to my piece on the Democrats, no doubt in large part because Rush was kind enough to discuss it. Here’s one thoughtful e-mail:

Regarding the policy implications of the Democrats lurching left and possibly handing the GOP a big win next year, I think a lot depends on how the GOP responds, and how much the party gains in congressional elections. Although the GOP got little or nothing out of its 1972 win, the liberals re-made the country in the wake of the 1964 election when the GOP lurched right. While the Goldwater movement ultimately led to Reagan and the modern conservative movement, on most domestic issues we have still been unable to reverse the damage that LBJ & co inflicted from 1965-69. Of course, even after they lost the Presidency four years later, their congressional majorities lingered on to drag Nixon’s policies to the left.

On the other hand, don’t get too excited about Dean being a left-winger. He generally portrayed himself as a centrist in Vermont, so much so that a “Progressive” candidate got around 10% of the vote against him in 2000–nearly handing the election to a conservative Republican. Don’t be surprised to see a nominated Dean emphasize relatively moderate positions like fiscal responsibility and gun rights. He’ll be able to do so because he’ll have his base nailed down and being a governor means not having much of a paper trail on federal issues–think of how much easier it was for Bush to campaign on moderate issues after he’d solidified his base through the primary battles with McCain. I’d much rather see the Democrats nominate a senator whose positions on federal issues are constrained by voting records.