Five reasons why Dems could do well in 2014

[eridani]

http://planetpov.com/2014/04/14/five-reasons-why-democrats-could-do-well-in-the-2014-elections/

The pundits are already energetically pronouncing the Republicans the inevitable winners in this November’s election. These assumptions are based on the theory that the Earth doesn’t revolve around the sun and that seasons never change. Projecting what will happen in an election that is seven months away based upon where things stand at this particular moment in time seems to display an intentional tunnelvision. There actually seems to be a degree of delight in these pundits, a preference in such an outcome as they predict an oncoming train wreck of our democracy in which a radical Republican controlled Congress brings complete gridlock and dysfunction under a Democratic President. Perhaps this is because the greater the conflict in our society, the more job security, income and attention they can get.

However, just because pundits are relying on the political environment in the U.S. to remain petrified for seven months, it doesn’t mean that will actually happen. Here are five reasons why the Democrats could win in this year’s elections.

1. NATIONALIZING THE ELECTION

We’ve all heard how the approval ratings of Congress have been at record lows yet people still re-elect their own Congresspeople. To address this disconnect, if Democrats running for Congress nationalize their election, they may be able to overcome this dichotomy. Democrats have already been talking publicly about presenting an election year agenda that includes income equality, raising the minimum wage and protecting voting rights. By offering their voters a more substantial choice on policies, laying out the specific, national agenda they will pursue on real issues that directly affect voters and standing them up side by side with the gridlock that voting for the Republican candidate would cause, they may be able to breakthrough to enough voters who want things to get better for them and the country.

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There are no sure things in politics…even if pundits would like the public to believe they have some special insight into the future. What has been proven is that pundits are more frequently wrong than they are accurate and never pay a price for proclaiming as probable things that turn out to be incorrect.

Just last November, pundits were saying that Obamacare’s troubled rollout had doomed it to failure and Chris Christie was so nationally popular, he was the odds on favorite to win the GOP Presidential primary and perhaps the White House. And that was just five months ago, yet the landscape has changed dramatically from then…and they turned out to be dead wrong once again.

[Dawson Leery]

1. kick

[Wounded Bear]

2. You know, I hate to get over hopeful...

and I certainly don't want anybody to get complacent, but I'm actually starting to get a bit of a 2012 vibe here.

The M$M was pretty clueless then, and I don't think they've gotten much better since. Oh, I've seen some 'reporting' by the media that hints at loosening the stranglehold on the pundit class, but they're still mostly hyping the neo-con/liberal bullshit. Plus, they have to promote the horse race aspect of it.

With 8 million and counting getting insurance through the exchanges, and millions more getting it as a direct result of the ACA, the Dems have a very powerful weapon at their disposal. It's a double edged sword, too.

1. On the one hand, they can say: We did that, without Repub help and over their very strong opposition.

2. On the other hand, they can say, in truth that everybody can see: They want to take your health insurance away, the policy you just got. Don't believe it? Look at the congressional record. It's there in black and white. They voted over 50 times to take away your health coverage.

Faux is still hawking the "It doesn't work!" line and sooner or later people will see past the curtain and see "Hey wait a minute. It's working for me. It's working for Aunt Matilda. WTF are they talking about?" Sooner or later, the cognitive dissonance breaks down and through for a critical mass of people.

If we can GOTV, we can win.

[Robbins]

4. My feeling

This may not be all doom and gloom as MSM wants. Despite what some will now claim they keep pushing romney could win memo and
Demcorats won't pick up any seats. We picked up 8 In house and 2 In the senate.

Democrats will not take back the house but keeping the senate Is doable. Democrats have chances at picking up governoships In
States. Swing states like Ohio,Florida,and Pa. Plus may have shots In red states like Kansas and GA.

[DFW]

3. I spent past of last Monday afternoon wih Andy Tobias

And he says WE CAN DO THIS!!

I believe him, and will what I can help.

[sendero]

5. I totally agree with this..

.... and in fact when recently listening to NPR (Mara Liason?) expound at length about how in trouble the Democrats are for 2014, I couldn't help but feel like her case was much weaker than her enthusiasm for her predicted outcome.

I think people ARE getting fed up with a limping economy sold as "recovering". The voter suppression tactic DO tend to piss people off, the backlash could easily overwhelm the intended effect.

The ACA, all but written off several months ago now can boast 8 million signups, how many "pundits" predicted that? Not many.

The future is not what it used to be.

[McCamy Taylor]

6. I just hope the GOP keeps calling it a referedum on "Obamacare." If Obama was on the ballot

this election would be in the bag. If they say his name enough, it will be like putting his name on the ballot.

[davidpdx]

8. No kidding

And "Obamacare" is slowly rising in popularity. The tide is turning slowly and that could help in November. If that is their strategy, then my reply would be to remind them of how many times they've tried to repeal it. It would be a losing proposition for them.

[BlueMTexpat]

7. It will really depend on how Dem candidates

frame their issues and hold their ground on traditional Dem values and, of course, on our ability to GOTV.

Given the pundits' generally poor track records, I am frankly more happy to see them writing Dems off than to be predicting Dem wins. It is also likely either that they are reading from their corporate-controlled scripts, espouse RW-think tank views or sincerely believe that they don't have their heads up their a$$es. Which they do.

Let us surprise them all.