Reply #2: Combo of 1/2/3

[ellisonz]

The centrist faction has managed to regain the primacy it lost after the 2004 loss. The liberal faction is kinda being marginalized within the Democratic Party after seeing a resurgence lead by Howard Dean after the 2004 defeat. The ironic think is that Obama is basically smack dab in the middle of this divide, but has mostly surrounded himself with centrists who have retaliated against the liberals despite getting kicked around in 2010 by the Republicans. The reality is that we can't win without mobilizing the base and appealing to independents. It's not an either/or question, it's a both/and question.

The centrists need to throw the liberals a frickin' bone or six. Furthermore, if they do want to play the centrist game, they need to not overplay the presidential race at the expense of not taking back the House and not making major gains in the Senate. If all that comes out of this cycle is a second Obama term it will have been a wasted opportunity at will rest at the feet of the centrists. If there's any lesson we should have learned over the last decade, it's that building a strong Democratic Party over the long run is important!