Patience is a virtue

An article in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel today has a few people all worked up that the Democrats don't have an agenda for the fall elections. It also contains some wise warnings that placing bets this early on the elections is a risky business.

But one GOP pollster has this line about the Dems:

She took a shot at Democrats, saying their latest bywords, "A New Direction," suggest a "warm-up act for Barry Manilow."

I'll give her that the line is pretty funny but I hope the leaders in the Democratic Party don't fall for the "I double dog dare you" baiting by the Republicans to trot out a bunch of plans during the summer.

There is really no great advantage to getting out a bunch of complicated plans right now. No one cares during the summer. And let's keep in mind that the Republican take over of Congress in 1994 didn't start with a plan in June or July either. From Wikipedia:

The Contract with America was introduced six weeks before the 1994 Congressional election, the first midterm election of President Bill Clinton's Administration, and was signed by all but two of the Republican members of the House, and all of the Party's non-incumbent Republican Congressional candidates.

That means the Republicans released their agenda near the end of September. Why? Because most sane people don't pay much attention to politics in June, July and August. They have other important decisions to make like has that potato salad been sitting out in the sun too long or should I have another helping?

So by all means check in on politics once in a while this summer. Insane addicts like myself will still be tracking it just about every single day and writing about it. Once the filing deadline comes next week, I will really start to delve into the individual races. But by all means, enjoy the summer and don't worry about a plan from the Democrats. It and the Republican version will take over your TV soon enough.