this is a very interesting, very well written article. but here, i think is the main point: KERRY DID NOT EVEN TRY TO WIN PART OS THESE RED STATES. Democrats cannot afford to cede territory like that, with the message concentrated at the behest of polsters and politcal analysist. No wonder there is no common understanding.

The Red Sea (washingtonpost.com): "THE MORE PEOPLE WE TALKED TO, the more I realized that Bush was helped enormously in this part of the country by the fact that he ran virtually unopposed. Kerry spent nothing on advertising in the Red Sea states; the unions and other groups that supported him put little or no effort into spreading his message here. Many of those we encountered spoke of Kerry as they might speak of a distant relative they had never met but had merely heard mention of as children at a family gathering. "