GOPers distance themselves from questionable RNC ad

The Republican National Committee’s (RNC) pitch to raise funds using “fear” and other “visceral” appeals is “certainly not helpful” to the party, the GOP’s top Senate voice said Sunday.

During an interview on ABC’s “This Week,” Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) later added he could not “imagine why anybody would have thought” that fundraising strategy would help his party succeed in 2010.

{mosads}”I mean, typically, the way parties raise money is because people believe in the causes that they advocate,” McConnell said. “I think the way we raise money from donors across America is to stand for things that are important for the country.”

But the GOP leader stopped short of demanding any RNC officials should be held accountable for their much-contested fundraising pitch.

“Well, look, I don’t run the RNC,” McConnell said. “That’s up to them. But I don’t like it, and I don’t know anybody who does.”

A handful of Republicans have found themselves in the politically unsavory position this week of disavowing the tactics of their own party’s campaign committee.

The pitch, authored by RNC Finance Director Rob Bickhart and delivered at a donor conference in Florida this week, called on Republicans to paint both Democrats and the White House as “The Evil Empire.”

But in the days since that presentation became public, Republicans have tried to distance themselves from its content, stressing they plan to campaign in 2010 exclusively on the issues.

Among those critics this weekend was Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), who said the entire presentation “shouldn’t have happened” in the first place.

“There’s no excuse for that type of stuff, I just don’t agree with that type of thing,” Hatch told NBC’s “Meet the Press,” later defending RNC Chairman Michael Steele, who Hatch said may not have known about the pitch.