Fighting Dems Fighting Corruption

Fester rightly notes that the proper response from Democrats should be to make "corruption" synonymous with "Republican", but that congressional Dems are too timid for this approach.

I think that we stand at a moment when the next wave of Democrats has a real opportunity to seize the party for a generation. Not Ted Kennedy liberals, we, but supporters of the second amendment, smart, clean, and efficient government, equality in law and person, and balanced budgets.

In other words, the next generation of mainstream Democrats are basically traditional Republicans.

Howard Dean, whatever his many flaws, was and is a powerful voice for this contingent of Democrats. We need candidates who run based on outrage at the cronyism and govern based on principles of reform that aren't for sale.

According to the Post's Eugene Robinson:

Since 2000, the number of registered lobbyists in Washington has more than doubled, to an astonishing 34,750. That's a lot of mouths at the trough.

Angry, populist Democrats running against policies like the bankruptcy bill; flaws like incompetence; and the incoherence of big government conservatism will energize a large number of ordinary voters.