Can the GOP turn that frown upside down?

By Richard K. Barry

One of the things often said about politics is that it's not enough to be against things, campaigns and candidates need to let voters know what they are for. It may be a truism that negative campaigning works, but at a certain point it helps to turn it around and give people a sense of your vision, of what you would do -- at the very least that you're not just cranky as a matter of course. 

Perhaps Republicans are starting to catch on. The Washington Post reported that House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) said in a speech on Tuesday that Republicans need to "'focus our attention really on what lies beyond the fiscal debates' and to create 'conditions for health, happiness and prosperity.'"

The Post even reports that Cantor is trying to let new media work for him:

As is fashionable these days, Cantor even came up with a catchy Twitter hashtag for his rebranding effort: #MakingLifeWork.

Okay, maybe the party of "leave me the hell alone and get off my goddamn lawn" can turn things around and sweeten up its image. It will be fun to watch.