Dieting for Democrats

Democrats and Republicans always seem to get the opposite advice. If you're a Democratic candidate, you're always being told to 'move to the center.' You're told to be tough on crime, tough on welfare, tough on 'rogue nations.' You're supposed to cut spending and demand sacrifices, but never, ever, threaten to raise taxes. And if you follow this advice and fail, the prognosis is always the same: You didn't move far enough to the right, the public saw you as a bleeding-heart, tax-and-spend liberal and that's why you lost. Try harder next time.

Republicans tend to get the opposite advice from guys like Karl Rove. They're told to 'support their base,' and make sure the red-meat, fire-and-brimstone right-wingers are happy. Give them fat tax cuts; blow up some Middle Eastern cities; fill the courts with chest-pounding theocrats. If you do these things and lose, then it's because you made too many compromises with the Democrats. Show some backbone for God's sake! Sheesh.

In other words, the Democrats are always told to eat their vegetables and go to the gym, while the Republicans get to eat twinkies and watch TV. Democrats could accept this, if their advice worked. But it's as if the Republicans are getting slimmer on junk food while Democrats continue to put on the pounds. Something just isn't right, and it may be time to fire the nutritionist.