No, not just another pretty faceDemocrats from the Democratic wing of the party-- people in the tradition of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt rather than Joe Lieberman and Blanche Lincoln-- had some nice strong wins Tuesday. It was very healthy for the Democratic Party in general that Chamber of Commerce Democrat Mary Glassman was defeated by Teacher of the Year Jahana Hayes in Connecticut, that progressives with powerful personal brands like Randy Bryce WI-01) and Ilhan Omar (MN-05) were nominated for congressional races they should win and that Vermont Democratic voters overwhelmingly picked Christine Hallquist, a transgender women, as their nominee for governor. In fact, not only did Hallquist outpoll popular Republican incumbent Phil Scott Democratic turnout was 57,102 compared to Republican turnout of just 35,840, despite a barn-burner primary on the GOP side. Actually significantly more Democrats voted than Republicans-- both statewide and in every contested congressional race-- in all 4 states that had primaries. Even in midwestern districts that Trump won in 2016, Democrats showed up in greater numbers than did Republicans. All good.Yesterday, Reid Wison, a tepid status quo pundit type, writing for The Hill sounded almost like yours truly did a year ago-- throwing at the possibility that the GOP could be facing a 70-seat wipeout. You rarely-- really rarely-- hear that kind of talk inside the Beltway. He points to "Democratic enthusiasm and a GOP malaise surrounding" Señor Trumpanzee and the table being set for "a potentially devastating midterm election for the House Republican majority." He talked about Democrats over performing Hillary and Republicans underperforming Trumpanzee in the special elections. "If that pattern holds in November," he offers, "the worst-case scenario for the GOP is a truly historic wipeout of as many as 72 House seats." I've been hearing others say "as many as 80."Wilson's a hack though and he immediately launched into all his buts-- like this classic foolishness: "Turnout in November is likely to be higher, which could help the GOP." Or it could help the Democrats-- as it probably will-- but that depends on where that higher turnout comes from. There's no reason to think that it will come from, even what he himself referred to voters suffering from "a GOP malaise" brought on by the monstrosity in the White House. Judging from trends and Trump's increasing psychosis, that malaise is far more likely to grow than subside-- and Democrats are revving up by the day. Even someone like myself, who has talked for years about not voting for the lesser of two evils, is now urging everyone to just hold their noses and vote for even the worst Democrats just to get the House majority to but Trump in check.A far sharper observer than Wilson could ever hope to be is Katrina vandal Heuvel, editor of The Nation who pointed out that something as important as Democrats winning is that progressive ideas are winning. Beyond Wilson's ken, she points out that "There is clearly a powerful reform movement building on the left. It is spearheaded by activists inspired by the Sanders campaign, but also by movements like Black Lives Matter, the Dreamers, #MeToo, and growing environmental activism. What is surprising-- and what should be exciting to Democrats-- is that much of the energy is focused on electoral politics, on remaking the Democratic Party rather than leaving it."
This upheaval is a long-overdue response to the failure of the Democratic establishment. The policy failure is expressed in stagnant wages, rising insecurity and inequality, widespread corruption, and unchecked climate change, to name a few calamities. The political failure is undeniable, with the loss of the White House to the most unpopular candidate in modern times, control of Congress to a remarkably reactionary Republican Party, and a thousand seats in state legislatures across the country.To date, the reform movement has made its greatest gains in the war of ideas. This shouldn’t be surprising. The reforms that the activists are championing are bold, striking, and address real needs: Medicare for all, tuition-free public college, a $15 minimum wage, universal pre-K, a federal jobs guarantee, a commitment to rebuild America, a challenge to big-money politics, police and prison reforms, and a fierce commitment to liberty and justice for all.These ideas aren’t “radical.” They enjoy broad popular support-- even the Koch brothers’ own polling demonstrates that. Not surprisingly, these ideas are increasingly championed not just by progressives like Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, but by more mainstream liberals like Kirsten Gillibrand, Kamala Harris, and Cory Booker as they gear up for the 2020 presidential race....The insurgent candidates have fared remarkably well, given the odds. They are, almost by definition, fresh and inexperienced. They face opponents who start with more money, more experienced operatives, and greater name recognition. Deep-pocketed outside groups line up against them. Many are seeking to build small-donor and volunteer-driven campaigns from the ground up.The victories in the various House primaries-- Ocasio-Cortez in New York, Kara Eastman in Nebraska, Rashida Tlaib in Michigan, Katie Porter in California-- are impressive. But less well-known is the remarkable surge of insurgent candidates in down-ballot state and local races. One that did get attention was the upset victory of Wesley Bell for St. Louis County prosecutor, ousting a 27-year incumbent who had failed to even charge the officer involved in the 2014 police shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri....The media need to focus less on the horse races and more on what’s being built and what’s being discarded. The insurgency is neither on its deathbed nor about to sweep out the old. Indeed, Democrats are still in the early stages of a huge debate on the party’s direction. Insurgent candidates are only starting to build the capacity to run serious challengers. But there is new energy in the party and a new generation demanding change. This reality is forcing more established Democrats to adjust. In the face of Trump’s venom, Republican reaction, and the failure of the party leadership, that is surely a good thing. And that thermometer above-- that's so you can lend a hand to the progressives who won their primaries but which the DCCC-- still firmly controlled by the Lieberman/Lincoln wing of the party-- refuses to support against their Republican opponents!