There are 40 million or more people in this country who will never vote for  a Democrat, or anyone considered “Liberal”. Pro-choice? Fuggedaboudit. Pro-gay-marriage? Get outta here. Pro-Affirmative-Action? You betta step.

Forget these people. They may be intelligent, civilized and well-meaning, but they are stubborn in their distaste for the “Liberal Agenda”. A candidate who can get elected by this group cannot, almost by definition, get elected by Democrats.

While it would be a fantastic coup to sway these people our way, we need to focus instead on doing what George W. Bush and his team did so successfully this year: shore up our base of supporters, and ensure they would likewise never consider voting anything but Democratic.

The question, of course, is how do we shore up this liberal base without alienating the moderates who are sympathetic to our cause?

I’ll get back to you on that.