GOP flips 14 state legislatures and unifies control of 25

[totodeinhere]

Although attention has focused on GOP gains in Congress and Governor's mansions, the worst part of the night for Democrats probably came in state legislative seats. The National Conference of State Legislatures estimates that Democrats had the worst night in state legislative seats since 1928. With races outstanding in New York, Washington and Oregon, Republicans have flipped at least 14 chambers, and have unified control of 25 state legislatures. They have picked up over five hundred state legislative seats, including over 100 in New Hampshire alone.

It looks like local races went very badly for us last night. I wonder what lessons we can learn from this. We have to do better at the local level or we will continue to have our heads handed to us on a platter. As a start I think we need a return to Howard Dean's 50 state strategy before it's too late.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2010/11/03/biggest_gop_gains_in_statehouses_107826.html

[OHdem10]

1. We need a real Democratic Party. Every year we wait until

Sept. to start campaigning.

This year the Republicans had been campaigning since
the day Obama was sworn in. They had completely smeared
the Party, the Democratic Legislation for 2years. No
One Really fought back. Waiting until Sept. to start
was running with your hands tied behind your back.

When I say a real party. I mean a party that is active
in every state the whole year round. Direct regular
communication between the State Party and National
Party. Howard Dean had really worked hard to set
this up. Television Commercials do not hack it any\
more. It will take more than TV commercials. Culture
Changes and they had better get in touch.

When you get a good team at RNC leave them in place
so they can improve and improve.

[Hardrada]

2. And repetitious annoying phone calls do not help either.

[David__77]

3. 2012 begins now.

Infrastructure, candidates, the whole thing.

[JCMach1]

4. The move away from the 50 state strategy failed us here too...

Obama's team seems to have placed some idiots in the DNC...

[FBaggins]

5. It isn't 14... it's likely 20 or more.

Chamber switches thus far:
Alabama - House and Senate
Colorado- House
Indiana - House
Iowa - House
Maine – House and Senate
Michigan - House
Minnesota - House and Senate
Montana - House
New Hampshire - House and Senate
North Carolina - House and Senate
Ohio - House
Pennsylvania - House
Wisconsin - Assembly and Senate

The New York Senate was too close to call last night when I went to bed, but it was a tie at best. That's potentially bad news in redistricting, since republicans picked up four House seats there and at least two of them could have easily been drawn out of existence).

The three pending legislatures are the Washington Senate and both chambers in Oregon (Because of how they vote).

Oregon's House went from 36-24 demcoratic to an even split, the state senate went from 18-12 to a possible tie (15-14 with one still uncalled). The Washington senate was 31-18 until yesterday. It's now 24-22 with three still uncalled.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

6. Does That Mean There Are Now More Republican Officeholders Than Democrats Nationwide?

~

[FBaggins]

7. By several hundred, yes.

At least... from the White House down to the state houses.

I don't know about sheriffs/mayors/county commissioners down to dog catchers.

[Dr.Phool]

8. Florida Dem Chair, Karen Thurman needs to resign immediately.

The most inept, incompetent, corrupt Party in the country,

They couldn't get 40% of the vote, if the election was fixed in their favor.

And the asshole who put her in, Sen. Bill Nelson, needs to go too.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

9. Bill Nelson Is The Only Democrat In Florida That Can Hold That Seat

Bill Nelson is the only Democrat that can hold that seat . Haven't we Floridians suffered enough.

[FBaggins]

10. Then we've got trouble. I think there's a good chance that he'll retire.

I think PPP polled a Nelson/Bush matchup a few months ago and the results were too close for my comfort (and therefore for Nelson's).

And if he retires, I think you're right... I'm not sure who else can hold it.

Though Alex Sink had a pretty solid showing considering how tough a year it was for Democrats. She could give it another shot.

[Freddie Stubbs]

13. Who do you propose to replace Bill Nelson?

Are there any Democrats with a better record of winning state-wide election in Florida?

[sweetapogee]

11. To add to your thoughtful post

As an example...

In my county (NE PA), the state house of Representatives was held by Keith McCall for 28 years then many years before that by his father. Keith currently is the Speaker of the PA House of Representatives. He chose not to run this term but his dem successor was pulverized by a bagger neophyte, and this is a solid dem county.

Up until two years ago, there was no real county republican club and the puke committee was a joke. No one is laughing now because there is a well organized tea bagger machine here and it ain't going anywhere any time soon. I know this because I have family who are puke county committee members, which is an elected position. They have been active ever since 2008, waiting for this moment. Phone banks, fundraisers, political events, town hall meetings (which dems avoided like the plague), media interviews, booths at fairs and outside concerts, it goes on and on. Tuesday, at my polling place, the only poll watchers were pubs and this I'm told was typical of the county precincts.

On edit: their puke celebration lasted 3 hours Tuesday evening. Wed. morning and they were back to work as if they lost everything. This is what we are up against.

Sheriff Bart put it so well, "Hey Mongo, it's wake up time"!

[FBaggins]

12. There are stories like that all over the country.

Here in NC it was worse than any of us feared.

We got slaughtered and redistricting is going to set much of it into concrete.

[totodeinhere]

14. That's the thing about the teabaggers that scares me the most.

They may be racist bigots, but they know how to organize, and if we don't wake up and out organize them then we are toast in many parts of the country. We can't be a party that only has strongholds on both coasts. We need to be strong in the heartland as well.

I know that hindsight is 20/20, but damn it, I miss Howard Dean as DNC chairman.

[sweetapogee]

15. "I know that hindsight is 20/20, but damn it, I miss Howard Dean as DNC chairman."

totodeinhere, my friend, you are missing the point. It isn't about who is running the DNC, it's who in your county party that is setting up and showing up for meetings and doing all the things that I mentioned in my previous post.

I can tell you right now there is no one in my county willing to do this work, never mind getting an army of soldiers willing to man the gun boats. Do you think that the RNC sent leaders out to Carbon County PA to show the baggers what to do and when to do it? I seriously doubt it, the RNC doesn't even like the tea baggers. But as I said, I have family in the puke committee and they put in 10-15 hours per week every week for the past 2 years. When people say the baggers are corporate stooges, it makes me want to scream because there are no corporate anythings in this county.