Southern Exposure

John Kerry has made some waves with his response to a question about his viability in Dixie.

"Everybody always makes the mistake of looking South," Kerry said, in response to a question about winning the region. "Al Gore proved he could have been president of the United States without winning one Southern state, including his own." is the quote that's getting all the attention. The rest of his answer is being circulated less widely.

"I think the fight is all over this country," Kerry said. "Forget about those red and blue states. We're going to change that now, and we're going to go out there and change the face of America."

I don't see anything there that says that Democrats shouldn't campaign in and compete for the South. What I see is a Presidential candidate saying his approach is truly national. Let's face it, "looking South" has come to mean tailoring a particular approach, and trimming some fundamental Democratic sails, in order to navigate a region that was once solid D, and has now made an almost complete swing to the other side. If the "Southern Strategy" pioneered by Dick Nixon and perfected by Ronald Reagan was based on pandering to the worst instincts of Southern white voters - and it was - then why should Democrats emulate their opponents by crafting a regional message that's any different than the one carried to the rest of the country?

In fact, an election can be won without the South, but it needn't be. An election can be won without the mountain West, but it needn't be. And an election can be won nationwide with a strong and consistent message about jobs, education, healthcare and national defense, issues that transcend regional differences, which is exactly what John Kerry has been saying throughout the campaign.

It's time to drop the entire business of regional pandering in national politics in favor of a new direction. John Kerry has the courage to say so, and the ability to make it so.

Forget red, forget blue. Remember America. That's the Real Deal.