Didn’t Lose Is Not a Win

April 19, 2017

Politics is not grade school sports – they don’t hand out participation awards. There’s always a clear, remorseless, winner; everyone else is a looser. Yet, Democrats insist on basking in the glow of not winning, bless their hearts.

About a week back, back when we were getting along with Russia, the Dems lost a congressional special election in Kansas, by seven points. They interpreted the (kinda big) loss as a moral victory in that they didn’t lose by over twenty points. As a matter of fact, they even suggested the smaller than expected loss was evidence of an anti-Trump trend – truly, the kind speculation Sean Spicer would be most comfortable with.

No, they didn’t win – morally or otherwise. They lost. Don’t care about the red demographics, media budgets or potential trends – the other guy won. Facing that may be more helpful than competing with Republicans in a game of alternate-reality. Just sayin’.

So, yesterday, in the great state of Georgia, another Democrat didn’t win. Jon Ossoff finished with about forty-eight percent of the vote – so, no win. But he didn’t lose either. Instead he gets to run off against Republican Karen Handel in June. Whether this is just another opportunity to come in second or a real challenge to Republican dominance remains to be seen. I predict some kind of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory outcome, probably involving national party failure.

So far, the national party’s support for local candidates has been tepid at best. Some theorize establishment Dems won’t support Sander’s camp candidates, and that may be true. But Ossoff is too new to be in either camp and was largely ignored by national, just like everyone else.

Perhaps, when the national Democratic party claims they don’t want to nationalize the local races they really mean it. So, it’s not a Sanders – Establishment thing. No, it’s much worse.

If the national party thinks they will hurt candidates if they associate themselves with those candidates then the solution is not: don’t associate. Local candidates need help to win; the Republicans know this and will spend, spend, spend. The Dem have little choice, but to respond in kind.

If the nation Democrats are so hated that they can’t endorse (and fund) people without hurting them then we need different national Dems. That’s all. It’s time for the Clinton/Establishment camp to step aside. It may not be fair – tough shit. Politics is not grade school sports and they’re hurting the team.

Been one-hundred-sixty-two days since the Clinton camp lost the election to a huckster. The republic needs to see some fresh talent. We’re bored and disappointed with old team – nothing personal.

In Peace and Justice,
osv