AMERICABlog indicates that all of Abramoff's direct contributions were to
Republicans. Atrios, linking to the Prospect, warns Democrats that this is "
no time to get wobbly." Digby suggests that Democratic skittishness could very well result in the party loosing the party-of-reform-that-will-clean-up-Congress label to of all people
the crooked and corrupt GOP.
Democrats have been beaten, smeared and tarnished; called traitors, cowards, and wimps; all by this group of crooks. Democrats on Capitol Hill and across America should be hopping mad and demanding an end to the GOP's corrupted control of this country. With Bush once again declaring that, like a dictator, he can bypass any law he so chooses, all the pieces are in place for the Democrats to come out as a true Party of Reform and a strong, righteous and American alternative.
If Democrats fail to do this, and as a result lose their shot at regaining control of at least one house of Congress this year, it would not surprise me if many folks here and across the country will think it's time to form a new progressive party.
Folks, let's cut the niceties. Corruption is a non-partisan issue, but based on ratios alone, the GOP should have no right to the Reform Party label. If Harry Reid and Byron Dorgon are tied to this scandal, some level of accountability should be issued even if they returned the contributions to charity. Harry Reid has been an extraordinary leader in the Senate, but a true party of principle must not let possible short-term loss affect long-term gain. I don't know if Reid's "involvement" with one of Abramoff's clients, even if he did return the funds, is warrant enough for him to lose his leadership post in the Senate. But that and other similar circumstances should not stop us from stepping up as the true Party of Reform to the corrupt GOP Party.
The media is already trying to make this a bipartisan affair when in reality it should be yet another, but larger, GOP scandal; the same media that consists of Chris Matthews who appears to be just as much involved in this scandal as the Republican congressmen. If we do not fight back hard, and take this on - through the Patriot Act renewal, the Alito confirmation hearings, the wiretapping scandal - all the way to the midterm elections and beyond, than the Democratic Party is as good as dead as an real alternative in American politics.
That statement may make people mad. However, look at the reality of the situation: based on many polls, for as much people hate and disapprove of what this GOP-controlled Congress and White House has done, and after all we went through in 2005 and will likely go through in 2006, if the American people as a whole feel, through their elections, that a change of the guard is irrelevant or non-existant in their eyes, then what real power does the Democratic Party have?
The Prospect article Atrios referenced to mentioned how Democrats should act like Republicans in 1992:
Republicans smartly decided to take Gingrich's lead rather than (Iowa Representive Jim) Leach's and act like piranhas. The result was the downfall in 1992 of some important Republican incumbents like Mickey Edwards and Vin Weber as part of the fallout from the bank scandal, but also a net Republican gain of 10 House seats in the same election that brought Bill Clinton to power. Gingrich and his allies kept up the piranha act for two more years, and the rest is history.
...Achieving a "throw the bums out" congressional takeover is not a delicate business -- you can't do it carefully threading a needle. Either Democrats run on ethics full-bore and accept the collateral damage, or they don't run on ethics to win.
Digby, in the article linked above, and related to the above quote says (emphasis mine):
But the truth is that the Democrats do seem skittish and it's just plain stupid. There should be great joy and energy in Democratic circles at the idea of crippling the GOP machine --- Delay, Norquist and Rove are all in trouble and that is unalloyed good news. ...And there is also the potential to expose these scam artists and strong arm thugs for what they are --- thus proving that we aren't actually wimps. Instead we are reinforcing that impression --- and allowing the Republicans to frame this as some sort of abstract "Washington" problem. The press, needless to say, is going where the action is. Since we are motionless, they are focusing on the GOP response.
Republicans beat a decorated war hero with a fey draft dodger during wartime because they skillfully exploited the public's long held anxieties about Democratic bona fides on national security. If Democrats can't can't run on the corollary "Republicans are crooks" meme in the midst of the biggest government abuse and corruption scandal since Watergate, then we really are useless. We saw this coming for months. And yet we are caught flat footed and the GOP is going to run as the party of reform. Dear gawd.
Like I said, all the pieces are in place. Bush is very unpopular and will get even more as the year goes on; the GOP Congress and Party will be exposed as crooks; the DNC under Dean raised $51 million in 2005, a new record for the biggest off-year period of fundraising. Many Iraq War veterans are returning and running for office as Democrats. There is momentum building for the Democratic Party to make this a landmark year for not only themselves but for the country.
What happened in 2004 took a lot out of Democrats like myself, yet we rebounded this year. However, I seriously doubt the rebound will be as great if it happens again in 2006. The future of the Democratic Party and its influence in American politics hangs in the balance.