INTRODUCTION: “BRANDING” THE REPUBLICAN PARTY

In the midst of a busy campaign calendar, Representative Newt Gingrich (R-GA) and almost every other Republican candidate for federal office gathered on the steps of the Capitol building for an elaborately staged rally. During the event, the assembled Republicans pledged to onlookers and representatives of the news media that, if elected, they would pursue a specific, multipoint legislative agenda. All three network evening-news broadcasts gave the rally prominent coverage, as did major national newspapers. When asked by reporters about the purpose of the event, Gingrich conceded, “Yes, it's a media event, but it's also an attempt at accountability.” Gingrich then contrasted his own party's display of unity with the “alienation” of congressional Democrats from their president. Unlike the out-of-power Republicans, Gingrich said, the ruling Democrats “attack and blame each other” (Cattani 1980).

A few weeks later, the unified Republicans achieved a stunning electoral victory in the 1980 election: Not only did Ronald Reagan convincingly defeat the incumbent Democrat Jimmy Carter for the presidency, Republicans also won the Senate for the first time since 1952 and gained 33 seats in the House of Representatives. Although it is impossible to solely credit the “Governing Team Day” rally and pledge-signing with the Republicans' success, Gingrich apparently was impressed enough to return to the tactic more than a decade later with the famous 10-item “Contract with America.”