Dems Go From "Hope and Change" to "Politics of Personal Destruction"

In 2006 Dems were able to take back control of Congress largely due to GOP scandals.  Thanks to Jack Abrahoff, Mark Foley, and Tom DeLay (though no charges were ever brought against DeLay), the Dems were able to convince voters that the GOP was corrupt and only they could be trusted.

Now, as Dem fortunes tumble and a wave election like none other is potentially crashing down on them, they're running away from selling their policies as "hope and change" and hoping that the politics of personal destruction can help them stave off a landslide:

The Democratic Party is moving faster and more aggressively than in previous election years to dig up unflattering details about Republican challengers. In House races from New Jersey to Ohio to California, Democratic operatives are seizing on evidence of GOP candidates' unpaid income taxes, property tax breaks and ties to financial firms that received taxpayer bailout money.

So far they've come up with a few very weak examples, that when taken out of context, look at best mildly bad. That's not going to be enough to stop the slaughter. It's very telling that they cannot sell the voters on their policies anymore.