Top Republican officials and lawmakers plan to announce on Thursday a series of town hall-style meetings about their ideas for shaping the United States.
With the backing of congressional leaders, the new group will operate independent from the Republican National Committee and highlight conservative ideas and seek to draw contrasts with President Barack Obama.
Their first mission is turn back Democrats' claim that the Republicans do little more than say "no" to the White House and Democratic leaders of Congress.
"One of the things that's constantly stated by the Obama administration spokesman is that the Republicans are the 'Party of No,' and that the conservatives don't have ideas," said former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. "But conservatives, in general, have not done a great job on putting forward their ideas."
To that end, several groups have announced plans to illustrate Republican positions with real-life examples of how their ideas could help voters. The Congress-based group includes Bush, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and Sen. John McCain, the former presidential candidate. Leaders plan to have their first event this weekend in Virginia.
Jindal, Barbour and Romney are mentioned as possible presidential candidates in 2012.
Rep. Eric Cantor of Virginia, the No. 2 Republican in the House of Representatives, said, "This is the beginning of a conversation with the American people, it is going to be a policy-based discussion based around the ideas of freedom and opportunity."
On Thursday, Cantor and other Republican leaders planned to send a letter to friends announcing the organization.
Earlier this week, a new group, Resurgent Republic, announced itself as a coalition of the Republicans' top strategists and includes former RNC Chairman Ed Gillespie, former Virginia Sen. George Allen and Barbour.
Members of both groups say they want to be a Republican roadshow outside Washington and independent of the RNC.
As Jindal, Romney and other potential 2012 hopefuls look ahead, they recognize they need to address the party's perception as a constant "no." Republicans, for instance, didn't put forward a comprehensive alternative to Obama's budget proposal and massive stimulus package.
The Democratic National Committee on Wednesday scoffed at the new groups, maintaining that they were another reason the Republican party was fracturing.
"The American people are looking for new ideas and a new direction for the country, not more beltway PR gimmicks," DNC spokesman Hari Sevugan said.
Aides to Republican lawmakers announced the formation of the National Council for a New America just before Obama began his prime-time news conference Wednesday.
"It's no secret that we're in a seriously troubling time for the Republicans," said Mike Murphy, a Republican strategist who has advised Romney and McCain but isn't involved in the latest policy-based groups. "The idea is to put the focus on what really matters the most in the long-term: the intellectual property of the party."
