You'd think Democrats running for office would get it.

[ThomWV]

You'd think the first rule for Democrats running for office would be straight forward: You have to get people from your own party to vote for you first. Then you can go worrying about Independents, and then once you've reeled them in then you can try for a few Republicans. A would be Democratic office holder will lose every time by trying to appeal to half the Democrats and only some of the Independents and Republicans.

[Warpy]

1. That runs counter to party establishment "wisdom"

that said one had to court the southern Democrats Nixon scooped up in 1968 after Civil Rights legislation had passed.

It didn't work then and it won't work now but conservatives seem as incapable of recognizing that as they are of changing their loser tactics.

Conservatives will always manage to throw victory away with both hands if the party lets them. After 4 years of Dean in charge and turning things around, they seem to be all too eager to return to failed policy.

[Greyhound]

2. Took about five minutes, didn't it? n/t

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

3. "Not as bad" makes a piss-poor campaign slogan.

[Kaleva]

4. Democrats where I live would look like Republicans in other districts.

[ThomWV]

7. The problem here is Democrats here actually are Republicans, they just don't know it.

They are all Republicans, its just that a bunch of them vote Democratic out of some faint memory of the fact that it was Democrats and the Unions that saved them from what was essentially slavery.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

5. The problem is that Democrats have been taking their base for granted for many years.

Repukes don't do this. They are on the other extreme; they are afraid of their base.

Democrats reason that the base has nowhere else to go. We sure as hell won't vote for Repukes, so they can piss us off and not care because we have nowhere else to go...

[Rosa Luxemburg]

6. the so called base helped to get Obama in

running around knocking at voters' doors.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

10. Yes, the same "base" that Obama and the Corporate Dems are now taking for granted.

I do not understand this at all. I just don't.

[damntexdem]

8. Why would I think they would get it?

They haven't so far.

[crispini]

9. Uh no.

why do people always make these broad generalizations? not all districts and not all states are the same.

you have to look at the electoral math in your district, see who lives there, and figure out how to target your resources.

if you're identified as a Democratic voter the chances are you may never HEAR from a candidate who has a tough election. that's because that person is relying on you to BE "the base" and vote for them and is spending their limited campaign funds to communicate with swing voters and independents who might be persuadable. of course you should most definitely get a GOTV call if you are identified Democratic base, but you're most definitely not going to hear from the candidate over and over and over again.

this is basic political strategy - any "campaign 101" class is going to teach you this on, like, the very first page of the book.