We’ve seen this show before. When Democrats get power, it isn’t long before the liberals — tired of being dormant — demand attention. At some point, they forget that most Americans aren’t really with them (or maybe they just believe the world has changed?). Regardless, unless they adjust and push the liberal fringe elements from the stage (Bill Clinton had to recalibrate several times during his career), wearing their liberalism on their sleeve has historically spelled electoral doom.

One gets the sense that we are nearing that point again.

Last week, Stephanie Cutter said the Democratic convention wouldn’t be about “rallying the base.” That prediction looks silly today. It’s unclear to me whether the Obama team cannot — or will not — keep the more unseemly parts of this disparate coalition of grievances off stage. But this could be a real problem if it is a harbinger of things to come.