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Over-energizing the passionate base of the party during the primaries is a huge risk for the Dems. They risk turning away a huge portion of moderate voters who have more to fear from the extreme left than from the center right. Yes, the same group of center right that is the passionate base in Karl Rove's efforts to re-elect the President. Meanwhile Dean "risks turning off centrist voters who decide close races."

By energizing the more extreme base now, Gore and Dean will make it more difficult to move to the center for the general election. Chalk this one up as another miscalculaton by Al Gore. The passionate base he and Dean are energizing is a very angry crowd. It's a crowd whose vision is clouded by their hate and resentment. That crowd won't attract the centrist voters they'll need in the election, they'll turn many of us away.

Joe Lieberman, so far, has handled his Goring gracefully, and depending on how the Clinton Camp responds may benefit from Gore's pre-mature announcement. As Lieberman said,

Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman, Gore's running mate in 2000, said in a nationally televised debate last night that "Dean - and now Al Gore, I guess - are on the wrong side" of the central issues in the Democratic campaign.

Lieberman accused Dean of failing to project an image of strength on defense issues and of neglecting the need for fiscal responsibility, moral values, lower taxes and cooperation with business to create jobs.

Dean's competitors are probably right:

Invited by moderator Ted Koppel of ABC News to raise their hands if they thought Dean could defeat President Bush in the 2004 general election, none of his eight opponents did.

George Bush is not unbeatable. However, unless the Dems can get rid of the anger and hate, they have no chance to win and will simply concede the Oval Office. Unless they can get back to a message of hope and support for America, and move quickly away from the "America does nothing right" theme, they have no chance of winning moderate voters' support.

Also on topic: Dean's World
Now, for something completely different, (OK maybe not so different) go take Kelley's completely unscientific poll.

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