I had only intended to blog once today, but I feel I should respnd to today's Marc post.
First, while Dean did apologize for his remarks, or more specifically his poor choice of imagery, he did not express regret for the original sentiment behind the quote. As I blogged about yesterday, I don't think Dean was intending to warm his way into the hearts of southern voters by appealing to their cultural values, as Marc intimated in his post. If he attempted this he would alienate not only the traditional base of the Democratic party, but also large segments of his grass-roots organization. His attempt, it appeared to me, was to show to southern voters who have traditionally voted Democratic, but have been casting their ballots for Republicans in the recent past, that they should once again make their decisions based on financial, rather than cultural issues. If it's true that these voters no longer share economic priorities with the Democratic party, then Dean's strategy is moot and the South will probably be lost to the Dems forever. However, what Dean earnestly believes, and what he's been trying to say for the last few days, is that poor, white, southerners still share economic priorities with the Democratic party. Dean is hopeful that it's enough to sway their votes, but that remains to be seen. In fact, Dean may be placing false hope on a sour economy that seems to be turning itself around before our eyes, but if the economy fails to sustain growth, then Dean will still have a dog in the fight over southern votes.
I think Dean's Tallahassee comments, although painfully devoid of subtlety, were right on. The South has always been conservative, but if the Democrats are to have any chance in the south, they will need to convince voters to think with their wallets, as Bill Clinton did in 1992. Democrats cannot and should not intend to compete for the south by appealing to cultural values, and think I Dean is acutely aware of this. He knows that it is a fight that will tear at the very fabric of not only his campaign, but the party itself. The Democratic Party's success in the past has always been tied to uniting divergent segments of the population (including rural and urban poor blacks and whites, organized labor, liberals etc.) through economic issues, regardless of their varied stances on cultural values. What it will probably all come down to, as it so often does, is the economy. If the economy is weak and joblessness is still a problem, then voters will be more likely to vote Democratic regardless of their cultural views. If it stays strong, then the focus of the campaign is going to be on foreign policy and cultural values. If this happens, the Democrats will have an awfully tough time cobbling together enough states to forge an electoral victory.
Tony
