By Neil the Ethical Werewolf
Two great articles came out this week about the people at the top of the Democratic Party. One is Ryan Lizza's profile of Chuck Schumer, the second is Amy Sullivan's piece on the Democratic leadership. If you're looking for something that'll put a little bounce in your trot and make you a happy little donkey, I'd suggest reading both.
Lizza's article shows you how much Schumer has already done to make sure we're playing offense, not defense, in the Senate this year. After the 2004 defeat, I remember looking at the 2006 Senate calendar with dread -- we're defending more seats than Republicans are, and many of them are deep in GOP country. Schumer turned crisis into opportunity by trading favors to make sure that popular Democratic incumbents stayed in the Senate, and by dropping huge money on Democrats in time to scare off Republican challengers. Take the example of Nebraska:
