How's That Rebranding Coming Along?

Rethuglican legislators are at a retreat on the Eastern Shore of Maryland this week to come up with some ways of selling the same old reverse Robin Hood policies to the middle class.  They will block minimum wage increases, yet claim they care about the working poor and families.  They will propose cuts to middle class programs in education and health, and claim it's wasteful spending or not the Government's job.  The Daily Beast's Michael Tomasky believes he has their plan figured out:

"1. Give a lot of speeches about the middle class and about poverty; look sincere, sound sad, regretful when you talk about how big government has failed people.

2. Propose a few tax credits, and maybe a small symbolic actual expense of some kind.

3. Watch the press roll over and carry on excitedly about how this is a new GOP."

Sadly, the chances of it working -- especially with the boosterism of the courtier press -- are good.

BONUS:  Weigel, talking about the Republican "framework" on immigration reform, says ". . . that the party needs to look busy on immigration but doesn't fear great suffering if it fails to pass an immigration reform bill."  So, yeah, that fits the m.o.