Reply #4: This article may be connected to that group of governors.

[madfloridian]

http://www.beaufortgazette.com/24hour/politics/story/2028235p-10062921c.html

SNIP..."TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - The road out of the political wilderness, if there is one for Democrats, could wind through Kansas and 11 other Republican-leaning states that are run by Democratic governors.
These are places where bipartisanship and moderation reign, liberal orthodoxies perish, GOP ideas flourish and the politically charged buzzword "values" means more than gays, guns and God..."

As President Bush is sworn in for a second term Thursday, these "red-state" Democratic governors are anything but blue. Perhaps it's the virtue of necessity.

"I always start with the premise that if I get 100 percent of Democrats to vote for me, I still lose big time," said Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, a Democrat trying to squeeze her third-year agenda through a legislature dominated 2-1 by Republicans. "You never get the luxury of saying, 'I'll just mobilize my political base,'" she said.

And this part bothers me.

They say a key to their success is convincing voters, through their policies and personalities, that they are "one of them." Democrats in middle America must be viewed as part of a state's cultural fabric, clearly distinguishable from the national party in Washington.

"There are a few Democrats - you know who they are, Teddy Kennedy and Hillary Clinton - who Republicans like to tie around our necks, and they are universally disliked in places like Oklahoma," Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry said. "They have a reputation of being ultraliberal, and it filters down on us.."

That sounds good if you don't forget where you came from and don't forget who bought you to the party.