Wise words from the Moose.

The problem here is a lot of people are impatient for change, and there is no election on  the immediate horizon...it's a year and a half away...which is we have seen is a lifetime.

So we're flailing about here, because nothing we can do in the near term is going to alter the trajectory of the country.  We're stuck right now.  And we're firing on each other because that's the only target in view at the moment.

Democrats have become used to being seen as a "herd of cats" that they can't recognize a period of considerable unity when they are in one.  Now this isn't to say that I think that this unity isn't in jeopardy.  It is, and will remain so as long as the various factions don't treat each other as the means to one another's ends, which we all so clearly are.  But I've noted elsewhere at tpmcafe that I'm hopeful that it's exactly this kind of process of recognition we can build here:  if we all give a little and take a little on particular issues, we can get significant fractions of all our agendas accomplished.

It would be nice if good candidates were the missing keys to the enigma, but they are not. At the local, state and congressional level the Democrats have a huge stable of very thoughtful and talented folks who, if policy were the the determinant, would walk away with elections.

You hit much closer to the correct point when you mention the national-level rhetoric and hyperbole that the left is just now beginning to engage in. The noise machine of the right has never really been effectively countered. The GOP has been incredibly effective at defining the playing field.  That has to stop.

To expand upon your Howard Dean comment, it is my sincere belief that the GOP is scared of Dean not just because of his ability to fire up the base. He also makes most Democratic politicians seem moderate in tone .... almost "sensible". Whey have operatives at every one of public appearances trying to catch an "extreme" statement which is quickly filtered through the standard outlets. I'd bet Drudge has Dean link as I type this.

(Now if we can just get Dems like Biden and Edwards to practice a Dem version of Reagan's 11th Commandment and quit criticizing fellow Dems. They would have been much smarter to laugh off the questions about Dean rather than diss their own party chair. NOT very sensible or effective.) 

no one will know or care about said comments in a week or two.

I would guess no. The coverage of the event, maybe. But I'd guess they don't care much about that either. So I think it's a rare case in politics where the substance of discussion might actually be more important than the aesthetics.

Just remember that, when you're spending time working on the base, that means you're not spending time encroaching on the other party's turf.

We're sitting around with conferences where far-left figures go and spew hate rhetoric and try to "fire up the base." Meanwhile, Ken Mehlman and the GOP are out registering Hispanic and African-American voters, not to mention getting African-American elected officials to change their party to Republican.

Let's stop worrying about this base activation garbage. It doesn't win elections, so it's not worth doing. We're not going to be any better of a party if we continue to be out of power, and that's exactly what's going to happen until we start edging in on Republican turf and winning back moderate and independent voters that sent Bill Clinton to the White House for 8 years in the 1990s and gave us balanced budgets, a prosperous economy, and a comparatively peaceful world.

We already have candidates that are sensible and innovative...and they keep getting the pants beat off of them in elections. What Arianna (and dKossacks, et al) want is a Democratic party that procaims its beliefs loudly and fights anti-progressive measures with as much ferocity as intelligence and policy-savvy. Being "reasonable" is often code for being "Republican-lite", and that strategy has been a losing one for years. The more we move towards them, the further right they go. It's time to stop and take a stand...and, yes, that requires some spine.

then why the hell can't the elected Democrats? It's absolutely shameful that we have Dems lining up to denounce the Chairman for some mild hyperbole when Tom DeLay calls Democrats liars, traitors and worse on a daily basis, while the Republican leaderships snickers quietly on the sidelines, knowing that -they- will get to bash Dean too.

Again, what the hell?

Yes, yes, yes, yes!  The Republicans are afraid of Dean.  Dems should take note.  For heaven's sake, embrace Howard Dean, warts and all; embrace Michael Moore.  I know that Moore changed some minds to our side - people I know -  just not enough of them.  We are - or should be - a broad party.  I can't help it, but those who criticized Dean for his rather mild words look like a bunch of weak nellies. If we're going to go down, let's go down being brave. 

The split between New Dems/DLC types vs. lefty liberal types is obvious if you spend five minutes at the comment sections of any left-leaning blogs.

You're absolutely right - except for one thing. The split is definitely there, but primary voters and base activists tend to be the "lefty liberal types" you refer to. The New Dems/DLC people are nowhere as prominent during the primaries. I think that's unfortunate, but it's mostly true - especially nowadays.

You're right. I think, by the numbers, the GOP base might be larger than the Democratic base in terms of raw numbers, and in terms of electoral votes, it's not even close. It's not a coincidence that we ran an 18-state campaign in 2004. That's all we really had to work with.

Something we might want to look at is trying to connect with the evangelicals on the life issue. We should argue that being pro-life about more than being anti-abortion. We should argue that it also includes doing our best to avoid and resolve international armed conflict, crack down on crime - especially of the violent kind, and reforming the health care system so that every American has access to a doctor and the medicine he or she needs to get better when sick.

Tom DeLay "ought to go back to Houston where he can serve his jail sentence."

"I've resisted pronouncing a sentence before guilt is found. I still have this old-fashioned notion that even with people like Osama, who is very likely to be found guilty, we should do our best not to, in positions of executive power, not to prejudge jury trials."

It seems to me Howard Dean fights harder for Democratic Party interests than American interests. The Moose is not saying he agrees with Dean or that he thinks Dean is an astute political strategist. He's saying Democratic politicians whom he admires look like sensible centrists compared to the Chairman. Perhaps they shouldn't actively criticize him, but he's supposed to watch out for their political interests, not the other way around.

Party Chairs are not up for election by the general public in November. If the GOP puts Dean in the spotlight next fall most of America will be wondering who the heck he is.

For all the ranting by the Dems about Lee Atwater in 1988, what difference did it make? Even though Rove is not Party Chair, do you think the average voter gave a lick about him? Nope. But both of those guys said the nasty unpallatable stuff (or found a way to get it out) that their candidates would never touch with a 100 foot pole. That is exactly why they are so damn afraid of Dean. Dean will accuse someone of breaking the law and viola!  - all of a sudden the conversation will turn to the allegation and put the Republican on the defensive. It's a trick the GOP knows well.

I think Dean is great and I support him whole heartedly. Let me tell you why.

I think the number one problem in American politics today is money. I think we must take back our political system from the monied interests. I think this is our over-riding issue because this money effects our discussions on foreign policy and the military. Let's take nuclear weapons in the hands of terrorists as an example. There are 2 "solutions" to the problem, the first is to inspect all incoming cargo in effect shutting down the international trade system. Or we could buy much of the world's available fissile material at a fraction of the cost and more effectively. Fissile material is not all that easy to produce so we will control fissile material by controlling existing supplies. Which solution have you heard about? Does domestic politics and spending on homeland security effect the discussion? Do you think? Now think about energy policy, global warming, and worldwide economic development, how does American political money effect those issues?

Let me contrast that with a recent vote by Delaware's Senator Biden. He voted for the credit card reform bill. He's not an evil man, but obviously money STILL talks in DC. Therefore we will have to take over our system by the continued use of groups like Moveon.org who will hopefully return many BBIIIGGG donations because they can rely on our small contributions. I think Dean sees this and that's why he takes such an "extreme" position.

Many views a Democratic populist holds will be an anathema to our corporate media. He will appear quite insane to them. For example our corporations can't even fathem an Iraq without us in it no matter how many kids die there. Don't expect their coverage of him or us to be particularly fair or balanced.

One last comment. I attended our local Memorial Day parade. The Republican was there but his Democratic counterpart was not. The Republican sounded pretty cool. we have to change that.