McJoan at dailykos reads Krugman so you don't have to spend the money. She reports that Krugman says the party’s base seems to be more in touch with the mood of the country than many of the party’s leaders. And the result is peculiar: on key issues, reluctant Democratic politicians are being dragged by their base into taking highly popular positions. Krugman points to Iraq and health care for examples. And then he says There’s no conflict between catering to the Democratic base and staking out positions that can win in the 2008 election, because the things the base wants — an end to the Iraq war, a guarantee of health insurance for all — are also things that the country as a whole supports. The only risk the party now faces is excessive caution on the part of its politicians. Or, to coin a phrase, the only thing Democrats have to fear is fear itself. Too many Democrats need to be dragged kicking and screaming to do what the vast majority of the American public wants done, because they are afraid Rush Limbaugh - or Tim Russert or Chris Matthews or Bill O'Reilly - might say bad things about them if they do it.
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