Good Analysis; Warped Conclusion

Joe Trippi concedes today that the Democrats did worse this time than in 2000, noting among other things that George W. Bush picked up 9 million extra votes this time around. Trippi briefly analyzes the decline of a "Left Coalition" (to use the phrase of Ceaser and DiSalvo from their Weekly Standard piece) consisting of Nader and Al Gore in 2000 and Nader and John Kerry in 2004. Trippi concludes that the coalition weakened over the last four years.

But Trippi takes these observations to mean that the Democrats must lurch to the Left. His analysis shows that the nation overall seems to have moved to the right, more strongly disapproving of the more liberal Kerry than the (once) more moderate Gore. But he strangely blames the DLC which, by pulling the Democrats to the center, helped elect Bill Clinton twice and nearly put Al Gore in the White House as well. He condemns the unrealistic expectations of those who thought the DLC would help the Democrats win more elections, but perhaps Trippi is being unrealistic in thinking a lurch to the left is what the party needs now. His own analysis, after all, belies his conclusion.