The “blame Bush” strategy flamed out in Massachusetts so they’re moving on to an even more substantive Plan B.

“Given the pressure Republican candidates feel from the extreme right in their party, there is a critical – yet time-sensitive –opportunity for Democratic candidates,” a DSCC memo, obtained by CNN, states. “We have a finite window when Republicans candidates will feel susceptible to the extremists in their party. Given the urgent nature of this dynamic, we suggest an aggressive effort to get your opponents on the record.”

Specifically, the DSCC wants Democratic candidates to pin down their likely opponents on several hot-button issues, including:

– Do you believe that Barack Obama is a U.S.citizen?
– Do you think the Tenth Amendment bars Congress from issuing regulations like minimum healthcare coverage standards?
– Do you think programs like Social Security and Medicare represent socialism, and should never have been created in the first place?
– Do you think President Obama is a socialist?
– Do you think America should return to a gold standard?

Honestly, it’s not a bad strategy. They’ve got nothing left to offer independents, as Brown’s win proved only too well, and they’re too fatally compromised by ObamaCare to recast themselves as small-government types now. If they want to win the center, their best bet — which doesn’t mean it’s a good bet — is to screech about “birthers, ‘baggers, and blowhards,” as Bob Beckel so memorably put it. Besides, these are all good wedge issues to help sow dissent in the Republican ranks. How will McCain answer the Social Security question knowing that Hayworth’s bearing down on him?

After this leaked, the GOP came up with its own list of wedge questions for Republican candidates to use against their opponents. Follow the link and see which side’s talking points are more relevant to the national debate. Exit quotation: “Do you agree with the Obama Administration that terrorists should be afforded the same rights as American citizens, tried in American courtrooms, and ultimately held on American soil?”