Democrats, who have been known to bungle golden political opportunities, are holding their breath. With just days to go before voters could hand them control of the U.S. Congress, their ride has been relatively smooth.
Instead of shooting themselves in the foot, they have sat back and watched President George W. Bush’s Republicans do the self destructing, dragged down by influence-peddling and sex scandals, the Iraq war and a slow response last year to Hurricane Katrina.
Democrats, who have been known to bungle golden political opportunities, are holding their breath. With just days to go before voters could hand them control of the U.S. Congress, their ride has been relatively smooth.
Instead of shooting themselves in the foot, they have sat back and watched President George W. Bush’s Republicans do the self destructing, dragged down by influence-peddling and sex scandals, the Iraq war and a slow response last year to Hurricane Katrina.
Democrats, by comparison, have sustained few self-inflicted wounds and suffered only a minor scrape last week with Sen. John Kerry’s “botched joke” about Iraq.
“It is a classic case of role reversal,” said Marshall Wittmann, a former Senate Republican aide now with the Democratic Leadership Council’s Progressive Policy Institute.
“Republicans seem to be struck by every malady that could afflict a party, while Democrats look like Republicans use to look — in charge, efficient, on message,” said Wittmann, who said he is a registered independent.
Andrew Taylor, a political science professor at North Carolina State University, said: “Democrats have been skillful, and they have been lucky. You can’t control everything, so you cross your fingers and hope your guys do the right thing.”
Rep. Kendrick Meek (news, bio, voting record), a Florida Democrat, disagrees. “I don’t consider it luck. It’s 12 years of being in the (House) minority and a desire to no longer be in the minority. We’re united.”
Bush, who has been battered with low approval ratings, has mocked Democrats, accusing them of being overly confident and already “measuring the drapes” for their anticipated new offices on Capitol Hill.
DEMOCRATS OPTIMISTIC
But polls continue to show Democrats have reason to be optimistic and headed toward taking back the House of Representatives and possibly the Senate.
A year ago, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada said it would take “a miracle” for Democrats to win back the chamber from Republicans. The party’s prospects in the Republican-led House were also decidedly uphill.
But several factors, led by Bush’s increasingly unpopular Iraq war and his own dismal approval ratings, gave Democrats new momentum this year.
Also contributing to Democratic fortunes were a string of mostly Republicans scandals, including disclosure last month that a lawmaker sent sexually explicit electronic messages to former interns. Four House Republicans have retired under pressure because of these matters.
Last week, Republicans trying to rally their conservative Christian base suffered another setback. The president of the National Association of Evangelicals, who backed Bush’s call to outlaw gay marriage, resigned after being accused of having a sexual relationship with a male escort.
That scandal helped offset possible damage Kerry caused days earlier for Democrats when he attempted to take a verbal poke at Bush’s handling of the Iraq war.
Kerry, in what he later called “a botched joke,” made it sound like he was taking a swipe at U.S. troops. He apologized under bipartisan pressure.
Campaigning for fellow Republicans, Bush has tried to change the subject on Iraq, where October’s U.S. military death rate topped 100 for one of the deadliest months in years, blasting Democrats for not having a better plan for Iraq.
But Larry Sabato, a University of Virginia political professor, said with polls showing most Americans believe the nation is headed in “the wrong direction,” Democrats merely have to say: “Had enough? Do you want change?”
