Believe it or not, but as we get closer to the election and in anticipation of the Democrats losing control of the Senate, White House officials have now begun to imply that if only Democrats would have tied themselves more closely to Barry “Almighty” they would not now find themselves in their current predicament. But according to the National Journal such a notion is nothing short of "pure delusion." But is it a simple matter of being delusional or is it choosing to live in denial?
Josh Kraushaar, political editor of the National Journal wrote, "Obama is the main reason Republicans are well-positioned to win control of the upper chamber next Tuesday. And Democrats' biggest strategic mistake in this election is that most candidates didn't run away far and fast enough." And with that statement Mr. Kraushaar succeeded in hitting the nail on the head. But with it being known that many of these folks supported Barry 90 percent of the time, I’m not sure how far they could have run.
Kraushaar writes, "Given the president's rock-bottom approval numbers in the many Republican-friendly Senate states that Democrats needed to win — as well as the reality of a worsening political environment for the party as early as last winter — that distance was a downright necessity. But a host of Senate candidates failed to create it, and the party is likely to pay the price in Senate seats." So while the fate of the Democrat majority remains uncertain, they could have made things easier for themselves.
The Journal also points out, "To be sure, in a nationalized election, even those who break from an unpopular president often fall victim to his political problems. The biggest victims in the 2010 wave election were House Democrats in conservative districts, most of whom voted against the president's healthcare law. Their opposition did little to help them. But in Senate races, where candidates' personal brands play a bigger role, there's more opportunity to create space." And yet, few chose to do so.
And as the Journal points out, "This year's midterms are shaping up to be a referendum on President Obama's management, giving anxious voters an opportunity to express their frustration about everything from the president's handling of healthcare, growing terrorism threats, an Ebola scare, and a broken immigration system, among others." But having said that, how surprised should voters really be that this ‘community agitator’ with no real experience has managed to muck things up so badly?
And it concludes by saying, "Democrats should have recognized that the president was falling out of favor with the public and inoculated themselves a long time ago. Instead, many bought the White House's spin, and are at risk of going down with a sinking ship.” These candidates are now victims of having drank the same ‘Kool Aid’ that so many of their constituents once were only too eager to swill down, and in mass quantities, only to find out later that there was something not quite right about it.
In looking back to January 20, 2009, I’m quite sure that Democrats never imagined they would be in the position that they now find themselves in today. Barry was to be the harbinger of 20 years of solid Democrat rule. He was, after all, the ‘One’ whom we had all been waiting for. But the Democrats got a little too greedy, and now they just might be made to pay a pretty stiff price. And while the level to which they’ll be made to pay is still to be determined, there’s no doubt that a price will be paid.
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