E.J. Dionne on THIS WEEK: "Democrats have blown elections before"

Speaking on the roundtable panel about Dems blowing the 2008 election as well.

"I belong to no organized party. I am a Democrat."

Will Rogers - born this day in 1879.

That may very well be the Dems undoing.

...the Democrats, by and large, suck when it comes to winning a mandate for national leadership.

The big tent party, because all are welcome (which ain't a bad idea!), lets everyone run for President. The upshot is that they spend more time shooting each other down the wiring in on the candidate who is A) committed to a New Deal/RFK ethos and is at the same time B) electable. On this count, I wish that either Obama or Edwards would swallow their ego and work together as a team from here on out.

Consider this as well: we have had a string of conservative presidents since 1968. Any Democratic Party victory has been a conservative victory in some sense. Clinton was a better republican President than Reagan, and even Carter's ability to win the White House was made possible by his evangelical Southern background (although he turned out to be a progressive hero after 1980). In the last lap Democrats, after screaming at each other, will ditch their conscience and make a strategic move to the right. This is how another sleazy triangulating Clinton will win the White House.

If Hilary wins, does it really matter if I vote Republican or Democratic? I don't know.

Let's see: Hilary for 2 terms. Jeb for another 2. And then Chelsea. Hurrah, we're taken care of.

we will keep losing. We need to figure out why our leadership remains locked in a failed strategy of running conservative candidates, even when the voting public and the party's own platform and rank and file prefer a more mainstream message and agenda.

It could well be they are afraid of relying on the public for financial support and fear if they don't hew to a corporate agenda, they'll be outspent.

On edit: Dems have tasted success in 2006 when Dem grassroots rallied behind the party, funded its races and GOTV and got a majority in Congress. Sadly, they remain in denial of that success and keep drifting back to the failed strategies of the past.

Build on success, not on failure, would be my .02.

'06. It was about the grassroots and the DCCC. Take a look at who was elected in NC and IN as well as in NH.

You seem to be laboring under a delusion also, that the grassroots and GOTV is comprised solely of people with your perspective and views. Not true.

along with more online political activism that energized the base. That threw a big scare into moneyed interests who feared losing control of the legislative agenda.

http://www.opensecrets.org/parties/sector.asp?Cmte=DPC&cycle=2006

Candidates who won did so on the issues of jobs, improving the economy, education, health care reform and getting out of Iraq. They wanted leaders to go in a different direction than the GOP. I don't recall any Dem winning because they supported privatizing social security, staying in Iraq or tax cuts for the wealthy. There may have been a rare exception, but overall the mandate was for change, not supporting the status quo.


Public opinion polls show what voters believe and they don't support a GOP-lite agenda and they certainly don't support the status quo.

http://www.pollingreport.com/prioriti.htm

http://www.pollingreport.com/iraq.htm

http://www.pollingreport.com/right.htm

http://www.pollingreport.com/iran.htm

http://www.pollingreport.com/health3.htm

http://www.pollingreport.com/cong_dem.htm

I'd like to see an anti-war candidate run left on bread-and-butter issues. We wind up focusing too much on social issues that most people don't really care about, or care about only in the abstract. But you are right - there are too many candidates and we try to please too many people. Republicans do the same thing, but they are a bit more selective.

Running right when the nation's view has shifted away from conservatism is a risky and idiotic strategy.

Republicans will vote for the Republican candidate no matter who he is. And if Hillary is our nominee, it will bring out people who will vote Republican just because they hate her so much. And judging by the posts her at DU, there will be Democrats who will not vote for Hillary under any condition.

I think it will be a very close election again.

The Christian Fundamentalists will vote for the GOP candidate, even if it's Rudy or Romney.