erhaps Hillary Clinton's pessimistic view of democratic voters is accurate, and if nominated, despite pro-labor policies, Barack Obama would lose white, blue-collar voters to John McCain and thereby lose the election. Assume this is true and ask what price should the Democratic party pay for the loayalty of these voters, and is no price too high? Their policy concerns are already promoted, must the party accomodate their intolerance as well? Democrats should not abandon their principles in pusuit of a single, though important, election. For what is a man profited, if he should gain the whole world, and lose his own soul.

The other day it occurred to me that there is somewhat of a parallel here between us and the Repugs. The Repugs figured out that if they courted the Religious Right for their votes, they could lay us down every time.

I've been watching for years now and here's what I see: the old coalition the Democrats have relied on since the Southern Strategy started working for the Repugs - which is the old union/bluecollar worker+"elite east coast and west coast liberals" - isn't working. It's not enough to get us elected.

We can form a new coalition by bringing in the very people we have pretended to make welcome every time there is an election - true progressives, young voters (has no one noticed how well the Repugs have done with young voters? Extremism appeals to young voters, so even a slight movement left is enough to get a lot of them motivated, as well as us older progressives,) and of course African American voters, who have been in the same damn position non-African American progressive voters have been in. We get pushed to one side when the real stuff starts.

They depend on us because they think we have no where else to go, but what happens is, we don't vote. The south is full of people like this and we've been dangling down here in a Democratic dead zone for over a decade - Democrats just abandoned us to the tender mercies of the Religious Right and the Repugs stealing everything they can, as the Democrats run one Repug Lite supposedly "electable" candidate after another and lose.

How about we get smart and learn from our losses? I think it's our turn - the Democrats who matter just as much as the rest and who are dying to work really hard to put this thing together.

In an election between John McCain and Barack Obama, what price will white blue-collar workers be willing to pay for their presumed racial bias?

Consider someone who is unemployed, can't afford health care, the next mortgage payment or $6-$8 per gallon of gas.

When you're facing poverty, it's a lot more difficult to cast your vote for someone who wants to extend tax breaks for the rich.

I believe that the last eight years have brought everyone face to face with what their lives would be like during the next four to eight years if there's a continuation of Bush administration policy.

So the real question is what price will white blue collar workers be willing to pay to elect someone who will make their lives even more of a living hell?