Lambro on the Democrats

Donald Lambro of the Washington Times, having heard the “confusing ideological cacophony” coming out of South Carolina, considers the plight of the Democrats. Lambro quotes Democratic strategist Al From, who offers a far more realistic (i.e. pessimistic) assessment of the party’s prospects in 2004 than did his fellow “centrist” Will Marshall, spokesman for the the “Tony Blair Democrats.” But Lambro’s analysis strikes me as too dismissive of the Democrat’s chances against President Bush. As I see it, the economy doesn’t have to get too much worse before a Democrat who appears able to lead the war on terrorism will have a decent chance. Gephardt and Lieberman probably meet that standard. I doubt that Lieberman can be nominated, but Gephardt perhaps can be.
Lambro seems to dismiss Gephardt because of his ultra-liberal health insurance plan — the proposal that causes me to think that Gephardt can be nominated. I agree that this plan would be a minus during the general election, but it is not necessarily a deal-breaker, provided that the election occurs in the shadow of a seriously ailing economy.

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