The Democratic Party lost its blue collar base for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that it lost touch with their concerns, goals, interests. The Republicans found it: these folks want to hear about security, they want some periodic salutes toward a vague macho flavor in life (i.e., we don't back down, these colors don't run, etc.) and they don't respond well to "nuanced" messages filled with yeah-buts, weasel clauses, etc. They want what they see as straight-forwardness: "I stand for this, this and this. Period."

We will never again win a major election unless we can get our leaders to get together, agree on a clear message and then STAY ON POINT IN EVERY INTERVIEW, DEBATE, PHOTO OP, ETC.. Don't answer that idiot reporter's question, answer the question you WISH s/he asked! Put in your own answers no matter what the question was. If your answer has punch, clarity, simplicity -- it will erase the memory of the question in the audience's mind. Columnists simply don't matter. Don't bother with them. No one but the effete elite read that stuff. Get out to the churches, synagogues, mosques, and so-called 'faith-based' groups and get your message out. NOT the usual Democratic "1200 Issues We Feel Passionate (and Lukewarm) About Including the 28,000 footnotes which truly explain our position down to the atomic level". Just FIVE OR SIX issues we really can get behind.

REDEFINING is also the way Republicans won. WE have to redefine Victory in Iraq and Afghanistan. We've got to get our best orators out there pounding on how a phased withdrawal is really victory for the Iraqi people's freedom, etc etc.

Somebody's got to get Kerry some speech coaching to quit the hemming and hawing and to STAY ON POINT! And convince his wife to stay home. She killed him in the last election. Blue collar families could not relate to her shrewish persona. I'm sure she's bright, able, a great partner, a wonderful person, yadda yadda, but she didn't come across that way. Is it corny and sexist? Of course! That seems to be what wins elections.

Let's stop focusing on Bush's lies and Bush's evasions and his stupidity. He's the President, dammit. Let's focus on the present and the immediate future. The voting public has a 20 minute memory. They don't care about the lies he told last year. What is OUR position? What would WE do? What is OUR plan to get us out of Iraq? What is our plan for Social Security? How will WE get better jobs for people? Attacks alone don't cut the mustard any more.

If you want to attack the Repubs, make simple pamphlets for each issue with graphics and lots of white space. One side of the page, what THEY said, when and where. On the other side, what they did, when and where. Five or Six bullet points on the page. No more. A URL if they want more detailed information. Make some hard-hitting and UNFAIR, UN-NUANCED, SIMPLISTIC commercials about their lies and shortcomings. Put them on the SuperBowl, the World Series, the NBA Playoffs and other high audience shows. Make them FUNNY and they'll be remembered. Get the agency which did the Budweiser commercials to do them. Get some indie filmmakers to do some. Do LOTS of them. Get the DEM heavy hitter donors to fund these. Ask Soros' help in this.

And folks, we've let the Republicans OWN RELIGION!!! There are plenty of born again Christians and religious Jews etc who do NOT support Bush and his extreme policies. We've got to get them energized, organized and out there making statements, doing mailings, ringing doorbells.

We are more and more seen as a joke instead of a party. Howard Dean has got to quiet down and do the back of the scenes work we need from the party chair. Let's get some leaders together to pick a five point platform and go with it.

Tim is the first columnist or anyone related to news who has used the phrase "beg the question" correctly in YEARS!!!

"Gonzales didn't have an answer to that question, at least not one that didn't beg it. Again and again, he simply insisted that the administration wasn't wrong."

Go, Tim! Most "journalists" (I have to use quotes since people of the ilk of Katie Couric et.al. call themselves by that misnomer) have been using the phrase to mean "invites or suggests the question". What poltroons!

Yay for Tim!

But, apparently, to the Bush-Lie-Cheat-Fake the Evidence-WMD team, anything is fair and legal. It's ok to impersonate reporters. It's ok to say you're Secret Service and then not be (which govt official is lying, the ones who said they were Secret Service or the Secret Service officials who said the first two guys weren't?)

Oh, well, it get so confusing, when we have an administration who can be counted on not to have sex with interns but can't be counted on for anything else except mendacity.

You want the truth? You can't HANDLE the truth!!!! This is a replay of the movie, I suppose.

What I can't believe is how docile the press is and how forgetful the American people are.

This is the worst president ever, the worst Secy of Defence, the worst bunch of lying bastards in the

White House. And all Clinton did was get oral sex??? When does the impeachment begin, now that they actually have something impeachable? i.e., everything that Bush has done in office.