Doug Ross @ Journal

Democrats: Sputnik may pose danger to U.S.

From the Washington Post (hat tip: Hugh Hewitt) comes this astounding article: the Democrats plan to have a plan in the very near future.

Democratic leaders had set a goal of issuing their legislative manifesto by November 2005 to give voters a full year to digest their proposals. But some Democrats protested that the release date was too early, so they put it off until January. The new date slipped twice again, and now House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) says the document will be unveiled in "a matter of weeks."

Thank goodness. It's only taken a little over five years for the Democrats to reach consensus about how to lead us. It's truly fortunate we haven't been attacked by terrorists during that time, or suffered a catastrophic series of natural disasters, or watched Iran go nuclear thanks to the AQ Kahn nuclear parts network (kudos, Madeline Albright!). 'Cuz we'd be in real trouble if any of that stuff had happened during a half-decade leadership vacuum.

Some Democrats fear that the hesitant handling is symbolic of larger problems facing the party in trying to seize control of the House and Senate after more than a decade of almost unbroken minority status.

And some Republicans fear -- needlessly -- that the Democrats might get their act together. Uncertainty, chaos, and disorder? The Democrats' work here is done - and their minority status is guaranteed for another election cycle.

There is no agreement on whether to try to nationalize the congressional campaign with a blueprint or "contract" with voters, as the Republicans did successfully in 1994, or to keep the races more local in tone. And the party is still divided over the war in Iraq: Some Democrats, including Pelosi, call for a phased withdrawal; many others back a longer-term military and economic commitment.

Aside from those trivial issues, the Democrats are singing with one voice!

"By the time the election rolls around, people are going to know where Democrats stand," Reid said.

Wait for it... wait... for... it... BWAAAAAAHHHHAAAAAAWWWWWWWAAAHHAAAAAAWWWW! *cough* *sputter* *chortle* ... son of a... I almost herniated myself there. You know... you just can't make this stuff up.

Also dividing Democratic strategists is the question of what lessons to take from the Republican landslide of 1994, when the GOP won the Senate and picked up 54 House seats, wiping out 40 years of Democratic rule.

Perhaps they could appeal to America's core by highlighting national security, winning the war on terror, promoting small businesses to boost the economy, providing more school choices for inner-city kids, and reducing the public assistance mentality that traps so many urban poor. Oh.... wait, that's right. I forgot. This is the Democratic Party we're talking about. Never mind.

[Democratic] Governors privately scoff at the slogan ("Together, America Can Do Better"). They also say the message coming from congressional leaders has been too relentlessly negative. "They want to coordinate. They want to collaborate. That's all good," said one Democratic governor who declined to be identified in order to talk candidly about a closed-door meeting. "The question is: Coordinate or collaborate on what?

That's what most Americans have been asking. It's one thing to have an opposition party. It's another thing altogether to have an obstruction party. The Democrats' incessant fixation on constipating any progress is tragicomic. And, truth be told, that's what the Democratic Party has become: a joke... a parody... a travesty of a real political party. And it's a party that hasn't a chance to win any significant election anytime soon.

WaPo: Democrats Struggle To Seize Opportunity