Politics

DNC launches new website to attack Boehner

Alec Jacobs Contributor
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Democratic National Committee Chairman Tim Kaine unveiled the organization’s new logo and website this afternoon at The George Washington University, but failed to mention another website launched today by the DNC: BoehnerLand.com.

The new DNC site attacks House Minority Leader John Boehner for his associations with lobbyists and special interests — and even targets his infamous complexion.

“Even among Washington Republicans, John Boehner stands out for his especially deep ties to corporate lobbyists,” the website claims. “They’ve committed hundreds of thousands of dollars to his campaign, played at luxury golf resorts alongside him, even thrown waterfront bashes and warehouse parties on his behalf.”

The site highlights over 20 lobbyists associated with Boehner, including tobacco lobbyist Bruce Gates, the largest individual donor to Boehner’s campaign, according to the DNC.

A new DNC ad, released along with the website’s launch, welcomes voters to a twisted amusement park, BoehnerLand, where you can “get in the door for $37,000” and “jet across the country with lobbyists.”

The almost-completely orange site also seems to mock Boehner’s tan, which has become almost a staple in Democratic attacks on the minority leader. White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs made fun of Boehner on Sunday via Twitter, sharing a New York Times story and saying that the “black & white photo doesn’t do that tan justice!” Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell called Boehner “that tan guy” earlier this month. Even President Obama joked at the 2009 White House Correspondents’ Dinner that Boehner was “a person of color, though although not a color that appears in the natural world.”

Asked about the color of the site, DNC National Press Secretary Hari Sevugan said, “We would think bottle-tan-orange would be the official color of Boehnerland, although there is an argument to be made that lobbyist-cash-green is more appropriate.” Boehner’s office could not immediately be reached for comment.

Despite not mentioning BoehnerLand, the DNC chairman did share the organization’s new website and its features, while DNC employees tossed shirts to the audience emblazoned with an updated logo.

The new, sleeker logo — a blue “D” in a blue circle — is featured prominently on the DNC’s re-designed website, “the look and feel [of which] reflects that commitment to local grassroots organizing,” Kaine said.

The chairman touted localization features of the new website. After logging in, the site shows local candidates and provides ways for voters to organize phonebanking efforts from their own homes and check the status of their voter registration.

These are all “key advance that will help Americans connect directly with their local candidates,” Kaine said.