"No more Mr. nonviable nice guy"

Marc Medefind, chairman of Merced County Democrats, said Kaus isn’t getting respect because he’d rather change the party than embrace it.

“Mostly, it seems he wants to make it into his own image. He’s a Democrat in name only. He should join the Libertarian Party. It’s a much better fit.”

That kind of sentiment, Kaus says, is exactly what’s wrong with the party.

“Somehow you get read out of the party if you’re not for amnesty? A lot of these people who are good liberals voted for the war in Iraq. I don’t think we should be imposing litmus tests, or we might have a party with three people in it,” he said.