OP - Why the Democrats Won on Election Day

Last Tuesday, the Democrats were unsurprisingly humbled in the midterm elections. The party lost its majority in the House of Representatives in the biggest power shift in the chamber since 1948. The Republican Party picked up at least 60 seats, with a few races still to be decided, and the Tea Party delivered on its promise to vote out the incumbent Democrats in record numbers. But considering the atmosphere, was it really that bad of an evening for Democrats?

First, let’s consider the context of these elections. Unemployment is hovering around 10 percent, and the economy, despite growing for five consecutive quarters, is still in the dumps. The Tea Party, since its inception in response to the stimulus bill in 2009, has protested President Obama’s every maneuver. Whether it was an economic recovery bill, health care law, or financial regulatory reform package, conservative Republicans clouded the atmosphere of the debate with unfounded, anti-intellectual talking points.

I have spoken with local Tea Party leaders and national organizers for the movement, both of whom labeled these midterm elections a defining moment in our nation’s history as far back as this winter. The anticipation was there, and protesters were ready to let their voices be heard at the polls.

Fast forward to the present. Sure, the Republicans won control of the House, and John Boehner (R-OH) is set to become Speaker, but the Democrats, despite all indications pointing otherwise for months, held on to the Senate.

Because the Republican Party was unable to grasp firm control over Tea Party vitriol, the party lost some seemingly winnable races.

In Nevada, Sharron Angle, virtually the only Nevadan that could not have ousted Majority Leader Harry Reid, won the Republican nomination, allowing a man who had an eight percent nationwide favorability rating in March to attain reelection.

In Delaware, Christine O’Donnell, a former anti-masturbation activist that once admitted to dabbling in witchcraft, was nominated over Mike Castle, an executive in New Castle County. As a result, Chris Coons, the Democrat, was able to win Vice President Joe Biden’s former Senate seat. Had Castle been nominated, polls as late as September showed him with an 11-point projected advantage over Coons.

Finally, in Colorado, Tea Party favorite Ken Buck defeated Lt. Gov. Jane Norton, the establishment pick, in the Republican primary for Senate. Buck, who on an appearance on Meet The Press likened being gay to alcoholism, then lost by one percentage point to incumbent Democrat Michael Bennet.

Sure, the Republicans still picked up six Senate seats to whittle the Democrats’ number from 59 to 53, counting Vermont Independent Bernie Sanders and Connecticut Independent Joe Lieberman. The Republicans successfully plucked away seats in Wisconsin, Arkansas, Illinois, North Dakota, Indiana and Pennsylvania. However, the Republican Party should have undoubtedly won control of the Senate.

Republicans gave away at least three easy victories. As the progressive website Daily Kos has documented, the GOP also drained millions of dollars into races in Kentucky, Connecticut, Florida, and Nevada in an attempt to rescue Tea Party candidates. In the end, libertarian Rand Paul won in Kentucky and Marco Rubio in Florida, but in the two races combined, the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) spent close to $12 million.

If establishment candidates had been nominated, the party could have redirected this money into other close races, such as Nevada, Colorado, or Washington, with assurances of winning the other seats. In Nevada, Angle lost by five points, and in Washington, incumbent Democrat Patty Murray survived a four point differential to defeat Republican Dino Rossi.

With that said, Democrats will be kicking themselves over Joe Sestak’s two-point loss in Pennsylvania. Alexi Giannoulias also suffered a two-point loss to Republican Mark Kirk for control of Obama’s former seat after Green Party candidate LeAlan Jones siphoned three percent of what would have likely been Democratic votes.

With Republicans now in charge of the House of Representatives, the party will have to reconsider its strategy of being the “party of no.” Responsibility now lies with the Republicans to work with the White House, as America is now watching them as well as the Democrats.

In adherence to intelligent political strategy, some Republicans ran their campaigns completely devoid of stances on the issues confronting the nation. In fact, some, like Rand Paul, ran away from the media rather than embracing it. For Paul, this was an excellent strategy, especially after he embarrassed himself in a May interview with Rachel Maddow in which he argued private business owners should have the right to discriminate against black customers. Instead, Republicans made the elections a referendum on the Obama administration, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and Senate Majority Leader Reid, as the Democrats did to George W. Bush with great success in 2006.

Now, the Republicans must take a stand. If they’re really for small government, they will propose cuts to government and social programs when they submit the annually required budget as the party in power of the House. Republicans have no choice but to transfer their fiscally hawkish rhetoric into actual legislative proposals, and Americans will recognize them for what they truly are—a party working against the interests of average Americans.