it will never happen

the democrats have an opportunity, but no leader with the balls to strike. no one smart and gutsy enough to turn the tables on the republicans.

the republican leadership has shown itself happy to expand government and make itself more intrusive into private lives. it has a total disregard for constitutional freedoms and protections, and an eagerness to tell people what to do and how to do it. this is anit-libertarian, and one of the accusations conservatives have made against the democrats in previous years. now is the time to turn it around, remind the public the republicans are doing this, and contrive to attach the same, or greater, level of opprobium to the label 'conservative' as the republicans connected with 'liberal' 20 years ago. 'liberal' should stand for freedom, liberty, less government, and a shift away from corruption and influence peddlers into something that protects the individual, the little guy (while also pursuing liberal economics, which includes fair trade). 'conservative' stands for bossiness, government intrusion, and repression. it always has, but now we have to show the american public that this is a bad thing, something to oppose, fight, and tear down. we have to marginalize the religious right while pulling the libertarian and centrist conservative into the fold.

the problem is, our political system of gerrymandering and corporate political contributions means people, the mainstream especially, have no say in how the party is run, the direction it takes, or who its leaders are. bill clinton had the right idea, but his faction's been pushed out in favor of radical leftists and grassroots fanatics. the appeal to the fanatics gives you vocal support, but hurts your respect with the majority of voters. somehow the republicans managed to pull in that majority, while also feeding their lunatic fringe. i don't think the democrats can do that. i think their radicals are too far for most americans--they scare us. if the democrats don't centralize and appeal to a broader range of people, they're still going to lose the mid-term elections, and the nest presidiential election. someone has to step up and take charge. someone has to lead.

and they need good advisors, with proven track records, not those losers who keep losing.