More on the Dems struggle to find unified message

I blogged last night about the Dems continued failure to find a unified message on Iraq. To the news junkie who follows politics very closely, it has been obvious that it’s not just the Iraq issue that the Dems have failed to find a unifying position on. It’s just about everything. The Washington Post writes about that today:

News about GOP political corruption, inept hurricane response and chaos in Iraq has lifted Democrats’ hopes of winning control of Congress this fall. But seizing the opportunity has not been easy, as they found when they tried to unveil an agenda of their own.

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.”

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. Lawmakers and strategists have complained about erratic or uncertain leadership and repeated delays in resolving important issues.

The conflict goes well beyond Capitol Hill. The failure of congressional leaders to deliver a clear message has left some Democratic governors deeply frustrated and at odds with Washington Democrats over strategy.

Party leaders, for example, have yet to decide whether Democrats should focus on a sharply negative campaign against President Bush and the Republicans, by jumping on debacles such as the administration’s handling of the Dubai port deal — or stress their own priorities and values.

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.

Read the whole thing.

The issue of Dems being unable to find unifying positions on any number of issues in an election year (the third such since the President was elected) is emblematic of their strategy – or lack thereof – over the course of the five years so far spent in battle with the Bush administration: ‘oppose the President at every turn, without offering any viable solutions of our own.’ Obviously, that hasn’t been a winning strategy so far and it remains to be seen as to whether or not the DNC can get their act together in time to take advantage of the various ‘scandals’ which have plagued the admin over the last two years.

We know the RNC will be locked and loaded (metaphorically speaking, of course) and ready to roll: will you be, DNC?

More: Scott Ott reports on the upcoming unveiling of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi’s “Contract on America” ;)

Hat tip: California Conservative

(Cross-posted at Blogs For Bush)

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Based in North Carolina, Sister Toldjah is a 15+ year veteran of blogging with an emphasis on mainstream media bias and the culture wars.

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