Kilgore on TPM - "Mythbusting The Punditry Class' Election Postmortems"

[NRaleighLiberal]

This is actually quite an optimistic assessment. I put in the main categories (bold) with snips of a few summary statements. Worth reading it all.

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/cafe/mythbusting-the-punditry-class-election-postmortems

Republicans won a tsunami victory that portends a big win in 2016

Uh, no, probably not. ____snip_________

The Democratic GOTV operation was a failure

___snip_____But turnout was up from 2010 levels in most states with competitive ____snip____

Democrats should finally write off the south

_____snip_____The trend lines are actually positive, with the realignment towards Republicans of southern white voters reaching its point of diminishing returns______snip_______

'Populism' is the cure-all/won’t work for Democrats

___________snip_____I’d personally argue that what Democrats most need isn’t “less” or “more” populism, but a more comprehensive economic message that explains how income equality is critical to growth and offers not just one but various ways to boost paychecks._____snip______

Fundamentals explain everything

_____snip_____But sometimes candidates and campaigns trump everything._________

snip

[KoKo]

1. Thanks! Interesting....and here's a couple of snips from the piece

Democrats should finally write off the south

------snip------

I’d argue what’s really obsolete is the get-as-far-to-the-right-as-possible Blue Dog model for southern Democratic success, epitomized by Rep. John Barrow (D-GA), who finally lost this year. Absent some strong, specifically partisan anti-Republican trend in a particular year, southern white conservative voters see no reason to vote Democratic any more, and each year their return becomes more unlikely. But ascending elements of the southern electorate, including transplants and knowledge workers, continue to be a ripe target for Democrats.


(And, this Snip....Reminds me of Edward's "Two Americas" which is even more true today than it was in 2004)


'Populism' is the cure-all/won’t work for Democrats

Nothing was more ubiquitous in Democratic campaigns this year than support for such “populist” economic themes as a higher minimum wage, which polled well nearly everywhere and sometimes split Republicans. But even in states where voters approved minimum wage ballot initiatives, Democratic statewide candidates did not benefit, leading some observers to conclude “populist” appeals to reduce inequality might be less effective than a pro-growth message while others countered that a sharper populist message was needed when the Democratic Party holds the While House and is deemed responsible for the economy.

This is a dilemma for Democrats that goes back at least to the Clinton years, and will be partly ameliorated by the imminent departure from office of President Obama, making it easier for his successor as Democratic nominee to make 2016 a “two futures” choice of economic policies rather than a referendum on a status quo still suffering from the mistakes of the Bush administration. I’d personally argue that what Democrats most need isn’t “less” or “more” populism, but a more comprehensive economic message that explains how income equality is critical to growth and offers not just one but various ways to boost paychecks. Princeton professor Alan Blinder has made a pretty good start.

[NRaleighLiberal]

2. .

thanks! I am more in the mood for thoughtful analyses these days, not simple facebook memes. (although I suspect most of the public resonates more with memes than reading and analyzing anything of substance - the cynicism of getting to be a grumpy old guy, I guess!)