GOP Leaders Try to Polish Party's Image

WaPo reports: A group of prominent GOP leaders yesterday launched an effort to improve their party's sagging image, hosting an event at which they did not directly attack President Obama, rarely used the word "Republican" and engaged in a healthy dose of self-criticism.

At a pizza restaurant in Arlington, where they officially unveiled the National Council for a New America, party leaders attempted to portray Republicans as sensitive to the concerns of average Americans and to shake off the "Party of No" label that Democrats have tried to affix to the GOP.

House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (Va.) rejected the idea that yesterday's event, the first in a national series, was about "rebranding" the GOP, but it gave the impression of a party looking for a fresh start. Cantor, former Florida governor Jeb Bush and former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney sat on stools and lobbed criticism at "Washington" and "liberals." They took few shots at Obama as they pledged to start a "conversation" with voters around the country.

The three men were flanked by banners bearing the name of the council and its Web address (http://www.wethepeopleplan.org), but there were no obvious signs that it was a major Republican initiative. They repeatedly noted that they were speaking about policy, not politics, and they touted conservative ideas on issues such as health care and education while bemoaning initiatives that involved more government intervention.