I'm just not entirely sure that our strategic conclusions are always based on sound assumptions.  At 56, I've seen a lot of elections.  I've seen few which drew 86% of the vote on one side.  Conventional political wisdom was that just getting a plurality was a longshot in a red-leaning county with a hostile press on an issue which was framed by the opposition strongly to the voters as against-their-own-financial-interests.  The conventional wisdom was simply wrong.  Wrong enough that I can't help wondering why we gave our incumbent congressman a pass on his absentee reelection "campaign."

Having walked these precincts in the 1970's, and now, I will be among the first to admit that the votes here in non-urban Oregon are definitely not low hanging fruit for Democrats.  But more than most Americans, my neighbors understand the squeeze on the middle class.  If we don't bother to make our case, they will buy the promises of the trickle-downers, who I assure you, are not ignoring them.

I'm not saying that I disagree with you 100%.  In my home area, of York, PA, I fully expect the local party to be mostly on its own.  I do think that the Democrats need to spend some time and money on long term party building in those areas, but I also realize that, when push comes to shove, our candidates are going to have to make it - or fail - on their own.  

However, I have noticed a problem with people taking this logic too far.  And, I think this might be a case of that.

The diarist says his area has a slight Dem majority in voter registration, with majority Republican elected officials.  The thing is, I've seen situations like this before: State and national parties write off an area all together, even though the party registration there isn't all that bad.  With a little investment of resources, said areas might actually become competetive... But, everyone gets into this mindset of not "wasting resources there," and we never make any progress.

Now, especially, is the time to be looking at such areas, and maybe considering an influx of money and effort.  A lot of people are being repulsed from the GOP over the Iraq War.