Connecticut Commentary: Red Notes from a Blue State

Liberals, who lost spectacularly in the recent elections, are being consoled -- by liberals. The results are what might be expected. There is no need to abandon, or even examine, the prejudices that led us to dusty defeat, they say, but some minor technical adjustments may be in order. Stick with your core beliefs, advises Keith Burris, Editorial Page Editor of the Journal Inquirer , but finesse your approach. What Democrats need is to rediscover and reaffirm the old values, which are as solid as the earth itself. They simply need to get back to Jefferson, Jackson and Roosevelt. They do need to be the party that will make national health insurance happen. They do need to be intellectually honest. For example: No, we cannot balance the budget and universalize health insurance at the same time. That does not compute. But we want to get national health care first. Or, Yes, the war was a mistake. A terrible one. Let's talk about how we undo and correct it. They do need to be aggressive...