Lame excuses we Dems use when we lose, 1: Voters are dumb
What do an ineffective state Senator, a former Capitol Hill Intern, a ridiculous caricature of cowboy marketing-campaign and a man who… sorta just moved here… and wanted to be a Senator… his daughter had a blog or something… have in common? If you guessed “they all lost,” then hey, you win! Amongst a democratic wave that brought us the House, the Senate and a good number of governorships; a wave that rejected abortion restrictions in several states; a wave that even rejected a Gay Marriage Ban in Arizona of all places — we… missed the tide. Dang, hopefully the guys are still at that sweet bar by the beach.
Democrats gained a seat in the Assembly — one they never should have lost up in Reno — in Northern Nevada. Democrats accidentally won a seat in the state Senate as well — Joyce Woodhouse beat out ethically-challenged GOP Sen. Sandra Tiffany down south. Democrats took down onetime powerhouse Lynette Boggs-McDonald with a candidate who successfully never actually took a position on anything the county could actually do. They got a lawyer elected to be the treasurer; a lawyer elected to the Secretary of State’s office; and, hell, even Attorney General.
We’re excited about the major democratic victories. We’re surprised by how well things actually went, but hell, you don’t look a gift horse in the mouth. And if that horse just happens to be wearing big bags of gold, strapped maybe to its back, then all the better.
But Democrats — and we’d remind you, 100% of the MMP contributing staff flies the Democratic flag — famously don’t leave well enough alone. We’ve spent today reading blogs when the boss wasn’t looking, and we’ve heard from all across the country — including in our own home — about how stupid our voters must obviously be to not have elected an entirely-democratic ticket. After all, the GOP has shown us that balanced government is sooooo 1993.
Honestly, this… this is exactly what turns people off to Democrats. Agree with us, vote with us or… you know… you’re obviously facing serious developmental disabilities. Or you’re a bastard who cares only about themselves. These, in the entire realm of human decisionmaking, are the only two possible reasons that Dean Heller could have been elected. Anybody who considers his twelve years of moderate positiontaking and experience as Secretary of State a mindless, selfish, party-line voter sheep.
Yeah, way to elevate the debate, guys.
Here’s another way to look at this: we put featherweights up against heavyweight fighters.
Anybody can run for congress whenever they want, but Jill Derby stepped up off a board whose monthly actions are an embarrassment to even the most corrupt city council. Derby’s contrived and cyincal campaign centered on voters believing an intricate series of half-truths concocted about her and her life. And for all the fanfare about how well she did, and how this shows this or that about Northern Nevada, she lost, and she earned that loss.
Dina Titus had never successfully hammered together a coalition even amongst her democratic colleagues in the Senate, and thought she could get things together enough to be Governor. Sure thing, Hugh, it was the accent; that also accounts for her stalled agenda in nine consecutive legislative sessions. Washoe County residents — who throughout their purported “bluing”, still gave Titus quite the electoral backhand. Washoe County elects five-and-a-half democrats to the state legislature.
Harry’s pissed at Jon Porter? Let’s get Harry’s anti-choice intern to run! She was born here, but… has lived in Washington, D.C. for eight years. It’s OK! She’ll build a house and move back. It was disingenuous Jon Porter to accuse Tessa Hafen of being a carpetbagger, we suppose, because she went back in Henderson for three generations, apparently (we lived in Southern Nevada for a long time, and most of us here don’t realize the city goes back three generations). But the allegation she returned home just to run for congress is 100% true. Again, she came close, but it’s not like 46% gets you a special half-vote in congress or anything.
Can’t find somebody to run for Senate? Didn’t Jimmy Carter’s son move here last Tuesday? Let’s get him to run for Senate.
Remember, when we blame things on stupid voters, we have to remember that those same stupid voters elected a very progressive Nancy Saitta to the Supreme Court. They elected a Democratic Assembly, nearly tied the State Senate. Ad-hominem attacks against other voters aren’t worthy of our party.
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True That.
Good to see you back MMP. Guess you never got around to making that Gov endorsement. You sure did a lot for Democrats, and it must be tough for a guy like you who hung with the party so much and put so much effort to advancing our message …
Man, you took a pissy, snarky, I’m-above-it-all attitude that patently avoided saying anything that might help a Democrat get elected, then you come back to tell us “I told you son.”
You’re the problem with the Democratic party– self-appointed sages without the heart or guts to get into the trenches and help win difficult races.
I’m not a Repub or a Dem (and I think we need more people outside the big 2) but it sounds like MMP is maybe purporting to be a Dem just to gain credibility & get an anti-Dem message accepted.
Or MMP is just someone talking sense over party loyalty. What has the party done for you, btw?
I cant speak for indie, but my party has done a lot for me particularly in the area of education and women’s health. And even though I don’t have any kids, I sure feel good supporting the party that supports headstart, full day kindergarten, lower interest rates on student loans, more money for higher education, particularly in the area of pell grants, filling the gaps in our healthcare system, negotiating on medication costs as a part of medicare, balancing the budget, etc. What am I saying? All of those things benefit me as well when you’re thinking long term. Plus, the dems are way better on environmental issues. I guess I cant say they gave me a $500 tax cut, but that;s fine with me.
I’m interested in hearing what you’re party has done for you? Seriously.
My party doesn’t do things for me. Good people in elected positions of both parties have. I am not making a case for a party. Party loyalty is an evil in this country. I voted for people in both parties at an almost even (I can’t remember off the top of me head exactly how many from each) split. I did so because I thought those were the best people for the job and for what I want accomplished. If enough of us did that, we might actually get things we want accomplished. Instead, we have people voting party line and sending the same jackasses to office to not represent us.
I agree that blind party loyalty is a problem. But, the reason I am a Democrat is because of the platform, and most Democratic candidates support it. Its going to be really interesting over the next two years as far as the Republican party is concerned–what are its leaders going to do to change the rather obvious deviation from their own platform? How will they respond to the American center now that its rejected the bush/rove/cheney version of conservatism?
Mr Jerz raises a good point. I should clarify that I didn’t mean to attack MMP for not showing party loyalty. There are plenty of times when it makes sense to cross-over and vote for a strong candidate of the other party or an independent.
I meant to attack him specifically for not showing any loyalty to the top of our ticket in his postings.
Perhaps MMP was doing something that is the rarest of rare, taking an objective look at politics without the partisan-tinged glasses virtually every other blogger wears on a 24-hour basis.
Just because he is a Democrat, and made that clear in his posts, doesn’t mean he has to show “loyalty to the top of our ticket in his postings”. What happened to independent thought. You constantly decry Republicans for being in lockstep with Bush on every single issue, yet apparently when a Democrat doesn’t blindly pull the party line you whine. So much for any hope of bipartisanship.
Ah, Derek, in your statement, Democrats cant really be bipartisan within the party, but I get your point. The big problem with the current (bush)Republican party, at least nationally, is that any lip service paid to bipartisanship was a big pile of BS and they were pretty open about it often enough. The standard they set unfortunately has made them seem less than earnest to put it lightly. Also, the kind of things this administration has done in the name of their party, with the cooperation of congress, are just soooooo objectionable. That’s been made quite obvious by the response of American voters over the last few days. It takes time to heal that kind of rift that’s been created by a party that called the other traitors for disagreeing over policy.
I don’t agree with MMP obviously, but, I agree that MMP has a right to give and explain their opinion as does anyone on this site. That’s the kind of Democrat I am. You know, diversity of perspectives, community, multiculturalism–all that crap.
Jeez, you spend the day down at the Texas Station bar and people sure have a whole lot to say. Here’s what we have to say back.
CollegeStudent: Seriously, right?
Gus: We’ve got no responsibility to the top of the ticket; nor do we proclaim to. Frankly, we’ve got responsibility to a lot of people — most of whom are a lot cooler than the sad sacks the dems put up. You want to stump for democrats — stump for democrats. You want MMP to stump for the top of the ticket, find a better top of the ticket.
Indie: We’re not clever enough for schemes.
Jerz: Parties don’t do things for people other than corrupt their political system. Politicians, who are forced into a rigid two-party system, do things for you — but it’s got amazingly little to do with the party organization itself.
Myrna: We’d love to see a new version of conservatism, other than the one those cooky Capitol Hill types sell. We thought that McCain would take us there. But then there was Liberty University. Then he sold his torture stance up the river. $100 says he says the phrase “fetus’ rights” by next July.
Derek: We prefer intellectual honesty to partisanship. This is what seems to peeve our readers the most. That, and when we say stuff about their mothers.
I’m a first time poster here. Greetings to all.
I think that MMP’s analysis is spot-on. Although I did some volunteering for the Hafen campaign, and am pleased to have helped elect Joyce Woodhouse, I don’t think our slate was all that strong. When the time came to decide early this year, the “thumping” which was to occur was hardly evident, and no one else wanted to step up to the Congressional plate.
I disagree with the criticism of MMP’s critque. It is not bashing the Party. It is a blunt, concise and timely wrap-up which gives us all a year or so to hash around the validity of these points. By virtue of publising first MMP lays out a valid enough basis to start those discussions.
You don’t think the GOP isn’t doing the very same thing right now?
Identifying the trouble spots of this campaign early in the post-game allows us the greatest flexibility for adjusting our tactics and consolidate the momementum we will have until the next cycle.
HaciendaMike: Congrats on Woodhouse — she really surprised everyone. Thank god Sandra Tiffany is gone.
I was always suspicious of McCain but now I think he’s an abomination.
MMP, I totally disagree with the idea that a party does nothing, only individual candidates do–totally. Its up to individual candidate to makes certain decisions about legislation, but party platforms are their guides–the guides created by the rank and file members. You can bitch about problems with the two party system and the way it works, but the parties themselves serve a valuable and rather populist purpose–to transmit the ideas of the citizens to their elected officials. It may not always work like its supposed to, but the platform is why I’m a democrat. I can decide to vote for individual politicians or not, but the platform provides the basis for everything.
Myrna, I’d totally argue that the party sets the agenda for the rand-and-file members to follow. Research suggests this. So based on what you believe, it becomes a chicke and egg argument. Which comes first? I think that while it may not be practical for the people to set the agenda, it most certainly is democratic for the people to set the agenda. So screw parties. Kick them to the curb, and let’s do something to take democracy back, instead of sitting on our asses and letting the Democrats or Republicans dictate who we vote for. Unless, of course, that’s the way you like it.
Well, you posted enough times claiming to speak to or on behalf of Democrats. You described yourself as a liberal democrat. Yet you didn’t even endorse our nominee.
Just wondering; you’re not Jim Gibson are you?
Gus, Me? Gibson? Ha. I voted for Titus. I don’t think I’ve every said I speak for Democrats but speak as one. I didn’t endorse candidates because I knew MMP would. I often registered my disagreement in the comments of MMP’s posts.
Ryan, I guess I am saying screw the party when I vote outside of it.
Myrna, I was addressing MMP. Sorry for the confusion.
And I was all excited that you were actually addressing me…..damn.