In contrast to the Obama coalition of labor, minorities, immigrants, environmentalists and the young, the Republican coalition that emerged in the mid-term elections consists largely of the super-rich industrialists and financiers, gun nuts, nativist racists, polluters and neo-confederates. Abetted by the Fox News offerings of “all-fear; all the time”, the Republican coalition was widely reported in pre-election polls to be more motivated by the election than the Democrats.
And with a turnout of only 38 percent of eligible voters, the fearful coalition won with less than 20 percent (on average) of the eligible voter population. Where was the fear in the Obama coalition? By not emphasizing the fear of the horrible things that could (and probably now, will happen) if those folks attained power, the Democrats surrendered the fear message. But at the same time, they mostly tried to pretend that they were “Republican Lite.” They turned their backs on the powerful arguments made by the likes of Elizabeth Warren. They refused to be seen with the head of their own party and the sitting president. They tried to hide from the undeniable benefits of the Affordable Care Act. They brandished their support for the positions of the NRA. They never mentioned the shredding by Republicans of the social contract in favor of the Hobbesian individualism of Ayn Rand.
So why would Democratic voters turn out to elect these cowards? Of course, the Republican coalition was motivated more than the Democratic coalition, because they were convinced that they had more to lose if the other side won. The Democratic coalition heard almost nothing beyond some rhetoric about abortion rights and the war on women. Important as that is, it was not enough to bring along the rest of the coalition. So they got creamed.