Politics is choosing, politics is prioritizing. True, politics is about ideas too, but it comes down to choosing amongst them.
Politicians for the most part are trained to behave a certain way, they are taught how to serve. The conservatives realized this a long time ago; you are with us and we'll support you, we'll go on the mattress for you, but if you are against us then you'd be punished at the polls, and maybe more importantly when the warchest are built and the political machines are ran.
The NRA has done this effectively. If you are against them they'll come after you. In our side of the fence, Gray Davis learned this when he lost an unprecedented recall election a few years ago, because he had no friends, no constituency.
We are very forgiving; not that there is anything wrong with being generous at heart, but it sends the wrong message to the people who are supposed to represent us. I have no personal animosity against Kerry, but I am afraid he hasn't learned the lesson, and if forgiven, others who'll step in his shoes will take the wrong message, that they can abandon the base but then make the race about a comparison with the other really scary guy. That's why the primary season is the time to push, to punish and not to forgive. I am afraid some of our friends haven't realized the loss of '04 and are still in the summer-'04 mood, where every word against Kerry was a pro-Bush campaign. That time is passed, that campaign is over.
Mr. Kerry was stubborn, he never listened to his base, he was advised that the base will follow you anyway, so go grab the middle. We paid the price, so lets at least get something in exchange. The worst signal to send is that not only we rolled over in '04, but we'll do so again.
This is not about Kerry; this is about the next nominee. This is about Hillary, Warner, Richardson, Biden Feingold and the rest of them. YOU CANNOT ABANDON YOUR BASE, PERIOD!