament Elections, too, just three weeks away. Utah Sen. Bob Bennett should face a three-way primary next year, accordinig to some candidates’ Twitter accounts (and at least one may want to learn to use Twitter better). Finally, Obama is lobbying hard to get the Olympics in Chicago in 2016—which could be a nice media pick-up for a Democratic successor.