Here's those new Democrats we've been looking for

"Where is the Christian Coalition when you are cutting poverty programs? They are fighting over Supreme Court justices."
- Rep. Timothy J. Ryan (D - Ohio)

We've been saying for some time that, in order for progressives to seize control of the House and/or Senate in the 2006 midterms, the Dems can't simply say "No" to everything the GOP does. They have to offer sound, progressive alternatives and demonstrate to the voting public that they still have a spine and have a real plan of their own. It seems that, as this Washington Post piece points out, a new, young breed of Democrats have been quietly staking out that turf, offering sharp criticism of the Republicans, but backing it up with plans for how to set things right.

With the Capitol all but deserted last Monday night, the Democratic "30-Something Working Group" seized the House floor and took aim at their Republican adversaries.

As C-SPAN cameras beamed their performance around the country, Rep. Timothy J. Ryan, 32, of Ohio and Rep. Kendrick Meek, 39, of Florida recited a litany of GOP misdeeds -- mismanaging Hurricane Katrina and neglecting education and health care, for example -- and offered the Democrats' alternatives.

The two newcomers -- who have served a combined six years in the House -- are part of a new generation of Democrats who are working to try to topple the GOP. Their fresh ideas, modern media skills and aggressive political tactics have inspired a party that has drifted for much of the past decade -- wedded to old notions and seemingly incapable of capitalizing on White House and congressional Republican miscues.

The GOP can continue to mess things up until the cows come home, (and they likely will) but if the Dems can't translate those opportunities into election victories, nothing is going to change. Here are some of the ideas that these young Democratic leaders are trying to put on the table:

• drastically reducing the number of abortions over the coming decade by offering support and services to pregnant women
• reducing U.S. dependence on imported oil by using more domestic agricultural products
• increase transparency in congressional and White House activities and end the purchasing of media for political purposes
• reduction in wasteful government spending while not cutting vital social services

The one thing I still don't hear from these Democrats is a solid, safe plan for establishing a timetable for the withdrawal of our troops from Iraq. Everyone has plenty to say in criticism of Bush's mismanagement of that disaster, but until they can propose practical alternatives, nobody is going to take them seriously.