how utterly the South has been abandoned in Presidential years and just how hard the GOP has worked to keep it.  Even a little money for ads, yard signs, or surrogate speaker appearances would help a lot.

Why is this important?  When the national Party sends the message loud and clear that some states aren't relevant, it has a chilling and demoralizing effect down the ballot.  Also, it leads to candidates like Harold Ford (and Phil Bredesen before him) distancing themselves from the Dem Party brand name as much as possible.

Hell, Bredesen made it into a fine art form in 2004, mocking Democratic volunteers in the press for working for John Kerry.  He openly opposes labor and disparages folks opposed to his health care "reform" (removing benefits for hundreds of thousands of people on the state health plan).  I'd have to hazard that Dems gave up on the region years ago and now they're reaping what they sowed.