Markos Moulitsas: "Tonight's big lesson"

[Amerigo Vespucci]

Tonight's big lesson
by kos
Tue Nov 03, 2009 at 09:32:52 PM PST

There will be much number-crunching tomorrow, but preliminary numbers (at least in Virginia) show that GOP turnout remained the same as last year, but Democratic turnout collapsed. This is a base problem, and this is what Democrats better take from tonight:

1. If you abandon Democratic principles in a bid for unnecessary "bipartisanship", you will lose votes.

2. If you water down reform in favor of Blue Dogs and their corporate benefactors, you will lose votes.

3. If you forget why you were elected -- health care, financial services, energy policy and immigration reform -- you will lose votes.

Tonight proved conclusively that we're not going to turn out just because you have a (D) next to your name, or because Obama tells us to. We'll turn out if we feel it's worth our time and effort to vote, and we'll work hard to make sure others turn out if you inspire us with bold and decisive action.

The choice is yours. Give us a reason to vote for you, or we sit home. And you aren't going to make up the margins with conservative voters. They already know exactly who they're voting for, and it ain't you.

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/11/4/800316/-Ton...

[derby378]

1. You tell 'em, kid...

On the gear shift, D for Drive is not the same as N for Neutral.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

3. I'd like to see an immediate end to the "unnecessary bipartisanship"

His closing point..."They already know exactly who they're voting for, and it ain't you"...is all we need to know about "reaching across the aisle."

It's all a game, and no matter how much the GOP may scream about the need to "work with us," the minute someone tries it, they're branded as weak.

[Buzz Clik]

2. That's a lot of handwringing over one governorship.

It's a reasonable message, however.

[progressivebydesign]

4. Not really... I doubt those two in NJ and VA were rejected for not being liberal enough.

They were both pretty uninspiring candidates...

[phantom power]

7. That's exactly the point: "uninspiring"

It's only about "being liberal" in the sense of actually accomplishing something. Real HRC. Creating jobs. Getting us the fuck out of Iraqghanistan.

Voters are inspired by accomplishments. For the love of god, I hope the Dems get off their thumbs and accomplish something, or 2010 will not be good.

[clear eye]

10. In a rotten economy, folks need to feel you're doing something to direct the money where it'll help

--a large part of the money, not just pennies.

Otherwise the incumbents will suffer. At this time, we're the incumbents. MM is just seeing the handwriting on the wall for 2010 if at least some things don't change dramatically. Bad, monopoly-owned voting machines and counters, allowing in more and more corporate money for campaigning to bring out the R base, and the federal gov't taking direction from the mega-corporatists and their int'l financier colleagues don't help, either. Who knows, for instance, if the pilot program of e-voting machines didn't allow NYC's Bloomberg to squeak into another term. The college-age folks who turned out in 2008 expected a major change of direction like breaking up the big banks or setting off on the road toward single-payer health care. They didn't expect to have new, harsher weapons directed at them when they tried to do what the President suggested, and "make" him enact major reform by demonstrating peacefully. Alienated people don't vote.

[tblue]

5. Man, I hope they get this. The repub/media will say it's because the Dems overreache

when we know different.

You have to, have to, have to give the base a reason to vote, and to work their asses off to GOTV. Moderation, bipartisanship, and caution will absolutely NOT provide the spark.

Hat tip to Markos.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

8. It's like the scene in "Animal House"...

...where all of the Deltas are sitting around, and Belushi gives his "Germans bombed Pearl Harbor" speech and BOLTS out of the room, expecting everyone to be energized and with him and ready to go kick some ass, and they're all still sitting on the sofa.

Time to stop playing nice. Time to get off the sofa. Time to stop trying to "make friends" in the GOP.

[earthside]

6. Malaise of the Progressive Base

Indeed, put the results of the elections for governors yesterday together with the malaise that exists in the progressive/liberal base of the Democratic Party ... and yes, Markos has the correct diagnosis.

It grieves me to say this, but right now with Pres. Obama's timidity on health care insurance reform, the 120,000 troops still in Iraq, and avoiding the obvious choice for Afghanistan ... well, I'm certainly NOT inspired to do anything for incumbents.

[LynneSin]

9. Wait we lose 2 governor races and they act like we lost everything

I mean does someone realize we picked up a house seat?

[eridani]

13. It's not the losing that matters, but HOW we lost

Deeds' polls dropped every single time he moved right. Corzine got dinged for being a Goldman Sachs CEO.

[Ganja Ninja]

11. Yeah there's not much of a groundswell for bipartisanship these days.

I don't know why they place so much importance on it.

[izzybeans]

12. And if you suck as a governer, you will lose votes.

All that may be true, but the Democrats have had this coming for a long time in New Jersey. Eventually this shoe was going to drop.

I'm glad I no longer live there.

[rug]

14. The alternative is not Palin. The alternative is staying home.