The party of “no”

Fred Barnes writes in the Weekly Standard that the Democrats think obstruction is the key to electoral success, just like Newt Gingrich in 1994:

Democrats misunderstand their situation. Their view is that Republicans have been mean and bruising while they've been too nice and forgiving. That's right. They think former Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle, who was plainly obsessed with obstructing Bush at every turn, was too kindly. The lesson of the 2004 election for Democrats, then, is that they need to play rough. The real lesson, of course, is that blatant obstructionism is a failed strategy.

The key difference is that when Newt Gingrich’s Republicans were gunning for Congressional control in 1994, he introduced the “Contract with America,” a list of proposals and bills that the Republicans clarified as their platform. The modern-day Democrats have no ideas, have offered no counter proposals, and obstruct for obstructionism’s sake. This strategy will backfire on them.