WurfWhile

A lot of discussion (including from me) has suggested that Democrats need a great message to win the presidency in 2008. While I believe that a great message, showing coherent policy, will help - perhaps a lot - I think we have to take serious stock of the obvious in the 2004 election: while most people disagreed with some or even most of President Bush’s policies, most people voted for him nonetheless. The voters that might have voted Democrat voted for Bush because he said he was a strong, unchanging guy who always followed through (examples to the contrary non-withstanding). Voters made a personal, not policy, judgment. Democrats don’t need a Democratic version of Bush for 2008, we can have a reflective candidate, but we do need a compelling candidate. We need someone “independent” voters like and can relate to on some level - someone we apparently did not have this time around.