Mark McKinnon doesn't want to miss the "opportunity for Republicans to tap into legitimate fears"

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32809316/ns/politics-washington_post/

GOP embraces conservative groups’ protest
‘Taxpayer March on D.C.’ attracts party leaders, but some are wary

By Dan Eggen and Perry Bacon Jr.
updated 3:08 a.m. PT, Sat., Sept . 12, 2009But top Republican strategists and many party observers also worry about the impact that the most extreme protesters might have on the party's image, including those who carry swastika signs or obsess over the veracity of Obama's Hawaiian birth.

Mark McKinnon, a former adviser to Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) and other Republicans, said there is an "opportunity for Republicans" to tap into legitimate fears about an overreaching federal government. But he said that "right-wing nutballs are aligning themselves with these movements" and are dominating media coverage.

"It's bad for Republicans because in the absence of any real leadership, the freaks fill the void and define the party," McKinnon said.

Saturday's march is sponsored by the same loose-knit coalition of groups that helped to organize health-care protests over the summer and anti-tax rallies in the spring. They include the Tea Party Patriots, ResistNet and Freedomworks, a Washington-based organization headed by former House majority leader Richard Armey (R-Tex.). The march has also been heavily publicized by Fox News host Glenn Beck as part of his "9-12 Project."