Trouble in Dem Land

Word is just in that Tom Roemer, the only moderate and pro-life voice among those running for Chairman of the Democratic National Party has withdrawn, paving the way for the coronation of Howard "I Have A Scream" Dean on Saturday. What a mess the Dems have gotten themselves into.

Some of their compatriots in the press are also singing the blues. Here's how Roger Simon begins his article in U.S. News:

How bad off is the Democratic Party? Well, the Democrats don't have the presidency, they don't have the Senate, and they don't have the House. And while a few men have been elbowing one another to get elected Democratic chairman on Saturday, that is largely a fundraising job. Just what the heart, soul--and future--of the party is seems very much an open question.

"I think we are in for a difficult period," says Bill Daley, Al Gore's campaign chairman in 2000. "Can we win in '08? Tell me what the economy will be like or what the war in Iraq will be like. I don't know. Do I see that the Democrats are on some grand march with programs and ideas that will motivate people? No."

"It is depressing losing elections, especially one in which so many things went well," says Anita Dunn, a Democratic strategist. "We didn't get outspent; we did an extraordinary job organizing voters and increasing turnout. Fundamentally, the question Democrats face is: 'OK, if so many things were in place, why did we lose?' That is a tough question for a political party."

Many more depressing days are ahead.

Noemie Emery adds to the Dems discontent with her column in the Weekly Standard entitled "The Dems Week From Hell". She's pretty savage in her description of the Barbara Boxer/Condi Rice dustup. She also discusses Teddy Kennedy on Iraq, John Kerry on Meet the Press, and other events which did not play well for the Dems.