Whoever the next Democratic nominee is he will head into the convention with loads of money and energized supporters. He will also enter the convention with an electoral math that makes a resounding victory tough. Right now Red states just aren't competitive. It was made worse by the fact that John Kerry chose (wisely, I thought) to concentrate his energies on the battlegrounders while Bush waged a more national campaign designed to create bloated polls and a mythic "mandate" (unwisely, I thought). Well, I was wrong by 70,000 counted votes and I have learned my lesson. Next time we can blow this thing out of the water with a Shermanesque strategy of bold penetration.
The next Democratic candidate will be flying into blue states daily leading up to the convention to pick up big checks. The theme of the convention has to be national unity. Putting an end to this civil war might be the one issue that can cut across party lines, in effect become a wedge issue for us. We have to define "morality" in terms of brotherhood versus turmoil. If we can stick to a national unity theme we can not only take control of the white house but energize our congressional efforts.
Once the convention is over it is time to do the traditional whistlestop tour but this time go south and cut a swaith through our Red heartland. Get Larry David to work on a few pages of clever comeback one-liners for the hecklers and dive deep into the enemy. This will let them paint themselves as the intollerant while our guys look bold and empassioned.
After the whistlestop, book non-stop Q & A town halls throughout the country Red, Blue and Purple/3 a day. If you hit Casper, Wyoming, invite the locals to come out even if they are Republicans. Take hard, biting, leading questions from the worst partisans that can slip in the question line. This will result in more positive media play than kissing babies in Massachusetts and it will tell the locals in Wyoming that maybe you are interested in them afterall. Most importantly these town halls will give the local Dems a chance to recruit volunteers who can keep the fight going after the candidate leaves town and who can fight for local candidates. Abandoning Red states has been a huge hit on the Congress and state houses.
Our base is as solid as ever but whoever crosses the lines first will inherit the wind.