Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
-Albert Einstein
Throughout the 90's the Democratic Party, led by the DLC, ran candidates that styled themselves as "Republican lite", the notion being that the public had shifted to the right politically, so therefore the only way to win was to do the same. That assumption proved false. Using that approach, Democrats lost ground continuously throughout the 90's. Even Bill Clinton can't claim to have won a majority of the votes in either of his elections.
The pose that Hillary Clinton has been striking is a rehash of that same old DLC approach. Her hawkish votes and statements, her campaign tactics, her snuggling up to McCain, her recent pandering to socially conservative voters regarding religion and the 2nd amendment. This is just a rehash of old DLC stuff from the 90's. It's a strategy that is a proven loser.
When voters are offered a choice between the Republican and "Republican-lite", they'll choose the Republican. Authenticity does matter.
I believe that Dean's leadership over the last 4 years has been tremendously successful at reminding Democrats that we need to be authentic Democrats. The only way to win is to offer voters a clear alternative, a better alternative, than what the GOP offers. But we're not all the way there yet. Clinton's candidacy would take us backward, not forward. That way lies the wilderness.
Choosing a candidate because you think he or she can run more like a Republican is a losing strategy. We need a strong candidate that will run as a genuine Democrat and repudiate Rovian bullshit politics, and clearly, fearlessly articulate the progressive Democratic platform and agenda. In every respect Obama's candidacy represents the fruition of Dean's hard work. That's what "Change you can believe in" means to me.
Let's keep moving forward, keep growing the party, keep pushing the progressive agenda without fear.
I don't want to go back to the wilderness. It's cold and dark in there! :(