Democrats at Rainbow/PUSH coalition gathering

USA Today -- "We have too many elephants running around with donkey jackets on," New York civil rights activist Al Sharpton told the audience to cheers. "We need Democrats to be Democrats and stand up for what Democrats used to stand up for."

"These people are all good people ... but I'm different than they are," former Vermont governor Howard Dean said, gesturing at the others on the stage. He said he had credentials as a governor and as a candidate who's "not afraid" to fight. "If you want social justice in America, we have to have Democrats who are proud to be Democrats, and we have to stop being afraid of Democrats," he said. "We are not going to beat George Bush with Bush Lite."

Dean got delighted laughter from the crowd for that line and applause when he said he had opposed the congressional resolution authorizing the war with Iraq — a resolution he noted had been supported by Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman, Missouri Rep. Richard Gephardt and Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry.

The exchanges on stage underscored a divide among Democrats over what message will work best against a formidable Republican president. Some strategists argue that the party should sharpen the differences with the GOP and energize their core supporters — among them blacks, liberals, feminists and city-dwellers.

Others say the party must attract moderate voters, many of them white and suburban, who aren't firmly aligned with either party. They note that was the approach taken by Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, the only two Democrats to have won the White House in nearly four decades.