H. L Mencken does come to mind.
The Republicans have been rewarded for lousing up (not my words) the economy.
2012: We always have to keep the next election in mind. In 2008, we failed to keep 2010 in mind. So we reap the whirlwind in 2010.
OfA has failed to use the tool they discovered to good effect: To build local network in service to local politics. It’s not all about Obama’s agenda, guys. It’s also about the off-year elections. It’s also about people remaining engaged and engaging their neighbors. It’s also about supporting the next generation of candidates. Or maybe they found a tool created by Howard Dean and thought it was just a shiny toy, instead of a strategy that goes deeper than the four-year election cycle.
Political journalism is essentially dead. E.g. PolitiFact parsed trivialities; substantial policy questions got paltry treatment. Case in point: Americans are voting on the wrong information
Scott Walker, Ron Johnson and Leah Vukmir are out of their depth. The republic — and the state — have survived worse, I suppose.
This was an inspiring experience for those involved in the campaign.
- An amazing campaign operation, particularly given the resources arrayed against it
- Wonderful staffers I worked with: Stephanie(!) Nate, Jackie, Dan, Zach, Matt – you stood in the face of a tremendous tide beyond your control and brought hundreds people together to serve a common cause.
We are slowly digging our way out of a hole that was deeply dug by Ronald Reagan and which reached its nadir with George W. Bush. This is a bump on the road.
My personal experience with the electorate was cordial. Don’t make too much of the “Tea Party rage” meme.
FDR lost House and Senate seats in all but the first of midterms during his presidency.
Watch for a useful 1994 vs 2010 analysis.