<> The GOP wants to overreach. That's the point of the Rove idea. It's to destroy the Democratic party's power and marginalize any ideas or influence. The whole point from the begining was to do this. Look what happened in Texas. They destroyed the party there and it hasn't recovered yet. There are not enough people that are upset at the Prez to be able to form the proper coalition.

They have built a strong foundation in the christian right so they can't be outflanked by the Pats. They have the rich with the tax cuts. They have the "war on terror" to tie them together. It's simply the reformation of the GOP majority. Sure they had a lot of problems (illegitimate presidency, poor economy, etc.), bit that coalition is very motivated and is a majority.

<> Now how can the Dems break this hold? I'm not sure right now. There are many that would say that the key is to build out of our base (Lefty Enviros and Unions). Others would say let's steal the middle (Soccer Moms, wired workers, and their ilk). What the Dems need is someone who is a charismatic member of one of GOPs bases and to steal enough to form a coalition with the traditional dems to reach a majority. This is the Bill Clinton Strategy. (Although he had the advantage of the "war hawks" being on vacation with the interregnum of no war (Cold or on Terror). <>There needs to be another plan. No candidate from the NE will win the Presidency for the Dems in the next 50 years. (or for the Reps, Giuliani will never beat the Bushes).

<> The challange is can anyone figure out a strategy to beat the GOP. Assuming what we know now, what does a candidate need to do to win?