Despite Election Results, Edsall Still Sees 'Red'

Thomas B. Edsall, replacing John Tierney this month on The New York Times' op-ed page, follows up his ill-timed book, which had predicted hard times for Democrats on the campaign trial, by forecasting more trouble ahead for the party. With his track record, the 2008 elections may be in the bag for the Democrats.

By Greg Mitchell

(November 25, 2006) -- When John Tierney was finally ceremoniously booted off The New York Times’ op-ed page, there was some hope that his guest replacement this month, Thomas B. Edsall, after a distinguished career at The Washington Post, would provide thoughtful commentary in that unliberal column slot.

So what does he do on Saturday? He offers advice to the Democrats on how they can avoid certain disaster for the party and stop trudging along as “No.2.” He also states that liberalism is “dead” and “rigor mortis” will soon set in, and the party as a whole must undergo a “painful transformation.” This comes on the heels of the Democrats’ electoral triumph, and it comes from a man who in his recent book was prescient enough to write, "The Republican Party holds a set of advantages, some substantial and some marginal,” meaning that "the odds are that the Republican Party will continue to maintain, over the long run, a thin but durable margin of victory."