Bob McDonnell delivers (sort of) for Republicans

Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell delivered a solid, if predictable Republican response to President Obama’s State of the Union speech last night. I applaud him. But I want more.

Yesterday I wrote that Republicans had the opportunity to take control of the health care issue. I won’t believe that they are serious about health care reform until I hear a far stronger commitment from Republicans than what McDonnell gave us last night. Or maybe what I want is for a far stronger communications effort.

I wrote that I wanted McDonnell to say, “The Republican members of both houses of Congress, the House of Representatives and the Senate are at this moment, acting as one, introducing a bill to bring about those health care reforms you have so often heard about as the reasonable options to ObamaCare.”

Instead of announcing that Republicans were introducing just such a bill, McDonnell gave us the all too familiar trop that, “Republicans in Congress have offered legislation to reform healthcare.”

Yawn. BTW Governor; nice hair.

I am frequently critical of Republican communication, or the lack of. Communication is fundamental to leadership and Republicans continue to be terrible communicators. A week ago today I wrote:

“4) Of course there is that Republican leadership thing. I am not going to hold my breath until the Republicans figure out that the most important component of leadership is communication. I’ve said it before and now I will repeat it: “Republican,” has become a term for “Lousy communicator.””

My point in selecting the words for McDonnell, “introducing a bill,” was to have Republicans articulate their strongest possible commitment to reform by offering us a rallying point; a single bill introduced to the American people in a grand announcement, unfiltered by the media, that is both real American style reform and a symbol of an effective path forward.

That, dear readers, would have been communication.