It is interesting to read some of the self flaggellation going on by Democrats who are honestly trying to right the ship. An excellent post by the Glittering Eye has this recommendation

All parties have crazy people in them. There are people who are so viciously partisan that they'll say and do anything solely for partisan political advantage. It's not unique to either party. The Democratic Party has to get their crazy people off the front porch.

and a good comment by Phil Dillion of Kansas

I honestly believe the party has strayed from those roots. The voices the party heard were the shrill voices, the Michael Moores and the Whoopi Goldbergs. They refused to listen to us when we pleaded for a voice in the party, a voice to be heard about issues like abortion, cultural values, and, yes, national defense, the moral case for war, etc. We got no hearing, only the epithet that folks like me were stupid (interstingly I have an undergraduate degree in linguistics and a masters in theology), ignorant, and a neo-nazi or a fanatic to boot.

Judging from the comments made by Minority Leader of the House, Nancy Pelosi, today about the election we can see that these two guys are whistling in the dark.