Eight Reasons the Democrats lost Virginia & New Jersey--and How to Recover (Loeb | HuffPo)

[struggle4progress]

... The reasons for the Virginia and New Jersey defeats are correctable. We can get better candidates, and make clear to those running that if they stand for nothing, their constituents will fall for anything. Obama and the House and Senate leadership must tell Blue Dogs and Senators like Baucus: The more they block progress on popular key initiatives, the more swing Democrats, including many of the most conservative, will pay the electoral consequences. Conversely, if they can finally pass a decent progressive healthcare bill and help shore up state governments, they'll ultimately benefit at the polls. For his part, Obama needs to start building a movement again. That means leading by example, playing hardball with obstructionist Democrats, and encouraging those grassroots citizens who act on the issues he cares about--even if they push him farther than he'd like. The rest of us must recognize our fight is big, and change can't come from Obama alone -- something that should be amply clear by now. We have a chance that will be fulfilled only if we start reaching out once again to our fellow citizens, as we did when we helped carry Obama over the top a year ago.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-loeb/eight-reasons-the-democra_b_347979.html

[msongs]

1. 2008 was personality election - many of those voters dropped out this year as they don't care about

nuts and bolts elections. No charismatic Obama type candidate, no vote. The sunshine voters stayed home in droves for democrats while the hard core true believer republicans turned out in larger numbers.

Msongs

[notesdev]

2. Democrats need to understand

That the reason they were elected in 2008 is that they were the other guys on the ballots. It was NOT the endorsement/mandate a lot of people imagine it was, it was little more than a wholesale rejection of the disasters of GOP rule. If Democrats can be re-elected, that will constitute a mandate. Mistaking the time-honored American tradition of "throwing the bums out" for an endorsement of the party platform will lead to resounding defeats in 2010 and beyond.