The Democratic Party continues to be unable to understand people and what motivates them. The party - and party members - have pushed extreme gay rights issues up the noses of conservative Christians the past several years. Gay marriages being the big hot issue. And the Ds have shown little concern or understanding for how this issue really upsets many normal folks.

Meanwhile the Ds have gone ballistic over Ralph Nader running for president, saying he takes votes away from Gore or Kerry. How dare he stand on his principles. How dare he run for office. And they have heaped scorn on any liberal who said they were voting for Nader.

Now it is turning out that the gay marriage issue is the key reason that Kerry lost. And not Nader votes. The 11 states with anti-gay marriage initiatives drew the winning swing votes over to Bush. Normal folks - blue collar, educated, family folks - just could not stomach the gay marriage crusade. They went to the polls - they voted against the gay marriage initiative and they voted for Bush because he spoke out against gay marriage.

One can be for gay rights and not be for gay marriage, imho. Indeed, the whole marriage thing should be a church thing and the government should get out of the marriage business. If hospitals won't allow a gay partner to visit, then change the damn hospital rules. Dah. Same for a lot of the other issues. Despite my best efforts, I have trouble with the concept of "gay marriage". At the same time, it seems beyond me why any pair of people living together cannot have basic courtesies and benefits.

I have experienced more litmus tests from my Democratic Party friends than I have from my conservative and Republican Party friends. Indeed, I consider myself liberal but most of my liberal friends consider me conservative because I fail one or more litmus tests. My beliefs for private enterprise, against excessive bureaucracies, against extreme endangered species regulations, against a gay marriage act, for Ralph Nader, and more are sufficient for ostracism. No whining here. The point is it happens to many people who otherwise fully support a liberal, open, tolerant and progressive society. But the Ds just don't understand that.

The Ds have to look to themselves for Bush's victory. They pick issues and a lead candidate that are not comprehensible to normal Americans. The Ds rant at those who admire Nader but then adopt poison-pill election issues. They pull their own dirty tricks to defeat Gov. Howard Dean in Iowa but then whine about Karl Rove. They have only themselves to blame for the loss.