Shift has taken it upon itself to provide the public service of sharing a few observations from the recently concluded – except for the random ballots still being counted in Washington State – election. Yesterday we highlighted the “status quo” nature of our state’s contests, while today we cast an eye nationally, to consider how President Barack Obama has done what no Republican could have hoped to achieve – destroying the political bench of the Democrat Party.
As pointed out by the Washington Post “The biggest stain on Barack Obama’s political legacy may turn out to be the decimation of the Democratic Party on his watch… Democrats have been shut out of power in Washington, with the White House and both chambers of Congress in GOP control starting in January. In state houses across the country, their ranks have been decimated.”
Consider these statistics, also from the Post:
- “In Obama’s first year in office, buoyed by the biggest presidential election victory since 1988, the Democrats expanded their House majority to 257-178; in the Senate, they could count a filibuster-proof majority (60) for the first time since the Jimmy Carter era.” Now they have 194 House members and 48 Senators – more than 20% of their federal elected officials are no more.
- “Where Democrats held 29 governorships when Obama was inaugurated, they can count only 15 in the wake of Tuesday’s election.” On the liberal bright side, a re-count in North Carolina should net them a 16thseat.
- “During the Obama presidency, more than 900 Democratic state legislators were defeated. On Tuesday, Republicans picked up additional legislative chambers, and continued to make gains in state houses, with 24 states now having the “trifecta” control of both houses of the state legislature and the governor’s mansion. The victories for the GOP Tuesday included picking up the Kentucky House for the first time in almost a century and gaining control of the Iowa Senate.”
Where have all these loses left the post-Obama Democrats? Ideologically adrift, with no bench of leaders ready to step onto the national stage, according to the NY Times:
“Many thought this election would leave the Republican Party reeling and divided. Instead, with Mrs. Clinton’s loss, it was the Democrats who found themselves bereft of high-profile leaders, relegated to the sidelines of power in Washington and bracing for arguments over their party’s philosophy and mission.”
Further, the Democrats are not sure what happened. Consider that “White House press secretary Josh Earnest said Wednesday that the math is undeniable, if perplexing. ‘There are a lot of people . . . who voted for Barack Obama in 2008, who voted for his reelection in 2012, and voted for Donald Trump in 2016,’ Earnest said. ‘I don’t have an explanation for that, to put it bluntly.’ ”
However, the next step appears clear, according to a leading liberal consultant – start fighting. “‘I think there’s going to be a fight in the Democratic Party about which direction to go in,’ political consultant Joe Trippi said. ‘That’s healthy for the party long-term, but it’s going to be painful over the next few years. There won’t be a Democratic president to hold the factions together.’
“’In particular, Trump’s victory over former secretary of state Hillary Clinton is certain to embolden the party’s liberal wing.’”
So that’s the Obama legacy today – a much smaller Democrat party, with some insiders wanting to make it even smaller still by going further to the left.
Let these Hunger Games begin.
…destroying the political bench of the Democrat Party.
Look no further than Washington State, where political offices overflow with rising Democrats. Democrats hold both federal Senate seats, have provided a new and very liberal activist Member of Congress from the 7th District, they hold most of the statewide executive offices, count among their ranks a newly-reelected Governor, and may get control of both Houses. (And let’s not forget which Party’s Presidential candidate won the popular vote.)
Meanwhile, the best opportunity in years for Republicans to control our legislature (where did I read that?) just vanished into thin air with the defeat of a “respected” (by whom, exactly?) state Sen. Litzow.
And, in that last case, who helped propel another rising Democrat? Why, none other than President Obama himself!
If this was a bad election year for Democrats, you Republicans had better hope you never see a good one. (Does the name “Whig” mean anything to you?)
It’s a start…
Too bad Jay Inslee is losing his puppet master, Obama. He won’t know which way to turn, from now on.
It’s a start…
Indeed, it may well be the start of the final dissolution of the Republican Party. That this web site still won’t name its own party’s nominee for President tells us how bad things have already become. I somehow doubt the upcoming grand spectacle of buffoonish incompetence will improve anything in that regard.
As for newly-reelected Gov. Inslee being a “puppet” of President Obama, please give us some examples of that.
Yes…the Republican Party may be coming to an end. However, it hasn’t, yet. People who make such predictions may be looking through the same muddy crystal ball that made them so sure of Hillary’s election. I, personally, was banking on the fact that history always repeats itself and history shows that the Demoncrats do not hold the Presidency for more than two terms, at a time.
Let us not forget that we will always need at least 2 major parties to keep our country from ever going down the path of an oligarchy OR Socialism.
President Obama’s puppet…hmm. Thank you for asking for my example(s) AND highlighting your own blindness to this, by not seeing it for yourself.
Mere hours after President Obama had one of his many tantrums over “gun violence” (I believe it was following the San Bernardino terrorist attack), Governor Inslee released Executive Order 16-02. I was waiting for it, so was ready when the Governor announced it.
Around the time the President was attending the Climate Change conference, in France, Governor Inslee came up with his latest “Carbon Tax” initiative…how original.
Every time the President sneezes…Governor Inslee is there with a tissue. Of course, our two U.S. Senators are always fawning over the President, which makes it even worse.
“…history shows that the Demoncrats do not hold the Presidency for more than two terms, at a time.”
While I don’t know what a “Demoncrat” is — maybe it’s like the “Democrat Party” you guys always go on about? — I will do you the favor of teaching you some actual history. Members of the Democratic Party held the American Presidency from 1933 through 1952.
Thanks for playing.
Well, thank you for pointing that glaring historical error out to me. You don’t disappoint, when it comes to researching vague facts.
Since I don’t recall where I had read that statistic, I also don’t recall if it was just referring to elections within my lifetime. Regardless, the result was as I was expecting and I don’t mind being a little off in my facts.
As for the Democrat(ic) Party, it is so close to morphing into the Socialist Party that we’re having a hard time knowing WHAT to call it, anymore. Maybe IT will dissolve and we won’t have a need to debate the name, much longer.
You don’t disappoint, when it comes to researching vague facts.
The United States achieved total victory in history’s biggest war, all under the leadership of Presidents from the Democratic Party. (I’m very happy to have educated you upon facts which you seem not to have known.)
While most of us Americans do not consider World War II (look it up) to be a “vague fact” in our history, your need to retain encyclopedic details of a quarter-century of Clinton scandals simply obviates your knowing anything about a war in which 11 million Americans served in uniform.
Perhaps you can entertain us with your deep knowledge of every detail of those Clinton scandals — every detail, except, of course, the exact time and place it was fabricated for your ever-gullible consumption.
Please do not attempt to lecture me on our Americans in uniform. Having spent 10 years in the defense of my country, I’m well aware of the sacrifices we’ve made. If it weren’t for people like me…we wouldn’t even be having this discussion, right now.
Now, I did not say WWII was a “vague fact”. Your decision to use my own words, out of context, is a predictable move of the Liberal Left (though I choose to debate with you, just the same). It didn’t work in the election and it’s not fooling Shift’s readers, now.
Finally, I don’t need to “entertain” anyone with my knowledge of the Clinton scandals…the election results have proven, beyond a shadow of doubt, that the American people are already well aware of them. Oh, and the FBI was a pretty good resource, too.
I located my original reference to my “history” remark. It was only since the end of WWII that this held true…as you pointed out. I’ll be sure to clarify this to my friends and coworkers when I speak of it, in the future, though I don’t really have need, any more.
How are the nightly protests going, over there in the big city? Things are relatively quiet over here…it’s kind of nice when we East siders get along with each other, so well.
It’s funny…I don’t remember regular protests and riots when Barack Obama began either his first OR second term. One wonders why the protestors don’t simply accept the results of the election, like they were so insistent about with Mr. Trump. I guess the Liberals were only talking about accepting about THEIR results.
“I somehow doubt the upcoming grand spectacle of buffoonish incompetence”
It’s not nice to talk about your governor that way. It might cause a trigger warning, if he understood it.
Look no further than Washington State, where political offices overflow with rising Democrats to see just how out of step you left coast liberals are with the rest of the country.
Much to my chagrin, Washington will stay stuck on stupid, mostly due to King County, who suffers through terrible traffic, and Enslee and his merry band of buffoons can spend 155 mill on 405 and make the outcome worse, then he gets his manties wad when the senate did what any competent exec should have done after their 85th blunder of Wadot, fire them, there little hope that we will get the type of results for the type of money are spending / wasting