Will Democrats Fumble the 2018 Midterm Elections?

[Uncle Joe]

Last Thursday, The Atlantic ran a story that was pretty darn embarrassing for the national Democratic leadership – or should have been. Five black women who'd won House primaries around the country told assistant editor Elaine Godfrey the party had completely blown them off: no support, no contact, not even a congratulatory call or email when they won. "I have yet to receive one red cent from the local, the state, or the national party," said Jeannine Lee Lake, who beat five other Democrats in a House primary in Indiana on May 8th. Lake said she totally understands that the party can't realistically throw money into every House race, especially in heavily Republican districts like hers. Even so, why the cold shoulder, especially at a time when Democratic officials are constantly yammering about black women being "the backbone" of the party? "It's the height of hypocrisy," Lake said. "We bring millions of votes into these campaigns, and we're gettin' no love." At the very least, Lake said, "the optics look bad."

The next morning, the optics looked worse. On Friday the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which works to elect Democrats to the House, rolled out 10 new additions to its "red-to-blue" program, aimed at flipping Republican seats in November. Ten new all-white candidates, that is. The DCCC had already come under fire earlier this year, when its program – which gives selected candidates funding, organizational, and field support that are essential to winning – had anointed a couple dozen contenders early on, with not a single black candidate among them. Now, with 53 candidates included, just three are black. (Check out the roster on the DCCC site.) But if Democrats are embarassed by this shameful lack of representation, you wouldn't know it: The DCCC could not even wait out out the weekend, while a viral story about its exclusion of black women was making the rounds, before announcing they were getting behind a bunch more white people.

(snip)

If that sounds hyperbolic, just look at the week the party had before its "red-to-blue" blunder. The previous Friday, June 8th, the DNC's rules committee had infuriated progressives with a gratuitous slap at Bernie Sanders – a resolution that requires future presidential candidates to swear allegiance to the Democratic Party or be left off primary ballots. In practical terms, this was a nothingburger: Sanders can still run for the party's nomination in 2020 if he takes the new blood oath. But the relative meaningless of the resolution made it even more mystifying: The only thing it would accomplish – besides giving a shot of schadenfreude to Democratic elites who blame Sanders and the left for the party's wipeout in 2016 – was a raft of ugly headlines that would inflame the Bernie people (otherwise known as 43 percent of Democratic primary voters in 2016.)

(snip)

Let's be clear: There is no shortage of squalling babies on either side of the divide that's killing the party's ability to be an effective vehicle for the Resistance. The fightin' Sandernistas can be every bit as petty and short-sighted as the clingin' Clintonites. But it's the latter group that still holds the power in the national party to veto reforms the progressives want, to funnel resources into centrist House campaigns (and away from more progressive candidates), or to slap down Sanders and his supporters for no discernible reason but settling imaginary scores from 2016. All of which they – the self-proclaimed adults of the party, who claim to have a corner on electoral wisdom and strategery that all Democrats should heed – have been doing with reckless abandon practically since the moment Trump was declared the new president.

(snip)

https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/how-democrats-could-fumble-2018-midterms-w521753

This is a good read.

[Loki Liesmith]

1. No

[More_Cowbell]

2. I stopped supporting the national committee

Now I support individual candidates.

[KPN]

8. Ditto. I support my county Democratic

Committee however. Stopped supporting DNC and DCCC in 2012.

[beachbum bob]

3. More bullshit...probably straight from Putin himself...no surprise it's showing

up in DU...no fumbling possible.

[Uncle Joe]

4. Which part of the article is factually incorrect and

who is "Purim?"

[beachbum bob]

5. Typo...

Who cares...the opinion is flawed as well as the analysis to breed discontent like a good Russian bot plant...

[Uncle Joe]

6. So his opinion is flawed and yet you provide no contrary evidence to the factual points raised by

the author in the OP.

Why do you believe that he's probably a "Russian bot plant," is it because of factual evidence or is that just your gut feeling?

[oswaldactedalone]

7. They won't fumble it

We just have no way of overriding the reich wing noise machine. Until Bloomberg and other high rollers develop a media counter to Faux Noise, Limpballs and the rest, we cannot get a coherent and sustained message out.

[Judi Lynn]

9. So much at stake. Thanks for the article, Uncle Joe. n/t

[stuffmatters]

11. This

[Marbgd1]

10. How is this a question?

Of course they will.

A family tradition.