Palin Stole "Target" Map from Democratic Leadership Council

DLC | Blueprint Magazine | December 13, 2004 Heartland Strategy Democrats can't be a national party if they cede all of red America to the GOP. They must compete in the heartland. Here's how they can do it. By Will Marshall Table of Contents Poring over the 2004 electoral map has been a deflating experience for Democrats, what with all that red splashed across the nation's vast interior. But cartography need not be destiny -- not if Democrats finally get serious about rolling back the GOP's scarlet tide in America's heartland. There's just no way around it: Democrats have to be competitive in every region of the country to be a true national party, and they have to win more states to have any hope of consolidating a durable governing majority in the future. The heartland strategy begins by choosing likely targets for Democratic gains. Let's go to the map: President Bush won 31 states, 14 of them with 60 percent of the vote or more. Take those 14 crimson states off the table. Of his remaining 17 states, Bush won nine by single-digit margins. These include three Southern states (Florida, Arkansas, and, surprisingly, Virginia), three Midwestern states (Ohio, Iowa, and Missouri) and three Rocky Mountain states (New Mexico, Nevada, and Colorado). Altogether, those nine states have 103 electoral votes. (Edited go HERE to read complete article Will Marshall is president of the Progressive Policy Institute.