For Bush, a Test in the Midterms

"But in 1958, 1966 and 1978, the out party gained ground largely by exploiting the failures of the party in power and exacerbating the contradictions in its coalition."

I never beleive you need a message or anything useful when you have such a bad opponent. The point of running against incumbents is to make it about their record. It's not bad to have a plan, but do not let it muddle your goal, winning.