So I'm listening to the talking heads on the media whore

[Cleita]

shows this morning and one mantra keeps coming up. It's that if the candidate to emerge alienates the center he will lose to Bush in November. It seems to me that this is why Gore had such a narrow margin in 2000 and why BushCo was able to overturn the election with the help of the Supreme Court.

This was also why it was easy to recall Governor Davis in California. He was a centrist. Arnold too campaigned as a "liberal" conservative pandering to the center in a liberal state California although he is proving to be anything but a centrist.

So from past elections, it appears that the only candidates who win the center are Republicans who woo the right of center Republicans and Libertarians. It does not work for Democrats. Left of center seems to leave us lying in the dust.

My opinion is that we really need to ignore those centrists who will vote for Bush anyway and energize our base. Now, I know that Clinton was considered a centrist but Bill was an outstanding politician. Gore proved he could not step into his shoes and pull it off. Neither will anyone who panders to the center forgetting the true left wing Democrats, the working class, the union guy, the women and the emerging immigrant underclass. These are the people who voted for Democrats in the past and will do so in the future.

[sallyseven]

1. You have that right

But events of the last year might push bush out the door. Right, left, centrist its the message. Are you better off now? re you more secure? Is bush a target? Did he make himself one? It is in the stars bush loses.

[Cleita]

4. It's in the stars, but I want insurance.

There were many voters on the left who didn't vote or who voted for third party candidates.

[mistertrickster]

2. I agree with your point but have to quibble with the idea that Gore

"lost" because he was a less able politician. I think he "lost" (of course he really won, but that's another debate) because Clinton's irresponsible scandal and the Republican's merciless crucifying of everything Clinton as a result.

It's definately true that running to the right is not winning Democrats anything anywhere.

[Cleita]

3. We know he didn't lose, but he won by a narrow margin

making it easy for Bush wagon to make roadkill out of him. If he could have pulled of a wider margin, even the Supreme Court with the aid of Katherine Harris and Jeb Bush could not have skewed the election. The Republicans would have had to stage a more visible coup d'etat to pull it off. My bet is that they wouldn't have dared.

[Skittles]

5. I agree

When I listen to CSPAN I am struck by those people who call in and say I THINK BUSH IS DOING A WONDEFUL JOB but when they are asked just WHAT it is he is doing "wonderfully", all you get is media spin - the war on terrorism, or the "improving economy". The last thing Democrats need to do is listen to the media whores.

[Cleita]

6. Everything is being spun to make the Democrats lose

again. Our leaders need to plug their ears and work on their constituencies again and again by other means, the internet, snail mail, meet-ups, TV and radio ads if they have enough money, and old fashioned whiste-stopping.