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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsDemocrats Were Not Decimated Under Obama
January 12, 2017 By Taegan Goddard
Ron Brownstein: Most analyses overstate the Democrats down-ballot losses under Obama because they only start counting after he took office in 2009. That denies him credit for the candidates he helped elect during his resounding first win in 2008. As Ive written before, the fairest way to measure a presidents impact on his party is to compare its electoral position just before he first appeared on the ballot with its position just after the election to succeed him. That gives the president responsibility for any other officials initially swept in with him, the outcomes during his tenure, and the shadow he casts over the election to replace him.
Under that approach, we would measure Obama by comparing the Democrats standing after the 2006 electionjust before his first racewith its position after Novembers contest. Using that standard, Democrats will end the Obama era with 39 fewer House seats (233 to 194), three fewer Senate seats (51 to 48), and 12 fewer governorships (28 to 16).
Those losses are formidable, but hardly unique. Parties almost always lose ground elsewhere while they hold the White House.
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https://politicalwire.com/2017/01/12/democrats-not-decimated-obama/
yallerdawg
(16,104 posts)It looks "decimated" to me.
That's a lot of ground to lose!
Time to shelve complacency and work on taking it back!
Sherman A1
(38,958 posts)I seem to wonder about the author of the article.
treestar
(82,383 posts)yallerdawg
(16,104 posts)CentralMass
(15,265 posts)KittyWampus
(55,894 posts)Howard Dean was seeing success.
Obama listened to Clinton and put in her cronies. Probably to appease her for the Primary loss.
Big mistake he should own up to, some day.