What Democrats Can Run On In 2014 Mid-Terms

The 2014 mid-term elections are coming up fast.  Numbers guru Nate Silver (538 Blog) predicts that while Democrats are likely to gain a few governorships (Ohio not among them), they're also likely to lose their majority in the U.S. Senate.

Is there any way to make a liar out of Nate Silver?  Beats me, but here are a few things the D's should run on, or run against, in the November mid-terms:

First and foremost, don't be a chicken-shit.  Embrace President Obama and his two huge, historic accomplishments -- economic recovery after the Great Crash of '08, and the health care expansion of the ACA/Obamacare.

When Obama took office, our economy was in the worst place it had been since 1929.  Millions were financially damaged, many were ruined.  Today, unemployment is down, the federal deficit is down, stock markets are up, home values are up, and business is healthy.  Remember Carville's famous words:  It's the economy, stupid!

Obamacare is working, so don't run away from it.  People like it.  None of what the naysayers predicted has been true.  Obamacare opened a door, and for decades to come, it will be a catalyst for further needed changes in our healthcare system.  There's no turning back.  Might as well get with the program.  If you're a Democratic candidate in a toss-up, purple district and you think you'll win by tap dancing away from the ACA, you've already lost.

The world can be nuts, so we can all be thankful that our foreign policy is appropriately thoughtful, cautious and non-reactionary (mostly).  We've ended the unfunded full-blown "wars" in Iraq and Afghanistan, and have avoided unnecessary foreign entanglements.  We've resisted the hawk-ish militarism of Dubya's neo-cons, John McCain, and other morons (so far).

Obama's philosophy of "Don't do stupid shit" may be mocked by the wing-nuts, but it sounds just about right to me!  (Disclaimer -- our bombing of ISIS in Iraq and our arming/training of Syrian rebels may turn out to be stupid shit.  I am not enthused.)

D's can and should run in proud support of all civil rights, including LGBT rights and gay marriage, and should remind us all that the hate-based, short-lived and now defunct Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) was a Republican creation.

Dems should run in vigorous opposition to the blatant voter suppression laws being enacted in so many states, including Ohio.  Laws requiring photo ID and arbitrary reduction of voting access are almost always illegal.  That's why they're being overturned everywhere.  Dems everywhere should remind voters whose craven idea this was in the first place.

D's everywhere should gleefully remind their constituents that the contrived shutdown of the federal government in October 2013 was an idiotic Tea-Bag stunt -- Ted Cruz's bright idea -- and a horrible GOP failure.  Again, real people got hurt, and for what?  The GOP owns this turd-pile.

Citizens United.  McCutcheon.  Hobby Lobby.  Three horribly misguided Supreme Court decisions championed by Republicans, and all three are solidly opposed by American public opinion.  D's should tell us all once again that corporations are not people, money is not speech, and business is not religion.

House R's have uselessly voted 54 times to repeal all or part of Obamacare.  Fifty-four times!  Call 'em out for this stupid waste of time and money.

And call 'em out big-time for their blatant obstructionism!  Infrastructure funding, minimum wage increase, immigration reform, gender-based pay inequity, income inequality, alternative energy initiatives -- all these issues with popular support sit dead in the water because the GOP blocks them and filibusters them to death every time.

Here in Ohio, gerrymandering has fairly well rigged the game in the R's favor, but Dems ought to make sure no one forgets SB 5, Kasich's failed attempt at union-busting.  Nor should we forget his de-fanging of the Ohio EPA, the Ohio Consumers Council, and the PUCO.  Our Wonder-Guv has privatized portions of state government and the Ohio Turnpike.  He gleefully hopped into bed with the fracking industry, consequences be damned.  He wanted to drill in our state parks.  He's for regressive sales taxes and against progressive income taxes.  "Jawhnny" is a hot-tempered ass who'll be reelected easily, mainly because FitzGerald has stumbled so often.  

In the big picture, the most important and effective thing the Democrats can do is simply show up.  Voter turnout is the big key, especially among young people and first-time voters.  If we show up, we'll win some races and we'll be OK.

(Forward the link to anyone who may need it.)

http://rockthevote.com/