negative political backdrop

a coupla stories paint a difficult political scenario for democrats.

- la times columnist ronald brownstein details the dim prospects of democrats recapturing the senate anytime soon, focusing on the midterm elections in 2006. howard dean certainly has the right idea by saying the democrats cannot simply surrender red states--whether he's the guy to lead the effort is another issue.

- perhaps contrary to expectations, democrats 'lost' the middle-class in the last election cycle. despite better voter identification on middle-class issues (jobs, health care, education, etc), democrats were unable to convert that to votes.

in order to shore up its situation, the democrats must address these dynamics.

¶ - nitish @ 11:05 AM