Dem plan: Split GOP, Tea Party

By MANU RAJU & JOHN BRESNAHAN | 1/26/10 12:44 AM EST

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0110/31991.html

Robert Menendez speaks during a hearing.
Menendez spoke last week at a Democratic Caucus meeting, where he urged his party's candidates to 'run scared.' Photo: John Shinkle

POLITICO 44

Democrats are looking for someone to blame for their electoral woes — and Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chairman Robert Menendez is working hard to make sure it’s not him.

Showing that they’ve learned the lesson of Massachusetts, Menendez and his staff will distribute a memo Tuesday advising Democratic campaign managers to frame their opponents early — and to drive a wedge between moderate voters and tea-party-style conservatives.

“Given the pressure Republican candidates feel from the extreme right in their party, there is a critical — yet time-sensitive — opportunity for Democratic candidates,â€