If there is one thing that the Democrats should do for the upcoming elections, it is that they should keep their mouths shut. The Democrats will only be able to gain ground once they realize that now is not the time to launch a concentrated offensive against the Bush administration.

Many Democrats have been calling on the party to become more aggressive in criticizing the blunders of the Bush administration, as well as present a more coherent alternative to Republican policies by offering a set of written proposals, similar to the Contract with America that the Republicans used to take congress in 1994. As good an idea as this may seem, it will not win the Democrats the upcoming midterm elections. If the Democrats go on the offensive, then the Republicans will once again fall into party unity with the White House and will effectively shift public attention from their own failures by vilifying the solutions put forth by the Democrats.

Last time around, the Republicans were able to mar the image of the inheritance tax such that it became the notorious “the death tax,” and skewered John Kerry’s service in Vietnam to weaken his candidacy; similarly, the Republican spin machine will slaughter any health care or government reform ideas that the Democrats suggest this year. In the last election, the Republicans launched fake Democratic ads about Kerry’s supposed support of gay marriage and the banning of the bible; there is no reason to believe that Karl Rove (now working for Republican congressional campaigns) won’t utilize dirty tactics in order to undermine the Democratic platforms. For the first time in six years, not presenting a coherent agenda could work to the Democrats’ advantage.

This is not to say that the Democratic Party should go into November without any agenda for the American people. Indeed, the public needs must be addressed and presented correctly for the Democrats to pull off a victory in November. Eventually, Democrats need to establish their own credible positions to provide contrast to the failures of the Republicans on Iraq, health care, gas prices and their constant pandering to fanatical Christian interest groups. Indeed, as the midterms in 2002 proved, the Democrats can’t win simply by presenting themselves as anti- Republicans. But now, nearly six months before the election, is not the time.

Ironically, the Republican Party has done more to harm its popularity in the past six months than the Democrats ever could. From NSA wiretapping to the resignation of two Congressmen and investigations into the affairs of several others, the Republicans have ruined their own credibility and have established themselves as a party out of touch with mainstream America. But as Napoleon Bonaparte said, “Never attack an army that is self-destructing.” To do so will only cause the GOP to unite and strike back. Thus, the Democrats should stay quiet until much closer to the election, at which point they can pounce on an already-wounded GOP.