Bill Bradley: "A Party Inverted"

Former Sen. Bill Bradley has a very interesting column in the NY Times today. Here is a taste (but, of course, read the whole thing).

Before deciding what Democrats should do now, it's important to see what Republicans have done right over many years. When the Goldwater Republicans lost in 1964, they didn't try to become Democrats. They tried to figure out how to make their own ideas more appealing to the voters. . .

To further the party's ideological and political goals, Republicans in the 1970's and 1980's built a comprehensive structure based on [Lewis] Powell's blueprint. Visualize that structure as a pyramid. . .

At the very top of the pyramid you'll find the president. Because the pyramid is stable, all you have to do is put a different top on it and it works fine. . .
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To understand how the Democratic Party works, invert the pyramid. Imagine a pyramid balancing precariously on its point, which is the presidential candidate. . .

Democrats choose this approach, I believe, because we are still hypnotized by Jack Kennedy, and the promise of a charismatic leader who can change America by the strength and style of his personality. The trouble is that every four years the party splits and rallies around several different individuals at once. Opponents in the primaries then exaggerate their differences and leave the public confused about what Democrats believe.

Damn insightful, I would say.

(For cross-post at Centerfield and comments posted there, click here.)