Tom is one of the Good Guys, and he's got a new book out you should buy. I've written about his work before, and I continue to find it a useful way to think about what can be done, what should be done, and what is worth talking about as we form strategy. Here is a review he sent me, so I assume he doesn't think it's a hatchet job. But in the short term, I generally agree that given the limited resources and capability of the Democrats in today's media environment, it makes sense to try to win with a non-Southern state majority. There is a lot of work that can be done in the South to make more states there properly Blue, but that's a long term project and not the correct primary focus for the party as a whole.