Kossacks, we have an enthusiasm gap.
And no matter how much the administration and others may try to spin it away, it's not something that is going to disappear.
Dave Weigel brought some hard numbers to his post on Wisconsin just two weeks ago in Slate:
PPP's sample found that 28 percent of likely voters were Democrats, and 35 percent were Republicans. In 2008, 39 percent of voters were Democrats and only 33 percent were Republicans. That's a 13-point swing.
When I journeyed to Wisconsin last week, I saw a surge of public support for Walker -- signs, bumper stickers, little tokens like those -- unlike anything I've ever seen in a non-presidential race. The polling bears this out. It's not necessarily doom-saying for Obama. It does explain why the DNC is quietly backing away from the race. Easier to give up then to try and narrow this enthusiasm gap twice.
And in the time since Weigel's post, the DNC has paid lip service (and not much else) to the effort to get rid of Scott Walker in Wisconsin. And thanks to that timidity, here we are on the brink of another loss because the machinery failed to mobilize behind the people.
The political environment we live in today is so far the looking glass it's almost impossible to see how we can get back to normal. We live in a world where the truth is crazier than fiction. We live in a world where the Republicans have browbeaten the media, through fear of being labeled "liberal", into carrying the water for the fascist oligarchy. We live in a world where the Republicans have projected the dangerous extremist label onto a moderate centrist President. We live in a world where Republicans get 98 percent of what they want, yet have convinced the American people that socialism (not real socialism, just whatever the Republicans want the word to mean at that given moment) is taking over the country and threatening the way of life of mom and pop on Main Street U.S.A.
We've lost the messaging war. It's not even a fair fight anymore. It's like Chico's Bail Bonds meets the New York Yankees.
We've lost the enthusiasm war. Ultimately, the Democratic Party has decided to fight the battle for a rightward-shifting middle, as the Republicans continue to move the country more and more to the right.
And for the growing group of Americans who are feeling disenfranchised, it seems that all the Democratic Party has to offer is "Hey, at least we're not insane like those guys."
Spinelessly pandering to moderates is no way to win votes. It may have won elections when both major parties were fighting for the center, but that isn't happening anymore.
And that is where the Republicans, unfortunately, get it. They realize that if you shore up your base, the center will follow. And that's what has been happening since 1980.
We've lost a grand opportunity in this country. In 2008, the Republicans had screwed up so badly, so completely, that a Democratic wave swept through the country and led us to huge majorities in the House and Senate. We had a chance to finally draw a distinction between us and them. We had a chance to defend the Democratic programs that made this country great and attempt to tear down the Ronald Reagan myth.
We failed. Miserably.
Because after riding the momentum through the elections in 2008, rather than shoring up a motivated base, the Democratic Party went right back to work playing for the center while the Republicans went to work tightening up the base. And in less than two years, the momentum was gone.
Now we have a paralyzed government thanks to the Republicans, who realized that if you can't control the entire legislative branch, you can at least bring everything to a screeching halt for the other side through sheer intransigence.
And only now that we are getting into campaign mode is the party and administration really starting to publicly "hit back" on the issue. But they're not doing it forcefully enough, and frankly it is about three years too late.
Some of my favorite slapstick movies were the "Hot Shots" movies. And sadly, this scene sums up my biggest complaints with today's Democratic Party.
President Thomas 'Tug' Benson: Here's the target area.
Gerou: That's Minnesota, sir.
Benson: Damn it, man, that's the genius of my plan. Why go over there to fight? We can do it right here at home, and get in some good fishing while we're at it.
Gerou: Sir, the enemy is over there.
Benson: Then we'll fly them over here. Their families too. We'll teach them to skate... Do I have to think of everything?
The premise (like much in the movie) is just plain silly. But so is the thought that we aren't willing to take the fight to the Republicans where they are.
The Democratic Party needs to work hard over the next few months to establish a plan for what they intend to do to protect the programs and principles that this party has historically defended. Re-establish the 50-state strategy and fight Republicans EVERYWHERE. Because if the party won't, there will be a lot of people on the left who decide to just sit November out.
And while some folks will say you can't win an election without the moderates, I'll come right back and say you can't win an election without your base.
We're about to lose Wisconsin because the DNC is playing "not to lose" instead of "playing to win".
Can we afford what might happen in November if we continue along this path?