While I'm hating on the DNC: I went to a town hall of my local Rep., Karen Bass (D, CA) last week, and learned that a couple of House seats within driving distance had been close enough races in 2016 that they could be flipped in 2018 with some serious get-out-the-vote. During a Q&A, I mentioned that I was encouraged about the possibility of adding some D seats to the House from within already very blue CA, and wanted to volunteer.
I framed the House as especially important because taking back the Senate – with just 8 R seats up for change versus 25 Dems – was basically impossible; all but one of those 8 are deep red states. So Dems would have to win ALL of their vulnerable seats (10 of which are from states Drumpf won or nearly did in in 2016), *and* grab three of eight R seats in very, very unlikely races to gain a Senate majority.
Rep. Bass responded that she wasn't ready to concede the Senate, and thought the Dems could win it back. Big applause. I was frustrated as hell and stunned that she either a) was just making a feel-good point, b) didn't understand the math and dynamics of 2018, c) was suggesting the same nonsense tactics that the DNC/HRC tried last year, where they were talking about flipping AZ and TX (!), or d) all of the above. The Rs and the powers behind them got a gift out of Drumpf, but they have been playing the long game for 10-30 years now, particularly at the state level, and to see this rah-rah crap instead of hardball tactics and strategy really depressed me.
And I hadn't even mentioned that, JFC, Republicans are once statehouse away from being able to change the fucking Constitution with their current ownership of the Legislative and the Executive. Wake the fuck up, Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, these fuckers are playing for keeps, while you're kneecapping Bernie.
I framed the House as especially important because taking back the Senate – with just 8 R seats up for change versus 25 Dems – was basically impossible; all but one of those 8 are deep red states. So Dems would have to win ALL of their vulnerable seats (10 of which are from states Drumpf won or nearly did in in 2016), *and* grab three of eight R seats in very, very unlikely races to gain a Senate majority.
Rep. Bass responded that she wasn't ready to concede the Senate, and thought the Dems could win it back. Big applause. I was frustrated as hell and stunned that she either a) was just making a feel-good point, b) didn't understand the math and dynamics of 2018, c) was suggesting the same nonsense tactics that the DNC/HRC tried last year, where they were talking about flipping AZ and TX (!), or d) all of the above. The Rs and the powers behind them got a gift out of Drumpf, but they have been playing the long game for 10-30 years now, particularly at the state level, and to see this rah-rah crap instead of hardball tactics and strategy really depressed me.
And I hadn't even mentioned that, JFC, Republicans are once statehouse away from being able to change the fucking Constitution with their current ownership of the Legislative and the Executive. Wake the fuck up, Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, these fuckers are playing for keeps, while you're kneecapping Bernie.