"conservative" values

This is an interesting story about Kerry's intent to reach out to "conservatives" - but more than anything else, it evokes Dean's legacy of moderation.

"I'm going to talk to people on the right," Kerry told The Times on Friday during a joint interview with his vice presidential pick, Sen. John Edwards. "I want to talk to conservatives."

As for rank-and-file party members, Kerry said his record of strong support for environmental protection, gun control and abortion rights — all core Democratic issues — "speaks for itself about my priorities in policy terms."

Indeed, Kerry seemed unconcerned about antagonizing his liberal supporters.

"I'm a hunter. I'm a gun owner. A lot of people on the left don't like that, but that's who I am," he said.

The Massachusetts senator has already begun his effort to broaden his political reach. During a recent swing through the Midwest, where he tramped around farms and toted a shotgun on a trap-shooting range, Kerry said that he represented "conservative values," and emphasized his personal opposition to abortion.

Last week, as he and Edwards made their joint debut, they spoke continually of their commitment to helping the middle class, which they said had been harmed by President Bush's policies.
[...]
A GOP media strategist who watched the event on a television with the sound off was struck by the ticket's "very wholesome" image. "If America wants to turn the page, it's a pretty attractive page to turn to," the strategist said on condition of anonymity.

Note the article illustrates how the driving force here is the ABB sentiment, which will hopefully keep the far-left in line (evidence: Nader's complete nadir)

I put conservative in quotes because it's really mainstream - in fact apart from extreme wingers on both sides, the basic "progressive" and "conservative" mindsets are not that different. This is because as a whole, the country has moved leftwards on social issues like civil rights, etc, so even conservatives are liberal by the standards of the 50's.

Still doubt the influence of Dean, though?

During their 20-minute interview with The Times, as they flew on their campaign plane from West Virginia to Albuquerque, they sat side-by-side behind a small table, often jumping in to finish each other's thoughts. Both had their shirt sleeves rolled up — a style Kerry has adopted since Edwards came aboard.