The worlds of advertising and public relations have shown that there are several strategies that the GOP can employ to challenge the constant  opprobrium they are receiving  in the MSM due to the shutdown.

The first is “rebranding.” If you have a product  or name  that isn’t doing well in the marketplace, just give it a new name. One successful example can be found in the tobacco industry. Phillip Morris was near universally regarded as  VILE,  EVIL. The company name was spoken with scorn, even loathing. What do to? Easy, change the name on the door. Poof! Presto! now, it’s called “Altria.”

Has anyone heard the name Altria spoken of in a negative context in the MSM in the last 10 years? Come to think of it, has anyone seen the name Altria in the MSM in any  context recently? See, it really works. Who can be upset, mad, pissed-off at an “Altria?”

“Brand extension”  involves taking a very successful, even beloved product or name,  and expanding the product line by using the equity to extend it to other products or services. Some of the best, and most successful examples are Arm & Hammer, going from mere baking soda to a wide range of household products; McDonalds, using the “Mc” on almost everything it sells; and Oreo, adding several variants to the world’s best selling cookie.

So how can the GOP use this successfully? Stay with me here…

Polls have continuously shown that some 70% of Americans wanted Obamacare either repealed, delayed, or greatly changed, yet Democrats refuse to do anything. The same polls also show that about the same percentage do not want the government to shut down. This disconnect makes no sense, unless one deduces  that it is the  mere word “shutdown” that causes many Americans to worry.  These are the ones Rush Limbaugh has tagged as the “low information voters.” Having never experienced a shutdown, it’s natural that they are nervous, so they’ll want to avoid it if possible.

Anyone remember sequestration?  There are several important points to be gleaned from this non-event:

1. 99.9% of Americans had never heard the word before. Most thought it was made up, a code word  a government computer  somewhere spit-out. Or perhaps the final answer on Jeopardy. Or a quirky, strange word, like “supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.”  Odd, weird even, but nothing to be afraid of. Obama and the Democrats threatened that every evil, bad, horrid  thing that could possibly happen to Americans would happen as a result of the evil, bad, horrid”sequestration,” but nothing really did occur, and Americans went on with their lives. When was the last time you heard Obama mention “sequestration” in a speech? I think Chuckie Schumer uses it  once a week, or so, but he’s just plain strange.

2. There is one word that Americans absolutely love. That word is “super.” Just consider: Superman, Super Bowl, supersize, super-duper. Heck, even Sandy, that monstrous hurricane that caused so much damage and pain,  was morphed into legend as a “superstorm.”

So, there you have it. Combine the two strategies, and we will triumph.

All Republicans will from this day forward refer to the shutdown as a “supersequestration”

Catchy, isn’t it?