For all too long, the Democrats have flailed about, moving from one message to another. Suffice to say this is not the most effective way to run effective campaigns. Top non-partisan political analyst Charlie Cook seems to think the Democrats have finally found their voice, though.

But over the last week, Democratic leaders seem to have finally found -- or stumbled upon, depending upon one's perspective -- an effective message. The broad theme that Republican Senate and House majorities have shown a pattern of arrogance and abuse of power is one that might prove a winner for them, because a variety of charges can be used to support it with different voters and constituents likely to embrace different justifications.

For some it is the threatened change in Senate rules to end the filibustering of judges, for others, the changes in the House Ethics Committee's chairmanship, membership and rules after Majority Leader Tom DeLay's, R-Texas, admonishment last year, and for yet others it was the Terri Schiavo case, in which Congress stepped into territory previously thought of as the purview of the states and courts.

[...]

The new Democratic message is an effective one, an umbrella argument that can now be buttressed with new arguments, each reinforcing the strength and persuasiveness of the broader theme. Different people are disturbed or even outraged by different accusations, but they all buttress the same conclusion. While the paucity of competitive House and Senate seats makes a turnover of control in either body extremely unlikely in 2006, it might easily lead to a loss of seats and put control of the bodies in real doubt in 2008.

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