Here is my take on how why a Democratic primary with so many candidates is and CAN BE a great thing for the eventual nominee and probably for the party as a whole, somewhat against CW.
Thesis - Howard Dean. Can't overlook the achievements he has made, what he has done for the party through his kamikaze act. Simply through his strident opposition to Bush and his campaign's implicit critique of the whole process, he has shaped out that the Democratic Party actually stands for something in a kind of visceral way. I'm not talking about policy here, but rather style and perception.
Antithesis - Joe Lieberman and the DLC. Against many of the posters here, I am glad he is in the primary. He marks the symbollic righthanded boundary of the Democratic party and his talk of values and national security are important issues any Democrat will need to address. He provides the perception that the Democratic Party cares about these things.
However, neither Dean or Lieberman can or should be the nominee. Dean has defined himself and has been defined by the media in ways that make him unelectable. He is perceived as offbalance, unstable, and "ultraliberal" by too many in the electorate at this point. (I know, I know, these charges are unfair, but they are widely held - in a perfect world he would be a good nominee) Also, I don't thing his campaign or he has the person has the discipline tor run a successful campaign against Bush. As for Lieberman, he is simply unable to differentiate himself well enough against Bush. And, of course, he is viewed as a crypto-Republican (unfairly, I think) by too many liberal and left-leaning voters to be the nominee - his candidacy would almost certainly guarantee a Nader-type third party challenge.
Thus, we have a SYNTHESIS: John Edwards - who is able to offer a strong critique of Bush and present an alternative vision and set of policies for the country while not holding anywhere near as much cultural and media "baggage" that Dean has at this point, thus ensuring important segments of the electorate that he will share their values.
Comments?
Ben P