I wish I had an answer, but I don't. It's upsetting to me just as it is to you.
I realize DC style politics are foreign to me on many things but this seems to be way off base with our side lacking support.
Does anyone get the same sort of PR gut level reaction to Dean I do? He strikes me as a complete clone of every rich boy snob twit on any Hollywood movie or sitcom made in the last 30 years. I cannot get the image of Kevin Bacon's character at the start of Animal House. Dean has exactly the same rich boy elitist "I'm better then everyone" presence. I cannot imagine what the Dems were thinking. Guess they have their own cadre of 100%ers who are more concerned with Ideological purity then effective political leadership.
I fear that what we are seeing with Santorum and some others is the "wimpification" of politicians..
They are so afraid of losing that they don't take the "chance" of taking on a Kennedy or Reid on the Senate floor in case it gets turned around on them...like it does with President Bush...
Notice how everyone clamors for Bush to fight back at the accusations by the dems...and not 30 minutes after the speech, the media and dems are accusing him of using the Veteran's Day speech inapproriately!!!
Also, remember when Santorum got up on the Senate floor, outraged by something (Schiavo?)...and compared what the Dems were doing to what Hilter's regime did???
HE GOT GRIEF like crazy....and not just by the dems..the MEDIA just kept it up for days.