U.S. Rep. Bob Ney, R-Ohio, is the latest in a long string of politicians, mostly Republicans, caught up in the mess surrounding felonious GOP lobbyist Jack Abramoff. As Ney temporarily vacates his post as chairman of the House Administration Committee, plagued by allegations that he was part of Abramoff's web of corruption, Americans' confidence in government seems to be sinking to a new low. The public trusts Congressmen about as much as they do used car salesmen or - gasp - journalists.
If Democrats are serious about taking back Congress, this is their chance. Incumbents rarely lose a congressional race - some studies list their re-election rate as high as 98 percent - but the table is set for the Democrats to gain a foothold in Congress in this year's midterm elections. They can't just wait for victory to come to them, though. They need a plan.
Republicans faced a similar situation in 1994. Congress was controlled by Democrats and was fraught with corruption. Led by Newt Gingrich, the GOP drafted its Contract With America, a specific plan that stressed reform and carried broad appeal.
Last week Gingrich told the British Daily Telegraph that Republicans are in danger of succumbing to the same kind of sea change, calling the upcoming election year the biggest crossroads for the Republican Party since Ronald Reagan's rise in 1980. If the Democrats are to achieve Gingrich-like success, they will need their own Contract With America. They must let go of their hatred of President Bush and instead present a positive vision with real solutions.
They must play to their strengths. Americans mostly are socially conservative and economically liberal, so Democrats must stay away from the culture war. The public isn't ready for a liberal take on gun control and gay marriage just yet. Instead, the left should make issues like minimum wage and governmental reform the defining issues of 2006 just as Bush and the Republicans exploited social issues in 2004. While they're at it, Democrats should improve the perception that they are weak on national security by devising a workable exit strategy for Iraq - and not just fan the political flames by denouncing every action taken by the president in the Iraq War.
The time for the Democrats is now, but Americans will have to wait to see if the party is for real and can present a viable opposition to the GOP.
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Outrage alone won't boost Democrats
