7 Things Progressives Need to Keep in Mind About Last Night's GOP 'Wave'

[Hissyspit]

http://www.alternet.org/story/148723/it%27s_not_the_end_of_the_world_--_7_things_progressives_need_to_keep_in_mind_about_last_night%27s_gop_%27wave%27

Alternet | By Joshua Holland

It's Not the End of the World -- 7 Things Progressives Need to Keep in Mind About Last Night's GOP 'Wave'

The GOP’s gains represent a predictable rebalancing between presidential elections, rather than an ideological shift in the electorate.

November 3, 2010 |

Election 2010 was, by any measure, the “bloodbath” the forecasters predicted. It was a terrible loss for the Democratic Party, but what about the progressive movement? Should liberals hang their heads in the wake of the GOP retaking the House? Was it a repudiation of everything we believe, or are these results merely a bump in the road for the movement -- a setback on the way to a better, more progressive America?

The reality is that Congress is going to be even more dysfunctional, and thanks to the incoming Tea Party candidates, Fox News and the rest of the right-wing noise machine, we’re going to be subjected to endless investigations into pseudo-scandals involving everyone down to the White House gardener’s second cousin. Maybe we’ll even be treated to an impeachment hearing or two.

The bottom line is that progressives went to bed last night fighting a right wing that’s lost its collective mind, in a broken political system, with a centrist, Wall Street-friendly party that can’t sell its successes, and we wake up in pretty much the same situation. In other words, yes, we now face the disheartening fact that Rand Paul is a member of the United States Senate, the “greatest deliberative body in the world.” But remember, we already had James Inhofe.

But despite all of that, the long-term winds that devastated the GOP in two consecutive “wave elections” and propelled a black man with a funny name into the White House are still at our backs.

We thought a little perspective was in order, so without further preamble, here are seven things progressives should keep in mind after Tuesday’s drubbing:

1. Midterm elections, unlike presidential races, are a collection of low-turnout, localized contests rather than a barometer of the nation’s ideological tilt.

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2. The electorate is hopping mad, but they still dislike Republicans.

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3. Blue Dogs took the brunt of it.

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5. A wave of low-information voters says more about our media and education system than our politics.

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[jimlup]

1. Some however will claim the wrong lessons

I'll be very worried if I hear stuff like:

"Democrats need to move toward the center"

Democrats need to reach across the aisle to work "with" republicans

My cat typed:
wqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqq89 dsssssssshhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

didn't want to censor her important comments!

[AuntPatsy]

3. Be worried then, those talking points have already invaded DU....

[disillusioned73]

2. This is the one that drives me nuts..

"A wave of low-information voters says more about our media and education system than our politics."

A despise low-info., vote against your best interest f%*king idiots - and I am surrounded by them.