Distancing Dean

I caught Susan Estrich, Democrat Strategist, talking to Hume on Fox News early Wednesday evening. I think I couldn't have been anymore surprised than I was to hear her talking about the possibility that Dean might be "replaced" as the Chairman of the DNC and commenting on Dean's comments regarding Republicans as all "white Christians" as a follow up to his comments about Republicans never really having to work.

Susan was doing a darn good job of distancing herself from Dean's comments as much as Boxer, Biden and a few others who are now trying to swim away from alienating "white Christians". She also commented on his poor performance at working on the nuts and bolts of the party and "reaching out to people". She felt that he was possibly being even more devisive though, speculating on a reason for his comments, she noted that he might be trying to "fire up" his grass roots, far left folks. She even went so far as to say the words "far left".

When Susan Estrich is warning the Democrats about catering too much to the "far left" and alienating groups they should be trying to peel off from the Republicans, you know that it's a serious issue.

I find this whole situation intriguing. Parts of the party, including Boxer and Clinton, have been attempting to reel back in some of the middle of the road "white Christian" people by talking about their own beliefs and even throwing in some occassional scriptures while others in their party have been attacking as fundamentalists set on creating a theocracy . Both parties appear to have their schizophrenic identities, but it does appear that the DNC schizophrenia could be more harmful than helpful.

Let's face it, white Christians are still the majority of voters in this country. Some parts of the Democrat party have been going on over drive about "evangelicals" and it is hurting the DNC. Susan Estrich admits that the RNC is out pacing the DNC fund raising significantly. It isn't necessarily a case of angering "white Christians" so much as still, this far away from November 2004, having anything that they can really turn the "middle of the road" voters on.

Seems like everyone was running for the hills after the latest Dean Scream.

In the mean time, congresses recess is about to occur, judicial nominees are still languishing, border security is far away from expectations, social security is still dying a lingering death and spending is out of control in congress.

It's hard to say what people on the street are thinking about on these issues. In several general conversations with people I've gotten replies that indicate "same old same old". No one is looking at the current congress with anything close to admiration much less with expectations.

People still wave it away as if it was something far away from them in a foreign land being spoken about in a foreign language.

The fire is only a dull ember in the DNC and the Republicans are barely keeping a torch lit. Both parties are in need of a little oxygen to get their fires going. The question will be if the upcoming recess will be the fire starter or just a long summer before the "same old same old" commences again.

It will be anyone's guess if the 2006 elections will actually result in a change for either party.