Dean Crafts Own 'Southern Strategy'

Washington Post ^ | 12/8/03 | Jim VandeHei

[only1percent]

Dean's "Southern Strategy" is primary-only, designed to beat Clark and Edwards and hold down Sharpton's and Braun's share of the black vote.

He has absolutely no strategy, nor any intention to draw up one, for the South in the general election. The Dean strategy is Gore states plus Missouri or Ohio.

There won't be a strong Green candidacy, so he won't have to worry about Wisconsin, New Mexico or Oregon -- he might feel the need to spend a little bit to defend Minnesota, where there's evidence of a Republican trend and the margin of victory in 2000 was small. PA and MI are non-issues -- if Bush's popularity is such that Dean has to fight for those states, Dean has no chance at MO or OH and will probably also lose WI or MN, meaning that he can't win no matter what. Same analysis on pick-ups in WV, LA, AR, and FL -- if, with gay marriage and the war on terror, those states are competitive for Dean, Dean is cruising for a relatively easy victory anyway.

The greatest resource that Dean has is his running-mate pick; when we see him choose Gephardt, Holden, Dayton, or Celeste the hand he's playing will be clear.

[dano1]

I think Dean made a big mistake when he backtracked on his infamous confederate flag in the pickup truck comment. He should have said that the Democrats deplore racism in any form, etc., (no racists welcome here, etc.) but stuck to his argument for a big tent party. However Clinton and the DLC have played organized labor for fools, and the far left is getting to be the mouthpiece of the party, so in any event it will be hard to convince moderate Democrats that Dean will represent them. Dean is basically just riding out the fury from the close and disputed 2000 election. Maybe President Bush should organize a new, right-of-center coalition party (replacing Cheney with a conservate dem for example) to merge the Republicans and the disaffected democrats who never wanted to enlist in the culture wars on the side of Larry Flint and Monica Lewinsky in any event. A new party right-center coalition right now (merging judiciously compassionate social programs with strict and hardline requirements for personal responsibility) would be the death knoll for the Democratic Party.

[You Dirty Rats]

CELESTE????????

You mean the former Governor of Ohio who looked like Fidel in his second term and doubled taxes in this state?

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!