Democrats Have Unifying Message and Huge Lead in Polls

As EJ Dionne notes, in the face of Bush sinking to the thirties (in Indiana!) the press begins a round of Democrat bashing.The Democrats' Real Problem:

It is now an ingrained journalistic habit: After a period of bad news for President Bush, media outlets invariably devote time and space to "balancing" stories that all say more or less: "Yes, the Republicans are in trouble, but the Democrats have no alternatives, no plans," etc.The pattern began to fall in place this weekend in the wake of two truly miserable weeks for Bush.

Almost on cue,this story appears today in the Washington Post--not on page A17 with Mr. Dionne, but on page A1.
Democrats Struggle To Seize Opportunity:
Amid GOP Troubles, No Unified Message

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.

Oh by the way, here's our unifying message, all wrapped-up and ready to go: Republican Abuse of Power is the Key to 2006:

Here’s the unifying theme of the 2006 election cycle: the Republicans have abused their power in countless and fundamental ways that threaten the very fabric of our democracy. Just yesterday we learned that the IRS was collecting information on the party affilation of taxpayers--a shocking abuse of power and the public trust. Similar stories emerge every day, so much that it is a challenge to create a comprehensive list--but here's a first stab at it.

And somehow the public gets it and ignores the doom and gloom of the Democrat-bashers, as this Gallup poll shows: Democrats Stretch Lead in Vote for Congress:

Fourteen-point Democratic lead is among the widest since 1994
by Lydia Saad
GALLUP NEWS SERVICE

PRINCETON, NJ -- The latest CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll, conducted Feb. 28 to March 1, finds the Democrats holding a substantial lead over the Republicans as the party more registered voters currently support in this fall's elections for Congress. More than half of registered voters (53%) favor the Democratic candidate for the U.S. House in their district; only 39% favor the Republican.

Gallup's recent trends on this "generic ballot" question -- from October 2005 through early February 2006 -- found a smaller six- to seven-point lead for the Democrats. However, the current 14-point Democratic lead is similar to a 12-point Democratic lead recorded last August. It is also among the highest seen since the Republicans came into power more than a decade ago.