So how much better does Mr. Carville thinks the democratic could have/should have done with his ideas? Sometimes people say stupid things because they feel their mouths should keep moving. Dean's approach was validated; end of story. I'm an independant from the Reddest of states and even I sent money to the DNC this year because I was convinced that the battle for America needed to be fought everywhere. Would Mr Carville like to see me drift away again along with millions of my fellow independants?

The old guard could only win elections because Bill Clinton happened to be the candidate, and then, both times with an assist from the insane H. Ross Perot. Their strategies failed miserably for three subsequent straight election cycles. I would hope that as a result, the party will be smart enough to stop listening to the Carvilles and Brazilles and stick with the people who actually formed a winning strategy.

Dean may have cost the Democrats a few districts here and there, but if Terry McAuliffe had been in charge, the Democrats would almost have lost the Senate, probably lost the House, and the media would be talking, yet again, about Democratic soul-searching the wake of another loss.

Kudos to Howard Dean, and here's hoping the old guard will stick to the meaningless punditry they've been doing since their record of sustained failure.

Just happened to catch a bit of Franken's show on Air America today and he or one of his guests mentioned that the turnout among young and first-time voters was the highest in 20 years. This was important, they said, because this group, according to poll results, overwhelmingly feels that the country "is headed in the wrong direction" and that this was reflected in the midterm elections.

So, while Dean and the 50-state strategy may have been a factor (and the strategy makes sense to me, intuitively), I wonder how big a factor these new and younger voters are. And, what this means for future elections.

Many people predicted that the GOP would eventually have to cope with schism betweeen Reagan conservatives (fiscal conservatives) and the Buchananites (primarily social conservatives). Immigration, deficit spending, and a lack of good government drove that rift in this election.

But we liberals have seen a similar split, more about tactics than ideology, in our party. On one side, the Clintonians (and Kerry, and Emanuel, etc.) who are money-minded and concerned with image and influence. This is more akin to the recent GOP strategy of focusing on winning elections, as core principles bend, and goals are selectively abandoned to retain overall influence. On the other side, you have the Gore wing (and Dean) where smart policy, efficiency, and long-term health seem to be more important. This is more about governing, as these leaders dig in to keep some sense of identity and make things work.

I think the overwhelmingly better way lies along the Dean-Gore axis, but for a while it seemed to need more in the way of persona. But both Dean and Gore have found ways to show personality and fire, at the same time giving to long term party - and COUNTRY! - health. The best part about the DEMS win is that we have our cake and eat it too. We took control AND built out the party roots. The money should follow.

I commend Dean, but there's no reason not to applaud Reid, Pelosi, Schumer, and Emanuel as well. Reid has worked for the party, not himself. Pelosi has been measured from a tight corner. Schumer has been the most eloquent and stately leader. And Emanuel has been similarly effective at talking up the Party.

The Party may not necessarily need to choose between these routes, but may find a synthesis. Obama is a great example of the young stars in the Party who combine both talent and effort.

I like Carville, but then I like NOLA. (support rebuilding, buy a shirt or book). I thought he did a great job getting Clinton elected president when other advisors might have pushed him onto Dave Lettermen reading the top ten list of why bimbo explosions are funny. Instead he was an attack dog. I saw him give a speech in Houston in 1996, the heart of anti-Clintonism. His favorite line was "Driving down River Oaks Blvd. I felt like a fire hydrant rolling through a pack of overwatered dogs."

But unlike Rove, Carville didn't become the "brain" of the Dem party. Maybe he just rubbed people the wrong way. More likely, he was more dedicated to the fight than the idea. He married his female GOP foil and took to the talk shows to do battle with his conservative opposition. He wasn't Don Quixote, more brave Sir Robin taking on the killer bunny. And yes, he positively looks like he's skin on a skull with a strange color that reminds me of one of those outworld Jedi in prequal Star Wars movies. Yes, the ones who missed the rise of the evil empire.

Carville should know better. The south was not long ago Democratic and they have long memories, particularly of the War of Northern Aggression. Nixon and people like Rove exploited the Dem's move to liberalism to pursue a Southern Strategy designed to appeal to the racist populism the post construction and Dixie Democrats were known for.

Time has passed. The racism is fading faster than a Bourbon Street woman's virtues on a Mardi Gras night. Well, maybe not that fast, but faster than one's memory of what happened the following morning. The populism is still their and quite vibrant. For reasons I, a former Texan, now a Vermonter have not quite figured out yet, Dean understood this.

Go back to tapes of the Dem debates of 2004, remember his comment of bringing back the ones with Confederate Flags on their cars? Ok, he's a Vermonter. He should have said, "Bring back those with the Number 3 sticker on their cars." But he knew what he was onto. Get back to our populist roots while applying the common centrist sense of a party that answers to and serves those who work and toil.

The latest tea leaves today say Karl Rove's "Get out the Base" strategy backfired. The base got out, but a large number of them pulled the lever for Democrats. They would not have done that had Howard Dean not worked these past two years giving them a populast roots oriented candidate, and a small sack of seed money, to provide these people an alternative.

Bush was right. The margin of victory was slim. Everywhere. For this thank Howard Dean.