Cowards

The Democratic Party has decided... rather than confront the Republicans over taxes by passing a bill to extend the current tax cuts to 98 percent of Americans while letting the tax rate for the top 2 percent revert to pre-Bush levels... well the Democrats have decided to punt the ball.  On First and Ten, for the love of God.

Just to note, one of Rove's favorite tactics was to take his candidate's weakness and attack his opponent's strength on the issue.  Make it look as though the opponent's strength was really a weakness - for example going after John Kerry's war record in 2004.  Here the Democrats could have returned the favor: attacking the Republicans on their signature issue - tax cuts - by highlighting the hypocrisy of tax cuts for the rich that created only deficits.  Instead, the Democratic leadership seems horrified by even approaching the topic: they'd rather play it safe and avoid doing anything that would give Republicans ammo for attack ads (like that's gonna stop the Republicans from mud-slinging away!).

The Democrats forgot what Harry Truman did in 1948: confronted with a Republican Congress that refused to do anything - The Republicans were waiting for Dewey to coast to victory - Truman went on the offensive and called Congress to a Special Session to resolve issues of the moment.  When the GOP sat there and did nothing, Truman used that on the campaign trail to label them a "Do-Nothing Congress."  Combined with Dewey's lax campaigning, Truman eked out one of the biggest political upsets of all time.

From Bruno Ganelli of West Wing:

"Because I'm tired of working for candidates who make me think that I should be embarrassed to believe what I believe, Sam! I'm tired of getting them elected! We all need some therapy, because somebody came along and said, "'Liberal' means soft on crime, soft on drugs, soft on Communism, soft on defense, and we're gonna tax you back to the Stone Age because people shouldn't have to go to work if they don't want to!" And instead of saying, "Well, excuse me, you right-wing, reactionary, xenophobic, homophobic, anti-education, anti-choice, pro-gun, Leave It To Beaver trip back to the Fifties...!", we cowered in the corner, and said, "Please. Don't. Hurt. Me." No more."

Well, the Democrats didn't watch as much West Wing as you'd think.  And instead of holding up a newspaper in mocking triumph, the Democrats are going to be holding up white flags crying "No Mas" and letting the Republican regain control of at least the House in 2011.  And you know that will mean...

Government shutdowns.

Obama Impeachment hearings.

Republican insistence on a tax cut program that would basically kill whatever's left of the middle class.

Nothing done to fix the Unemployment crisis.

While they won't get the Health Care Reform killed, they will subvert its' enforcement and make it as toothless as possible, meaning the potential costs and deficits controls will never happen and give Republicans the excuse that "Hey, Health Care Reform is a myth!"

Maybe 2012 is a Year of Apocalypse after all.