01-10-2017, 11:35 AM
(01-10-2017, 07:48 AM)Odin Wrote:(01-10-2017, 06:33 AM)David Horn Wrote:(01-08-2017, 11:38 AM)Odin Wrote: Trump was a fluke caused by the Dems having a terrible candidate. The real problem is that the congressional districts and state legislatures in Republican-controlled states are gerrymandered to all hell and Republicans engage in blatant voter suppression in the states they control.
Yes and no. Hillary can't be blamed for the loss of Congress, governorships and state legislatures. That falls directly on the Party itself, and to its leader BHO. The Dems have sucked for a long time; the GOP is suckier though successful. Politics is at a nadir.
Assume major changes or lethargic nothingness. Either is possible. Let's be honest, private interests prefer inept and ineffective government ... until they need to be bailed-out. Right now, they are giddy. Let's see how that plays in a few months.
The Dems have two big problems at the local level, the Republicans have a better messaging machine (a local candidate, no matter how moderate, will be slammed as a "loony liberal with San Francisco Values"), and the national party is stuck in a coastal bubble and often reluctant to give support to local candidates in more socially conservative areas that are seen as "too conservative" on certain hot-button social issues like abortion and would rather just not run a candidate in those races.
Republicans have the same problem at the local level on the coasts. At the state level they've won a few governorships with socially moderate to liberal candidates, but that's mostly because a gubernatorial campaign can be run without the support of the party.