The vision to create a broad, working coalition that might rival Reagan's co-opting of a lot of Democrats is being tested, in its embryonic stage.
Can Democrats form a vibrant coalition, one that covers the middle (if there is anything left of the middle in American politics)? Or is it doomed to be a special-interest dominated party, with politicians eager to keep their own engine running by ... er... let's say, charitably, non-transformative politics.
Whatever the case, the net-roots base wants ... Strelnikov.
Kos is shooting in the right direction.
Rather than do Republican-lite or merely reassure Republicans that "real change" doesn't mean sweeping away "values", his campaign needs to come up with a vision of the kind of Republican that will fit into his "Blue-dog Republican" vision, and corral them into it, just as Reagan did for his "blue-dog Democrats".
Put another way, rather than hold up his bona-fides as "a compromiser", he needs to make an appeal to the common ground where he wants to lead the nation. I think he's got all the elements of it, he just needs to pull it together into an effective communications strategy (although I'm developing the sneaking suspicion that he likes giving speeches, but not having a "communications strategy". ruh-roh).
Monday, April 28, 2008
Hodgepodge or Vibrant Coalition?
