Originally Posted by yster

The problem here is that Democrats suck at politics, the game of it. You have to sell the candidate like a beer, most people recognize this at least unconsciously. If they had run Edwards as the primary and not the vice, it seems pretty clear they would have won. He's plausibly religious, southern, handsome and a much more naturally charismatic speaker. Why they allowed the Bob Dole/Michael Dukakis of the group to run is beyond comprehension. As for Hillary or Obama, we'll have to see how badly things turn out in the next four years. It would be great to get some diversity in office, but if it even looks CLOSE, pick a southern, handsome white man, period.
The president is just a figurehead for the party's objectives; the sooner the democrats realize this, the sooner they'll start winning some seats. As far as the campaigns themselves, go 100% negative. Slander the other guy like crazy, there has never been any proven backlash to this strategy. Even Daschle got taken out to this, the first time in ~50 years the minority leader got booted while in power.