Pat Dollard

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The Swamp:

Sen. Barack Obama’s decline in the national polls following Sen. John McCain’s selection of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his vice presidential running mate evidently has scared House Democrats who apparently had already started to allow themselves to think about what having a Democrat in the White House would do for their agenda.

The Hill Newspaper Reports:

Democrats say they grew a little complacent over the summer, buoyed by Obama’s glowing media coverage and his lead in the polls.

That has changed since Palin’s emergence, which has energized the Republican base and McCain’s campaign.

“There is concern,” said Rep. Ed Pastor (D-Ariz.). “We were feeling a little laid-back, and now we’re saying, ‘Oh hell, this is slipping away, we’ve got to get to work.’ “

Not sure how the Democrats could have allowed themselves to get complacent. Had they not heard of the Bradley Effect? Did they not remember how much trouble Obama had winning over lower income whites in the states like Ohio and Pennsylvania which just happen to be two of the battleground states that may decide the election?

This race was always going to be difficult for Obama and not just because of his skin color. His newness to national politics and his relative short resume on national security and foreign affairs were always going to be challenges for candidacy, not insurmountable but there nonetheless.

And that was before he alienated many Hillary Clinton supporters by not choosing her as his running mate, which opened up the door for McCain to put a woman on his ticket.

What’s more, most of the national polls that showed Obama leading into the conventions had the race close, within the margin of error or not far outside it. (Did I mention the Bradley Effect already?)

So there wasn’t really a lot of grounds for complacency on the Democrats’ part. But wishful thinking is part of human nature, even with supposedly hardened professional politicians, apparently.

The Hill story indicates that there’s a certain level of obsession with the race on Capitol Hill and that Democrats are split. Should the Obama campaign attack Palin or hope she self-destructs and continue to hit McCain on the issues?

“That’s all people have talked about since we got back,” said Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, a Democrat who represents Missouri, a projected battleground state. “I received a phone call from an Obama fundraiser who said we’re going to have to go back and revisit the strategy.”Since Palin made her national political debut last week, Obama’s campaign and other Democrats have been slow to criticize Palin, preferring to let mainstream news outlets and liberal blogs raise questions about her record.

But Democrats are growing concerned that Obama’s campaign has not challenged Palin’s lack of experience and views on abortion, creationism and the Iraq war more aggressively.

“There’s anxiety developing because of a perceived lack of aggressiveness,” said Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), an early Obama supporter. “There’s natural anxiety when one feels they’re behind.”

Democrats say that Obama’s campaign should get tougher on Palin and challenge her opposition to the right to abortion in cases of rape or incest, her support for teaching creationism in schools and her characterization of the Iraq war as a “task that is from God.”

Republicans have tried to paint critics of Palin as bullies. Last week, former Sen. Fred Thompson (R-Tenn.) accused The New York Times of “trying their best to drag her down.”

But some Democrats say that Obama’s campaign cannot let itself be cowed.

“They have to be careful of being defensive,” said Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.). “The best defense is a good offense. She’s probably the least qualified person ever to be picked for vice president.”

Moran makes a good point about Democrats not being too much on the defense. After their unsuccessful presidential campaigns, and there’ve been many, Democrats are usually the ones asking themselves why their candidate wasn’t tougher, why didn’t their candidate hit back harder? Republicans never seem to have to ask themselves such questions.

That’s because they tend not to be complacent when it comes to the White House. They keep their eyes on the prize. They know you can’t govern if you don’t win. So winning, like Vince Lombardi would say, is the only thing.