But it seems that Democrats are unlikely to change course. From a macro view, the party itself is primarily coastal and urban whereas the Republicans are Midwestern, rural and suburban. In 2008 regardless of whom wins the presidential race Republicans will start with 25 states solidly in place and Democrats will start with less than 15. And as a result of the rising phenomenon of straight-ticket voting, Republicans increasingly have an advantage in obtaining and keeping majorities in the House and Senate.

If the party is primarily coastal and urban, the party’s activists are disproportionately so. Ceding much of the heartland is a strategic failing for Democrats. The party’s insularity makes it unable to fairly evaluate the public’s misgivings about gay marriage, aggressive secularism, anti-Americanism, gun control and related social schemes as anything other than uninformed bigotry. Soliciting the votes of people you believe to be ignorant bigots requires a degree of cynicism difficult to mask from the voter. And such a task is impossible if it turns out the voters are neither ignorant nor bigoted.

Since 1980 each time the public has been given similar choices Democrats have lost at the presidential level. While decrying the losses to be the result of name calling, divisiveness and hate-mongering at the end of the day the Democrats managed to lose 5 of 7 of the last presidential races. Only after losing the House and the Senate for most of the past 12 years (and a growing number of state legislatures) have some Democrats reluctantly conceded that the problem may be more systemic.

But today Democrats who make the mistake of wondering out loud whether their party should consider a change in its platform are heckled or worse. In the case of Scoop Jackson Democrat Joe Lieberman, they are likely to be all but purged from the party.

In 1994 the American public was willing to chart an entirely different course and they used their vote to accomplish just that. Changing away from nationalized health care and gays in the military to balanced budgets and welfare reform was possible precisely because the alternatives were viewed as acceptable and attractive. This November the choices are just as stark but the alternatives put forward by Democrats are neither acceptable nor attractive.

Although much of establishment Washington and elites in the media have gathered for the Fat Lady’s final act, they likely will be disappointed when she announces that she won’t perform because she’s lost her voice. But they shouldn’t be surprised.