I think one important aspect of blogs is the discussion and input they make possible. With that in mind I am copying the main points from a Newsweek article by Howard Fineman for the point of discussion.
First the link:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4660476/
- DEFINE YOURSELF BEFORE KARL ROVE DOES.
- LOSE TEDDY.
- BE A PERSON, NOT A POL.
- WRITE A BUDGET.
- PICK A VEEP, SOONER NOT LATER.
- BEWARE OF FAT CATS.
In response to number 1 I would say yes but we need to define George W. Bush as a pathological deceiver who plays even his staunchest allies as suckers. I often find William Saletan unpalatable but here I think he is right about where we need to go:
http://slate.msn.com/id/2098177/
In response to two I say embrace Teddy without alienating centrists. Teddy is a link to Camelot and I think we need to sell a version of Camelot that appeals to centrists. George H. W. Bush did give an award to Teddy after all.
The rest I mostly agree with except the Robert Rubin as veep suggestion. I noticed Fineman scrupulously avoided the south vs. midwest or southwest and Pacific northwest arguments in his veep selection point.