2012 Decoded

For a brief moment it seemed that Democrats had become the organized party Will Rogers never knew, orchestrating a seamless campaign against the unfairness they see in the tax code and their support for tax reforms meant to ensure that billionaires like Warren Buffett don't pay a lower tax rate than their secretaries.

But as President Obama and other Democrats ramp up for a Senate vote next week on the so-called Buffett rule, the centrist Democratic think tank Third Way is rudely interrupting the unity-fest with a warning that this is the wrong way to lock down wavering independents in swing states. These crucial voters prefer hearing candidates talk about opportunity, the group said.

Just a tad off message, but perhaps an inconvenient truth.