What is really going on with the Democrats, pt. 2?

One thing that was apparent in all of your comments about my telemarketer experience, was the Democrats 'not getting it', and being 'out of touch'. I agree, but it really goes deeper than that. What do you think explains what is really going on? Some thoughts to ponder...

- The 'move to the center' strategy we've often heard is about as effective as supply-side economics. It's given them loss after loss after loss in the quest for 'the mushy middle'. Why do they continue to do so? Is the influence of the DLC so pervasive that they are all getting their hands tied?

- Are they continually getting bad advice? If so, why do they continue to listen to it? One would think that they could look at the results of that advice and change strategy. But they aren't. Why?

- Have the above said bad advisors convinced the majority of them that classic liberalism is about as dead as Marxism, and that us netroots people are so far out of the mainstream? John at Americablog seems to have a take on this here. And once again, why do they believe it? Although I may not agree with some things on the left of the blogosphere, I hardly hear anything radical or insane coming from Kos, Americablog, Eschaton, etc. Can't these other politicians see that?

- Let's get into conspiracy theory stuff here, just for the sake of discussion. Are there some backroom deals going on where some of them are working for the Republicans? Are the people giving them the continual bad advice secretly working for the GOP? Is there some kind of blackmail involved? Is it a brain parasite?

- 'Lack of spine' also gets mentioned a lot. How does that work? Can't say 9-11, because 1994 happened, right? What exactly do you think is causing this lack of spine? What are they so afraid of? Dems weren't always this way.

- Is it the resistance to taking the gloves of and getting confrontational that so many on the left seem to have? We could embrace many of the hardball tactics they do, with one big difference - we're not making things up.

- Are they just as corrupt as the Republicans?

I put these out there because at one time or another, I've thought about them, and/or heard them from others, but no one has of yet laid out a concrete theory for me. Now's your chance.