As do all the Party hacks who brought us the final political diaster known as the Democratic "health care" bill.
I could re-post the diary I wrote months ago noting that this day was inevitable if the Party "leadership" didn't ditch the spectacularly politically deaf "idea" of mandating expensive private corporate "health insurance" for Americans, and calling it "reform." (Especially after Barack had run against mandates during the election.) And I wasn't the only dkos member at the time warning of this day, in both comments and diaries.
Unfortunately, the Party "leadership" (and most readers of Dkos) marginalized those sane voices and insisted on a givin the Republican Party a gift. The Majority at the US House of Representatives in 2010.
Nice work guys.
This diary will be reletively short, because it's really a chance to give voice to those of us who have seen this coming since "corporate health care" was hammered through, and for those of us who now demand new leadership for the Democratic Party.
To the people who disagree, congrats, you've turned a majority Party with filibuster proof numbers, into a minority in disarray, in just two years!
As mentioned, I WASN'T the only Dkos member to speak up against the so-called "health care" reform bill at the time, or the lame decision by leadership to "move on" after the last election, instead of persuing little things like War Crimes and illegal, unconsitutional acts by the Bush administration. Or to even investigate the previous Republican Congressional majority's enabling the Wall Street looting of Middle Class America.
Instead of making SURE the public knew the real nature of source of the crap pile Republicans left behind for Dems to clean up, and breaking them once and for all, Barack, and the leadership, "moved on."
Reid has always been a confusing Leader for the Democratic Party. Being a not-very-inarticulate, "anti-abortion Democrat" (when Roe is the Party platform, for chrissake) from a small conservative state, has always kept Reid from being much of an effective voice for mainstream, Democratic values.
And Pelosi has simply proven inept at delivering a coherent political message, or fighting back against even the lamest Republican efforts to define her and the Party's agenda.
When your leaders run you into a completely unnecessary rout, the need for change is self evident. If you care about democracy, or the Democratic Party, you know it's past time.
And if they had enough self respect, they would both resign their positions on their own. It's done by defeated Party officials in democracies around the world all the time.
Pelosi and Reid lost control of the political momentum in this country, and allowed themselves to be tragically re-branded by the Republican Party. That has led to historic defeat. The Party will not rise again until new leadership comes along who can defend themselves, and articulate the Party's core ideas in a way that matches their genuine public appeal.
The train wreck that is this evening, didn't have to happen. From Barack on down, everyone in Party who enabled it, must share the blame.
But for now we'll start with Reid and Pelosi.
We need new leadership in Congress for the Democratic Party.