We Democrats tend to be a skittish lot. When things aren’t going perfectly, we start wringing our hands, sweating profusely, and whining about how our guy is continuing the long Democratic tradition of screwing the pooch in the last leg of election season. That pretty much describes our behavior over the last week, including my own to some extent. When I saw this story on CNN about possible shake-ups at the Kerry campaign, I repeatedly glanced out the window to assure myself that the sky wasn’t falling. But like Josh Marshall over at TPM says, we need to stop whining and shut up. Kerry still occupies a great position, especially considering that there are only two months left. Bush will probably be ahead in most of the post-convention polls, but that can’t last long in an electorate this closely divided. Kerry does need to go on the offensive and develop a better rapid response system, but I think he’s experienced enough to realize that. Those of us who support him need to grow a spine and not allow the media to manipulate our perceptions.