The Politics of Not Being Them

In this article, the New York Times reports that some Democrats can't figure out why they are doing so poorly:

...Democrats described a growing sense that they had failed to take full advantage of the troubles that have plagued Mr. Bush and his party since the middle of last year, driving down the president's approval ratings, opening divisions among Republicans in Congress over policy and potentially putting control of the House and Senate into play in November.

Asked to describe the health of the Democratic Party, Senator Christopher J. Dodd of Connecticut, the former chairman of the Democratic National Committee, said: "A lot worse than it should be. This has not been a very good two months. We seem to be losing our voice when it comes to the basic things people worry about," Mr. Dodd said.

What Senator Dodd fails to realize is that the Dems haven't lost their voice. The people hear them loud and clear. The Dems hate President Bush so much they have treated every issue as if it is "opposite day". Bush says "Yes" and they say "No". Democrat Senator Evan Bayh summarizes their problem very succinctly:

...Mr. Bayh said, "I don't believe we will win by just not being them."