Via John Cole, Wolcott nails it:

There are times when Democrats remind me of the episode of Seinfeld where, after a slapstick chain of mishaps, Kramer finds himself pinned against the wall like a soldier about to be executed as a tennis-ball machine bops one ball after another off of his head, until he groggily collapses and slides out of frame. The history and velocity and modus operandi of conservative attacks on elected Democrats are out there in the screaming daylight open and yet time and again they find themselves in a passive, stationary, unprepared position, getting pounded into mush, going down in–well, it’s too early and wimpy to talk about defeat. But stale defeatism is definitely loose in the air.

Emphasis added, hardly needed.

The generation of voters that has identified itself with the Democratic Party as a reaction to the ruling Republican Party will not stand for this. This is your classic Democratic weakness - and it didn’t used to be this way, the likes of LBJ or FDR would have laughed at this weakness, and then used it as a garrotte.

Stop waiting for the GOP to play the game as gentlemen. They are not going to do that. The sooner Dems realize the Repubs are an obstacle to be cleared rather than a playmate to be placated, the better off they’ll be.

Update: Maureen Dowd elaborates:

Sometimes, when you’ve got the mojo, you have to keep your foot on your opponent’s neck. When you’re trying to get a Sisyphean agenda passed, it’s good if people in the way — including rebellious elements in your own party — fear you.

Civil discourse is fine, but when the other side is fighting dirty, you should get angry. Don’t let the bully kick sand in your face.

The Democratic Party’s problem is that it is forever permitting the Republicans to kick sand in its face. And in the end - no matter how much they say they want everyone to join hands and be bipartisan - the public simply doesn’t respect weaklings.