RNC Says DNC AD is Attempt to "Mislead Voters"

The Republican National Committee is pushing back against a web ad by the DNC that paints the party as cozy with Wall Street and big business.

The RNC points out to The Brody File that the DNC actually edited  the video comments of RNC Chairman Michael Steele a certain way so as to play into the DNC message. An RNC official tells me they left out key parts including where Steele says, "We are on main street".

Katie Wright, RNC Spokeswoman tells The Brody File the following:

"You know that Democrats are getting worried about the fall elections when they begin cutting and splicing comments in order to mislead voters.  This is exactly the type of behavior that Speaker Pelosi is worried would come to light if Republicans take the majority, which is why they have resorted to blatant falsehoods to protect it."

The RNC and DNC are battling to try and define the 2010 midterm election campaign narrative. The DNC may argue that leaving out certain words doesn't change the overall GOP theme toward Wall Street and big business but a  selective editing process can undermine your message with voters especially if it becomes a consistent pattern.

Part of the transcript is below:

STEELE: first of all, don't trust the federal government to get it done. we're here on wall street. we are on main street. trust those people who built the economy in the past. the federal government has never created one job that is sustainable long term. i want creates government project work but not creating real work where people are.

MARK HAINES: and here at the big board to talk about it, rnc chairman, michael steele. first of all, kind of a big picture question. some pundits are saying there's an anti-incumbent mood in the country? later cbs ""new york times"" poll shows two out of three feel the country is on the wrong track. at the same time you've got this tea party thing coming at you from the right. are you confident that the republican party is going to be able to navigate these shores and come out ahead in november?

 

MICHAEL STEELE: i'm extremely confident. there's a long reach into tea party movement in the country to have a conversation early on going back as early as april of last year. what you see is a reaction to policies that have caused the american people to at least pause and express some concern. whether it's on health care, whether it's on the economy, whether it's on a host of other issues. so i think that reality is setting in for a lot of folks. you see the turbulence in the elections so far with incumbents losing primaries and others retiring because the landscape is not hospitable to those carrying the water.

 

HAINES: you are, nonetheless, the tea party says we're not a slam dunk. of course. we're not in the pocket of either one, number one. number two in a couple of instances the tea partiers have opted for candidates that can be fairly described as out on the fringe. some people feel they may drag your party --

 

STEELE: no.

 

HAINES: you endorse rand paul?

 

STEELE; absolutely. i disagree with his position on that issue but my goodness a campaign is made up of more than one issue.

 

HAINES: that's a pretty big one.

 

STEELE: it's big issue but not relevant to the conversation today. the conversation today is talking about the job losses over 2 million jobs lost in this economy, that this administration said they were going to create instead. they created 400,000 government jobs. how about employing people who are moms and pops out here. you talk about an unemployment rate hovering close to 10% when we were assured it wouldn't get past 8%. these are things people are focused on. can you take an issue and blow it up to distract. ths the american people are still focused on their pocketbooks and the fact tomorrow morning they may get a pink slip.

 

ERIN BURNETT: so it's easy to say the president doesn't have a clear plan for jobs. it's easy. i haven't heard --

 

STEELE: more than easy it's evident.

 

BURNETT: here's the problem. no one else has come up with anything either. and the frustration i think people feel, whatever their party is, is there's a lot of finger pointing goinging on and not a lot of new ideas.

 

STEELE: there's a lot of things that this administration ignored. we talked about freeing up the capital markets.

 

BURNETT: they have a different plan every week.

 

STEELE: first of all, don't trust the federal government to get it done. we're here on wall street. we are on main street. trust those people who built the economy in the past. the federal government has never created one job that is sustainable long term. i want creates government project work but not creating real work where people are.

 

BURNETT: good luck telling the american people to trust wall street.

 

STEELE: 'm saying trust the people who create the wealth and the economy of the country. small businesses didn't destroy -- the bulk of the jobs created in this country come from small business owners. so when you say they are the ones that almost destroyed they are not. there are bad apples in any situation, in any scene jobs all right. no doubt about that. but you cannot demonize demagogue the entire system.