Democrats are getting an early glimpse of an intraparty 
    rift that could complicate efforts to win back the White 
    House: fiery liberals raising their voices on Web sites 
    and in interest groups vs. elected officials trying to 
    appeal to a much broader audience.

    These activists -- spearheaded by battle-ready bloggers 
    and making their influence felt through relentless e-mail 
    campaigns -- have denounced what they regard as a flaccid 
    Democratic response to the Supreme Court fight, President 
    Bush's upcoming State of the Union address and the Iraq 
    war. In every case, they have portrayed party leaders as 
    gutless sellouts. . . .

    "The bloggers and online donors represent an important 
    resource for the party, but they are not representative 
    of the majority you need to win elections," said Steve 
    Elmendorf, a Democratic lobbyist who advised Kerry's 2004 
    presidential campaign. "The trick will be to harness 
    their energy and their money without looking like you are 
    a captive of the activist left."