‘Dems Are Doomed’ Punditry Floods Capitol Hill After Virginia Loss

November 3, 2021
MCLEAN, VIRGINIA - NOVEMBER 02: Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) does a television interview before the start of Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate, former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe's election night rally. (Photo... MCLEAN, VIRGINIA - NOVEMBER 02: Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) does a television interview before the start of Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate, former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe's election night rally. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images) MORE LESS
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November 3, 2021

Like clockwork, the takes are rolling in after Democratic candidate Terry McAuliffe lost the Virginia governor’s race to Republican Glenn Youngkin. People’s hypotheses for why McAuliffe lost vary from Youngkin’s dressing up of white grievance to Democrats sucking at messaging to congressional gridlock to historical precedent to schooling amid a pandemic and beyond. But a general conclusion among pundits, bolstered by the extremely tight governor’s race in New Jersey is: this was a bellwether, and Democrats are screwed.

The biggest threat to Democrats in the immediate aftermath of this election is not that these doom-and-gloom predictions about the 2022 midterms will come true. It’s that congressional moderates, imbued with huge power due to slight margins in both chambers, will be shaken by the takes and distance themselves from the party. If they decide to throw up new roadblocks to passing Democrats’ two-pronged legislative agenda, they have the power to sink it — ironically, probably robbing Democrats of their best weapon against the political headwinds, President Biden’s dismal approval numbers and the omnipresent COVID-19 pandemic that threaten their future elections.

Some congressional Democrats are using the loss as further evidence that they need to pass the two bills as soon as possible to staunch the bleeding. Some are hoping that the grim night will light a fire under the slow-moving Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV). We’re watching it all.

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Like clockwork, the takes are rolling in after Democratic candidate Terry McAuliffe lost the Virginia governor’s race to Republican Glenn Youngkin. People’s hypotheses for why McAuliffe lost vary from Youngkin’s dressing up of white grievance to Democrats sucking at messaging to congressional gridlock to historical precedent to schooling amid a pandemic and beyond. But a general conclusion among pundits, bolstered by the extremely tight governor’s race in New Jersey is: this was a bellwether, and Democrats are screwed.

The biggest threat to Democrats in the immediate aftermath of this election is not that these doom-and-gloom predictions about the 2022 midterms will come true. It’s that congressional moderates, imbued with huge power due to slight margins in both chambers, will be shaken by the takes and distance themselves from the party. If they decide to throw up new roadblocks to passing Democrats’ two-pronged legislative agenda, they have the power to sink it — ironically, probably robbing Democrats of their best weapon against the political headwinds, President Biden’s dismal approval numbers and the omnipresent COVID-19 pandemic that threaten their future elections.

Some congressional Democrats are using the loss as further evidence that they need to pass the two bills as soon as possible to staunch the bleeding. Some are hoping that the grim night will light a fire under the slow-moving Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV). We’re watching it all.

Notable Replies

  1. Avatar for zandru zandru says:

    Well, results notwithstanding, “Dems R Doomed” is just as standard a media byline as “Dems in Disarray.” Does this meme/branding/standard story also drive voters? It sure seems to drown out any Democratic messaging. We all know how lame the Dems are at messaging. They focus on good governance, which just bores Americans.

  2. Terry screwed up Hillary’s campaign some years ago. He brought applied those same approaches, poor messaging, and bad campaign tactics to his own run for office.

    It is not a disaster, but it is a wake-up call. Yo, Dem leaders? Try the following:

    1. NEVER run a former Clinton person for office again. Ever.
    2. Listen to your opponents, and talk about that.
    3. Listen to your constructive critics and learn from us.
    4. WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING ABOUT BIDEN’S AGENDA? WHERE ARE YOU? WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?
    5. How about messaging and pushing out a popular meme - like how much the infrastructure plan would help individual states? GO there and sell it to them.
    6. The White House hath no clean hands. Biden should have learned from Obama’s failure with ACA. Instead of selling it to the public, they let the GOP destroy it with tiny cuts, limitations, and removal of popular facets. Biden is seeing the same thing with his legislative ideas, and dammit, he is repeating Obama’s mistakes. HE needs to be out selling it, as should every other WH person. This lack of leadership from the WH is extremely demoralizing.
  3. Just because that part can’t be highlighted enough.

  4. Avatar for jmacaz jmacaz says:

    IF they are correct and the Democrats are doomed, then the country is doomed too. The GOP is a party of primarily liars and exaggerators, who will pick up a single word or phrase twist the context, and then repeat it ad infinitum… AND the GOP rubes eat it up and continue to vote against their own interests.

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