Can the GOP dominate in November with 'Just say no'?

'Just say no' might have worked for Republicans during the first year-plus of President Obama’s stint in the White House. But can it propel them to dominance in this fall’s elections?

Probably not, judging by comments Sunday from two of the GOP’s most senior elected officials – Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham.

Republicans have been basking in the good news about November’s elections from pollsters and analysts. They’re projected to come within a few seats of taking over the House, and even the Senate is now within the realm of serious discussion by pundits and pollsters.

“I think this could be a seismic election,” Sen. McCain told Chris Wallace on Fox News Sunday.

“But we've got to give Americans a reason to be for us, rather than just against the Democrats and the president,” he said. “When you look at the approval ratings of Republicans, they're just as bad as Democrats. We've got to give [voters] a reason to be for us.”

(Though they don’t think Obama is doing a great job on the economy, Americans are more inclined to blame Republicans than Democrats for the current economic state of affairs, according to a CNN survey.)

On NBC’s Meet the Press, Sen. Graham said essentially the same thing as McCain.

“I think what we have to do is to come up with a uniting agenda, sort of a Contract with America,” he said, referring to the plan put forth by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich that helped win the GOP big gains and control of the House in 1994. “Going forward, [we need to] show the American people that the Republican Party can govern.”

There’s actually something like the 1994 “Contract” out there.

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