Reply #2: What do I think?

[mobuto]

I think that a candidate who would be viable in Cambridge, Massachusetts may not necessarily be viable in Greenville, South Carolina.

Do I agree with Tenenbaum's positions on certain social issues? No. But she's still far to the left of any of the Republican candidates. Democrats lose in the South when we're pigeonholed by wedge issues -- God, gays and guns. I'm not in the position to even begin to understand how someone who very often has never even met a gay person nevertheless feels threatened by the "gay agenda," but they do. So in some places - most especially South Carolina - we really need to emphasize what I believe are core Democratic issues: jobs, education, healthcare. They resonate well in a state like South Carolina that's been hurt so badly by Bush's economy.

Tenenbaum will vote with the Democrats on the overwhelming majority of key votes - that's what's really important, both to us and to South Carolina voters.