Democrats Turn on the Real Enemy: Each Other
Even before the Democratic Party's…drubbing (that seems to be the favored term this time around) in yesterday's elections, the White House was already blaming its supposed allies for the defeats that were (correctly) anticipated once voters trooped to the polls.
"Ultimately, you know, it's the quality of these candidates that's going to be the driver of their success in this election," White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said Monday in what just might be taken as a slap at political hopefuls who were frantically distancing themselves from the aura of electoral leprosy surrounding President Obama.
Oh no you don't, legislative Democrats responded. It's the albatross tie in the Oval Office who sealed our doom.
"The president's approval rating is barely 40 percent," said David Krone, chief of staff to (soon to be former) Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. "What else more is there to say? .?.?. He wasn't going to play well in North Carolina or Iowa or New Hampshire. I'm sorry. It doesn't mean that the message was bad, but sometimes the messenger isn't good."
After most of the votes were counted and the extent of the Republican wave—or Democratic washout—was clear, Dems lined up to swing a bit more at the presidential piñata. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) openly blamed Obama's energy policies, while other's essentially referred to him as a boat anchor on anybody with a "D" next to their names.
There's nothing unique about this round of fingerpointing. Political parties should reasses themselves after they take a drubbing/shellacking/whatever to consider whether they're advocating policies or behaving in ways that the electorate finds especially stupid or offensive. Republicans have done this in the past, including after their disappointing performance in 2012. It's a big part of the reason the party ran far fewer overt loons for office this year.
Now it's the Democrats' turn. With an unpopular president carrying their party's standard and despised policies in health, climate, and energy to their name, they need to take a hard look at the fundamentals.
And for those of us who have to live with what elected officials hath wrought, it's finally time to grab the popcorn and get some entertainment out of the latest round of fingerpointing.