Paul Krugman has a dynamite column tomorrow,
"Don't Make Nice", in which he argues that the Democrats can't 'walk and talk softly if they win,' but must stand up to corporate interests and the public's right to know:
American voters deserve to have their views represented in Congress. And according to opinion polls, most Americans are actually to the left of Congressional Democrats on issues such as health care.
Krugman rightfully notes that the current partisan divide is because of the Republicans:
The reason we have so much bitter partisanship these days is that that's the way the radicals who have taken over the Republican Party want it. . . As long as polarization is integral to the G.O.P.'s strategy, Democrats can't do much, if anything, to narrow the partisan divide.
Krugman makes it clear that all this advice from the unnamed but clearly implicated Thomas Friedmans of the world is nonsense. Americans have a right to have their views represented and their views include 74% wanting to negotiate Medicare drug prices, and 58% who believe "investigating contracting in Iraq" should be a "high priority; 52 percent believe the same about investigating the origins of the war."
I, too, would like to see a return to kinder, gentler politics. But that's not something Democrats can achieve with a group hug and a chorus of "Kumbaya."
I am continually struck by how much the pundits seem to blame the Democrats for not fixing the Republicans' messes! The Republicans create massive deficits, Clinton solved it (for the short term, with some help) and somehow it is our problem to solve Bush's messes as well! Bush invades Iraq with the worst ideas and no planning, but the Democrats should be responsible for solving this mess? And the Republicans lie and smear, but the Democrats should just play nice? Krugman nails it beautifully!
Finally, we need to make sure we do all we can to make sure the Democrats do take the house and the senate (the house isn't enough--what if Stevens retires or can't serve any more?). Work for Move-on's call for Change campaign, the largest phone bank in the history of the world which aims to reach 1.2 million, liberal and independent voters who don't vote consistently, and donate money to key races and netroots candidates. Let's make sure the Democrats are elected, and they know that the grassroots are more responsible for their jobs than the corporate donors!