"we think they should pass our common sense immigration reform". then, they pan to the cameras and everybody's eyes are just glazed over. it's ultra-paradoxical. it's like the advertising people only got halfway through the material on transmarginal inhibition, and missed the most important part.
when i hear somebody like josh use the word "common sense" over and over again, it convinces me that the legislation must be insane. it's not specifically that i don't trust the government, although i don't. it's any kind of advertising. when the deodorant company tells me it smells like fresh ocean air twice every break, i'm left to conclude it must smell like anything but it. the more often you repeat something, the more convinced i am that you're lying.
so, how is the press reacting to this? twofold.
1) if you're apolitical or democrat leaning, it's code for "boring".
2) if you're to the right or left of the administration, it's code for "completely irrational and unpassable".
so, what kind of press do you get out of that? bad press, if any. and, nothing passes.
if i was this guy, i'd be playing everything up. i'd be talking about how our radical legislation is going to change washington forever. people would then assume we're playing up something boring and expect it to pass easily - pushing the impetus to the other side.