Republicans seem to have forgotten how to run ideological campaigns against Democrats for President. Kerry’s hugely liberal record went virtually unchallenged in 2004; Gore’s and Clinton’s somewhat more moderate liberal records were similarly let alone in 2000 and 1992 respectively. Dole couldn’t connect with anything in 1996.
We can presumably beat Clinton this fall on a low-idea-content 2004 or 2000 campaign, because she’s so intensely unpopular and mistrusted, and McCain (whether fairly or not) seems to be well trusted and popular. However, Obama simply cannot be beat on a low-idea-content race. We need to run the way we ran against Dukakis, Mondale, Carter and McGovern focused on the bankruptcy of liberal ideas and the ardent embrace of those bankrupt ideas by the candidate, or we’ll lose.