First Day Festivities

I did not know what to expect on today’s excursions to the headquarters of the Republican National Committee (RNC) and the Democratic National Committee (DNC). I originally thought that both committees would be similar, but right away from looking at their websites last night I knew that it was not the case.

When arriving to the RNC Headquarters, the bright red posters in every single window that read, “Need a Job? Fire Pelosi,” took me by surprise. As I walked in the dark wood paneling and memorabilia of past Republican presidents created a stiff environment.  The two representatives that spoke to us were dressed formally and were rigid in their mannerisms. They avoided most of the tough questions and focused on the idea that any press is good press and that they support any and all of the policy that comes from the Capitol. They also concentrated on how they support any candidate who wins a post-primary election. As we wrapped up our discussion I wished I asked questions about their website, such as why they did not have a mission statement or any goals of the organization. Furthermore, as I walked away I was still unclear on what exactly the RNC did.

After a relaxing lunch at the Newseum we wandered over to the DNC Headquarters. Immediately, the building fostered a more welcoming and open environment. The atmosphere was much more casual--people were walking around in jeans and t-shirts. We had a discussion with two representatives that work mostly with traditional and emerging new media. These representatives were open and honest with us. They answered our questions directly and when they didn’t know the answer to a question, they said that they didn’t know. They told us about how they handled bad press and how they tried to push certain stories. For example, how they took one unfavorable paragraph from an article about the Republican Party and sent it to newspapers creating a sensation in the media. They spoke about the Accountability Project, which is a grassroots volunteer project in which people can upload videos and recordings of Republican candidates to show them in an unfavorable light. Overall, I was pleased with the visit and the information I learned. I felt more comfortable asking questions because of the lax environment and therefore did not have any additional questions.

Both organizations try and push for a unified message and unified party beliefs. They also push for stories that represent their party positively. I noticed that the representatives from the RNC talked mostly about print media, whereas the representatives from the DNC were more progressive as far as media outlets. The DNC focus is mostly on the President whereas the RNC focuses on other Republican candidates who are in the State level. Both organizations have a tremendous impact on what stories the media will address and consequently what people will read and hear about. They also can make a candidate successful by giving them their full support.