Dean doesn't know his audience

DNC Chair Howard Dean was in Los Angeles this weekend at the California Democratic Convention... a fun-for-all Arnold Bash that had the three declared candidates for Governor whining and snipping at each other as much as beating up Schwarzenegger.

For those keeping score the three Democrats who have jumped into the ring are Attorney General Bill Lockyer, State Controller Steve Westly and Treasurer Phil Angelides.

Combined, these three candidates have as much personality as a damp towel.

In last night's speech to the Democrat faithful Howard Dean focused on changing the rhetoric used when talking about abortion:

"I think we need to talk about abortion differently," Dean said. "Republicans have painted us into a corner where they have forced us to defend abortion. I don't know anybody who's for abortion."

"We can make common ground with folks," he continued. "The issue we need to debate is not whether abortion is a good thing. The issue we need to debate is whether a woman gets to make up her own mind about her health care or whether Tom DeLay gets to make up her mind."

This may be a sound strategy, but Dean can forget about bringing the Democrat Faithful along with him...

"That's not the Democratic Party anymore," one Lefty activist said. "That's the party of the far right and that's the direction we're moving in when everybody starts talking about abandoning choice for women in the Democratic Party."

Being staunch pro-choice is what makes the Democrat party faithful tick - and it's these types that show up to state conventions in the middle of an off election year. Dean's right that if Democrats are going to be successful they need to tone down the abortion rhetoric, but his message will - and did this weekend - fall on deaf ears.

All he accomplished this weekend in LA was demoralizing a base that he will desperately need to work hard for him next year.