The Republican National Committee on Monday announced it would begin airing advertisements and holding town halls in six states where senators are still on the fence about healthcare reform. The campaign is part of what RNC Chairman Michael Steele this afternoon called a "national 'listen to me' effort" -- an attempt to build off the energy visible at town hall rallies against healthcare this past summer, he said.
"Those town halls were about something.... folks coming to Washington on Sept. 12 was about something," Steele told reporters on Monday, noting "there's something moving them to do that."
"At every turn, [Democrats] look at others to blame," he added about the debate's length and candor. "They look at others to call out, to embarrass, instead of addressing in an honest way what the American people want addressed."
The RNC's primary targets this month are members of the Democratic caucus who are still unsure whether they will vote with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) on a motion to end debate
The brief radio spots, tele-town halls and local internet campaigns will occur in North Dakota, Nebraska, Virginia, Arkansas, Louisiana and Connecticut -- the home states of Sens. Kent Conrad, Ben Nelson, Jim Webb and Mark Warner, Blanche Lincoln, Mary Landrieu and Joe Lieberman, respectively.
"[We're] focusing on senators who havent yet made it clear how they would vote," Steele said of the RNC's new effort. "The people who elected them would like to know that, as would the rest of us."
Interestingly enough, Steele declined to say what might happen to Republicans who ultimately side with Senate Democrats on the chamber's healthcare reform bill.
"[The] Republican leadership has really laid out a well founded case to stay together on this," Steele said.
