Why Democrats Are Smiling

[babylonsister]

Why Democrats Are Smiling

by Eric Alterman


The elections may have been a mixed bag for the White House, but they certainly didn’t signal a Republican renaissance. Far from it—the party’s “grassroots patriots” are now headed for war against the moderate apostates.

While the Democratic brand is obviously not what it was when so many of us were brought to tears a year ago by that beautiful scene in Grant Park, Republicans are on the verge of civil war. The sure-to be-a loser side appears to have all the soldiers and the reasonable-sounding side, and the one that can win, appears to have well, not much going on. The Republicans’ suicide will be anything but painless if this keeps up—and it will, if only to continue to juice Fox’s ratings.

Still, Tuesday was a mixed bag for the Obama White House. Clearly someone in the political office needs a vacation, perhaps an embassy post in Bora-Bora.

Obama traveled three times to New Jersey for Jon Corzine, an unpopular incumbent who never polled above 45 percent and who made his opponent’s waistline his most significant campaign issue. What’s more, Corzine was relying on a heavy vote for a nutty third-party candidate even to have a chance of winning. Meanwhile, a minor investment in New York City might have turned out the greatest political upset of the year and given the Obama operation a powerful shot of mojo, rejuvenating the issue of campaign finance reform in the process. But it was not to be. Obama bet on the wrong horses—make that billionaires—on both banks of the Hudson.

But overall, the news was pretty good for Obama and the Democrats from the standpoint of 2010 and even more so for 2012. Many in the media are echoing the wishful thinking of the Republican National Committee chairman, Michael Steele, who called Tuesday a “Republican renaissance.” In fact, it was a victory exclusively for Republican centrists. Bloomberg would be a liberal Democratic in city in real America. And in both Virginia and New Jersey, candidates won governorships by explicitly avoiding the issues that get Fox News anchors all hot and bothered. “Va. Republicans pledge to steer toward center” was the headline of a Washington Post story that explained, “Despite winning the governor’s race by a 17-percentage point blowout, Virginia Republicans insisted Wednesday that they had gained no broad mandate and would make their top priority the pragmatic platform that drove voters to the polls did not mention gun control or abortion, much less gay marriage.”

Meanwhile, the “real Republican” running Tuesday night—the one who represents Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Sarah Palin, and Tea Parties—lost to a rather nondescript Democrat in the now legendary New York 23rd Congressional District race. OK, so Doug Hoffman was not on the Republican ballot. The point is not only did he have the support of the grassroots and much of the party’s leadership—over their own party’s nominee—but he lost in a way that only emboldened his supporters to continue to make life miserable for the rest of the apostates who fail to see the world in the black and white hues that are so clear to them (and only them).

more...

http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-11-05/why-democrats-are-smiling/full/

[Clio the Leo]

1. And the news SINCE Tuesday has been even better.....

.... with Steele threatening to fight moderate Republicans who "helped" the President's agenda.

It's the exact OPPOSITE of what they did right Tuesday and the exact OPPOSITE of what they need to do to win elections.

And it's MIND BLOWING. I love it! lol

[Orsino]

3. They're betting that they can prevent any reform...

...but will find themselves unable to claim credit for much of anything.

[elocs]

2. Gas? n/t