The Democrats’ (Next) Miscalculation

Where there’s a winner there’s usually a loser. Last night was a great night -- if you’re a Republican. If you’re a Democrat it wasn’t so good, and if you’re a beltway Democrat you’re probably trying to figure out why / pointing fingers (if not looking for a job).

According to mainstream media punditry, the Democratic leadership will interpret last night’s results as evidence that fighting the Republicans for the center is a losing battle. There are a lot of reasons why this doesn’t make sense, Bill Clinton’s successful run in the role of political centrist being only the most obvious; but party machinations being what they are, hardcore views often prevail. If that turns out to be the case here, Republicans may be having some more nights like last in the upcoming election cycles.

The Republican victory last night had nothing to do with a popular distaste for Democrats who don’t happen to sound like George McGovern, and everything to do with the prestige of an enormously popular president, and the re-emergence of national security as a real concern to voters. Of course that realization doesn’t leave Democrats with a whole lot of options right now, so don’t be surprised if, in the near-term at least, paroxysms of soul-searching and identity-seeking morph into a Democratic script and cast yet further removed from the real concerns of the average American.

Nancy Pelosi, anyone?