This is not going to be pretty.
The messaging coming from the Democrat camp leading up to the midterms has been anemic, defensive and borders on the pathetic. The messages I’m seeing scroll through my inbox on a daily basis focuses more on what evils would transpire if Republicans manage to take control of the Senate than what Democrats stand for. Playing defense against the best offense in politics is a strategy doomed to failure.
I would have thought that it would be entirely obvious by now that you’re never going to beat and well-funded and disciplined messaging machine by trying to minimize your losses, but apparently not everyone gets that. Republicans are constantly on the attack, either trying to gain ground or deflect from their own policy shortcomings. Democrats keep coming back with unfocused and anemic talking points, trying to hang on with the message that they’re not Republicans. Listening to messaging from Democrats is like watching a train wreck in slow motion (disclosure: I’m taking a train trip this weekend so train wrecks on my mind). Instead of staking out ground and fighting for it, Democrats are content to cede ground to the Republicans and fight at the margins. It’s a losing strategy and the polls support that observation. The New York Times is already trying to find a bright side to the Democrats losing the Senate.
Our local Democrats are a prime example. Every event invitation I get is attached to either a ticket charge or suggested donation. Nothing says Big Tent quite like a constant barrage of fund raising requests. Perhaps ironically, Democrats and Republicans frequently use the same venues for fundraising events on different days. It should be no surprise to anyone that, to the casual observer, there doesn’t seem to be much difference between the parties.
Both parties are not the same and, instead of going out of their way to highlight those differences, like trumpeting the successes of the Obama economy, it’s almost like Democrats are intentionally trying to blur the lines. Why aren’t Hillary and Bill Clinton out stumping for Democrats running in tight Senate races? What are Democrats fighting for besides some marginal changes to our immigration laws? It’s one of the most confused, bewildering and ineffective displays of political gamesmanship I’ve ever witnessed.
Americans love a winner and won’t remember that, instead of working on jobs and budget issues, Republicans spent their first months in Congress trying to erect obstacles to abortion. They don’t know about the Koch bothers and don’t realize what they’re supporting when they buy paper from Georgia Pacific or paper towels from Bounty. They also don’t care about the endless parade of public gaffes made by GOP politicians from other districts even though left-leaning media seems to devote an inordinate amount of time to publicizing those missteps. When faced with a strategy that’s clearly not working, other organizations would try something different but not Democrats.
I left the Republican party because it left me but I’m constantly bewildered by the lack of fight demonstrated by Democrats, who remind me of the manatees that roll up in the shallows on cold days here in Florida; formless, colorless and barely awake. I would have a lot easier time accepting fighting and losing than this limp-wrist muddle of party that barely has a pulse and seems far too comfortable with getting their collective ass kicked.
That’s one thing I admire about Republicans, they’re not afraid to lose and they’ll go down swinging. Too bad we can’t say the same about Democrats.