How to Take Back Congress: Advice for the Democrats

Go after tired Republican incumbents who have been there too long. Hold them accountable for the state of the nation. Make them spend huge resources defending what should be safe seats. Don't just be ready to "catch the wave." Get in there and make the wave.

-- Robert S. Strauss, former chairman of the Democratic National Committee

Talk a lot about Iraq. George Bush and the Republicans are losing the war. Democrats can do a better job. But stay committed to winning the peace. Too many Democrats are calling for withdrawal. Americans rightly loathe retreat and surrender. When the people ask what your Iraq position is, give 'em a one-word answer: victory.

-- Jack Quinn, White House counsel to President Bill Clinton

Be authentic. Be yourself. Watch tapes of Rep. Jack Murtha. Voters hunger for plainspoken talk about the challenges we face and what America should do to meet those challenges.

-- Tony Podesta, Pennsylvania campaign manager for John F. Kerry in 2004

Go after the soft or disaffected Republican voters the way the GOP has gone after traditional blue-collar Democrats, Catholics and seniors in the past.

-- Donna Brazile, campaign manager for Gore-Lieberman 2000

First, be yourself -- win or lose, you have to live with yourself. Next, don't get sidetracked. Finally, work together. Let's leave shooting at friends to Dick Cheney.

-- Thomas A. Daschle (S.D.), former Senate Democratic leader

Reread Rudyard Kipling's poem "If." Any other advice is extraneous.

-- Joe Klein, Time magazine political columnist

Throw focus groups and polls aside. Americans crave leadership that lights the path toward peace, prosperity and a truly inclusive community.

-- Terence R. McAuliffe, former chairman of the Democratic National Committee

Push the special interests down the Capitol steps. Kick the oil habit and invest in alternative fuels. Pledge to provide affordable health care for all. Confront the president on Iraq.

-- John Podesta, president of the Center for American Progress

Target women, and unmarried women in particular. They feel vulnerable and they want change. Reach out to these disenfranchised voters and persuade them to vote.

-- Dee Dee Myers, White House press secretary for President Bill Clinton