As we speak, Joe Biden has pulled ahead in Pennsylvania and Georgia. If those leads hold up, he will become the 46th president of the United States. But just as importantly, Donald Trump will be a private citizen come January 20, 2021. That in itself is something to rejoice.
First off, African Americans turned out in record numbers in cities like Atlanta, Philadelphia, Detroit and Milwaukee. The decision to pick a woman of color as a running mate was crucial here. After the murder of George Floyd, the Biden campaign clearly listened to their number one constituency and it paid huge dividends. Equally critical were the efforts of Stacey Abrams who was almost single-handedly responsible for flipping the Peach state blue, and assuming it stays that way after the recount, Biden owes her one. Perhaps a cabinet position?
Secondly, despite Trump's best efforts to portray him as a radical, Biden's centrist appeal proved decisive, particularly in the suburbs, where he over performed Hillary Clinton's numbers. Counties that Trump carried four years ago, went for Biden this time around.
Having said that, it's worth noting that the Biden campaign did have its share of missteps. Its outreach to the Hispanic community, particularly in Florida, was scattershot at best. The results out of Miami-Dade confirm that Trump made inroads into that demographic. I also have my doubts as to how effective the courting of moderate Republicans was. My gut tells me that in the end, most of them went for Trump.
But the week was not without its casualties. Put succinctly, this was an epic failure for the Democratic Party. There was no other conclusion you could make.
Consider this: Not only did they fail to retake the Senate in a year where the map was favorable to them, in the end they will be lucky to net even one seat. Yes, there will be two runoff elections in Georgia, but don't bet on them winning either. Democrats win runoffs the way Dodgers' fans stay for extra innings.
In the House, Dems have so far suffered a net loss of five seats, with several races still left to be called. They will be fortunate to come out of this with a slim majority. Virtually all of the losses came from swing districts. It may well take years before the party can reclaim them.
If Biden survives all the legal challenges from the Trump campaign and the GOP - and they are coming - he will be the outlier in this election. Apart from appointing cabinet members, his presidency will be crippled right out of the gate, unable to govern or confirm liberal justices to the bench. Trump's legacy will survive years after he is gone.
This was a repudiation of the Left. Period! Terms like socialism, Medicare for All and defund the police, while not formally embraced by leadership, nevertheless severely damaged the image of the party in the minds of millions of voters. Those voters, in firing Trump, appear to have thrown the baby out with the bathwater.
This is hard for some of my progressive friends to admit, but America is a center-left / center-right nation. It has been that way for decades and it will continue to be that way for years to come. The way to govern effectively is to embrace and champion policies that resonate with a majority of voters, which is what the party did in the 2018 midterms when it ran on defending Obamacare and being a check on Trump's power.
A lot of good Democrats lost this week who didn't have to. If Pelosi survives as Speaker, she and her leadership team will have the unenviable task of rebuilding a party that has become defined, fairly or not, as a far-left party.
Just as the Tea Party had its moment in the sun before reality set in, Democrats must find a way of corralling their base and channeling its energies towards goals that can bring achievable results that benefit people's lives. That is the only way to avoid the freight train that awaits them in the 2022 midterms.
If Joe Biden is smart - and let's be honest, he ran one of the most disciplined, focused campaigns I've seen in quite some time - he will begin to rebrand this party in the image of Bill Clinton. There was a time when Democrats held Senate seats in Arkansas, Nebraska and Louisiana. It can and must find a way to reestablish itself as more than just an elite, coastal party.
The simple truth is there are more Conor Lambs out there than there are AOCs. The quicker Dems figure that out, the better their fortunes will be.
Consider this: Not only did they fail to retake the Senate in a year where the map was favorable to them, in the end they will be lucky to net even one seat. Yes, there will be two runoff elections in Georgia, but don't bet on them winning either. Democrats win runoffs the way Dodgers' fans stay for extra innings.
In the House, Dems have so far suffered a net loss of five seats, with several races still left to be called. They will be fortunate to come out of this with a slim majority. Virtually all of the losses came from swing districts. It may well take years before the party can reclaim them.
If Biden survives all the legal challenges from the Trump campaign and the GOP - and they are coming - he will be the outlier in this election. Apart from appointing cabinet members, his presidency will be crippled right out of the gate, unable to govern or confirm liberal justices to the bench. Trump's legacy will survive years after he is gone.
This was a repudiation of the Left. Period! Terms like socialism, Medicare for All and defund the police, while not formally embraced by leadership, nevertheless severely damaged the image of the party in the minds of millions of voters. Those voters, in firing Trump, appear to have thrown the baby out with the bathwater.
This is hard for some of my progressive friends to admit, but America is a center-left / center-right nation. It has been that way for decades and it will continue to be that way for years to come. The way to govern effectively is to embrace and champion policies that resonate with a majority of voters, which is what the party did in the 2018 midterms when it ran on defending Obamacare and being a check on Trump's power.
A lot of good Democrats lost this week who didn't have to. If Pelosi survives as Speaker, she and her leadership team will have the unenviable task of rebuilding a party that has become defined, fairly or not, as a far-left party.
Just as the Tea Party had its moment in the sun before reality set in, Democrats must find a way of corralling their base and channeling its energies towards goals that can bring achievable results that benefit people's lives. That is the only way to avoid the freight train that awaits them in the 2022 midterms.
If Joe Biden is smart - and let's be honest, he ran one of the most disciplined, focused campaigns I've seen in quite some time - he will begin to rebrand this party in the image of Bill Clinton. There was a time when Democrats held Senate seats in Arkansas, Nebraska and Louisiana. It can and must find a way to reestablish itself as more than just an elite, coastal party.
The simple truth is there are more Conor Lambs out there than there are AOCs. The quicker Dems figure that out, the better their fortunes will be.
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