The Democrats keep alienating the very people whose votes they need the most if they ever want to regain Congress or the White House. NPR superstar Garrison Keillor was at a function at the University of Chicago last week, sharing these words of wisdom:

“I am a Democrat—it’s no secret. I am a museum-quality Democrat,” Keillor said. “Last night I spent my time crouched in a fetal position, rolling around and moaning in the dark.”

Not one to shy away from speaking his mind, Keillor proposed a solution to what he deemed a fundamental problem with U.S. elections. “I’m trying to organize support for a constitutional amendment to deny voting rights to born-again Christians,” Keillor smirked. “I feel if your citizenship is in Heaven—like a born again Christian’s is—you should give up your citizenship. Sorry, but this is my new cause. If born again Christians are allowed to vote in this country, then why not Canadians?”

How quaint! It’s precisely because of this kind of rhetoric that Kerry lost this election. You can disagree with the religious faith of voters, but when you start mocking it, then you’ll never win any votes. That’s something that both Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton understood, but Al Gore and John Kerry did not.