Dems Try To Move Beyond Scandal

The Hill reports:

With Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) all but out the door, Democrats have wasted no time trying to shift the conversation back to the economy, healthcare and other issues of greater national consequence.

Party leaders think they have a winning hand in their opposition to GOP proposals to overhaul Medicare, privatize Social Security and slash funding for safety-net programs amid a lingering unemployment crisis.

The Weiner scandal hijacked that agenda three weeks ago, and forced Democrats on to the defensive even as they'd gained political traction in recent months attacking the Republican platform – traction evidenced by their upset win in a special House election in New York last month.

On Friday, just one day after Weiner announced his resignation, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) was back on the attack, hoping to highlight the distinctions between the parties' prescriptions for the country's troubles.