The !Republicans

the Dems don't seem to have a plan other than saying they aren't Repubs.

Actually, the Dems do have plans. The "they don't have a plan" was part and parcel of the Republican campaign package.

San Francisco values are on the table: minimum wage, health care, environment, ethics, immigration, [added] stem cell research, federal judgeships and other appointments, ... clean water and loads of it, bluebirds singing in the sycamore trees, ...

Pombo got skunked on environmental issues and ethics.

Remains to be seen what the Dems will have accomplished, not accomplished, messed up in two years.

For this election, being the !Repubs was all they needed.

The Repubs had convinced their base that the Dems had no plans ("but what are they going to do differently?" "where are their plans?" "what plans?" was the drumbeat) but turns out, alas for the Repubs, that alternative plans weren't a necessity when the Repubs were bolloxing things up so thoroughly.