What the Democrats Need in 2008

1. A Karl Rove. No more skirts who lose. No more glorified secretaries who leave $14 million unspent. A seriously competitive Rasputin to go up against the best the other side has to offer. Like Politically incorrect James Carville. A white Southern male who talked funny. They won twice with him running the war room. You can promote diversity all you want to, but you have to win the White House first.
   
2. The right words on abortion. Take what Hillary says on the topic and bottle it. Or ask her husband. The South, the Midwest, most of this country saw Kerry and Edwards as a bunch of baby killers. Get real on abortion. Square up with the country on this point or lose again (and possibly forever).
   
3. A state strategy. Select candidates with a regional base and a message designed to go after 3-4 new states, while keeping the states traditionally won by Democrats (including those that got away).  One or two net states added to your column and you win (judging by the last two elections). Going for a couple extra plays it safe.

One state strategy would aim at extending the blue streak down from the Northeast into Virginia, West Virginia, and North Carolina (being sure to fight like hell for Ohio and Pennsylvania). This could be aided and abetted by Mark Warner, governor of Virginia, John Edwards, vice-presidential candidate last time out, and maybe even Senator Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia.  An Hispanic strategy designed to grab Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, and Colorado (perhaps getting Florida in the bargain with Jeb off the scene) might hinge on governor Bill Richardson of New Mexico (half Hispanic).

A Mississippi strategy would focus on the states all up and down America's fulcrum river. This would likely be the best long-term strategy, and a way of becoming a truly national party again, but who the candidates would be is hard to say.  Maybe one from up north, the other from down south. The blue counties along the Mississippi, Democratic support split by the river-as-state-border, indicates the potential for a regional strategy.  The northern states generally go blue.  Some that should did not by a very slim margin.  Some of the southern states, like Louisiana, can be considered "in play" (without Katrina).  Clinton-Gore showed it could work coming as they did from states bordering the Mississippi.  Truman was from Missouri.

Move the operational capital of the U.S. to St. Louis (the population center of the country) and Missouri goes Democratic forever.  A move like this, argued for years for convenience reasons, might become a necessary element of reducing government expenditures and increasing security.