Elections were last week and many predictions over their outcome came true. The Democrats lost seven contested Senate races against Republican challengers and incumbents, which cost the Democrats control of the Senate. Republicans were able to win back seats the Democrats had won in 2008 when the Democrats were swept into office. The Republican victory can be explained by a number of things, ranging from low voter turnout, to low presidential approval ratings, to fear over Ebola and ISIS.
The Republican message this election cycle seemed to be “We are not Obama.” This was somewhat funny because it also seemed to be the Democrats message.
All across the country Democrats running in contested elections distanced themselves from the President and his more liberal policies. All of those Democrats lost.
Alison Lundergan, the Democratic challenger to Sen. Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.), who has been a lifelong Democrat, and was running as a Democrat refused to admit if she had voted for President Barack Obama in 2012. Democratic candidates in a number of states, including Nebraska, Kentucky, and Louisiana all tried to distance themselves and pull public support for the Affordable Care Act, which has been the Obama administrations greatest legislative success.
Since the Affordable Care Act was implemented the yearly growth in health care costs has begun to decrease, and according to a report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services the uninsured rate has dropped by five percent. These are some pretty big successes for a bill many Democrats are claiming has failed.
Since assuming office in 2008, Obama and the Democrats have seen the economy go from collapsing to growing. The unemployment rate has dropped from over eight percent in 2008 to 5.9 percent this October. The budget deficit is at its lowest point since 2008, and GDP growth for the third quarter of 2014 is at 3.5 percent according to an analysis by the Bureau of Economic Analysis, compared to -8.7 percent in 2008.
People can argue about the politics behind and the impact of these numbers, but the economy is in a significantly better place than it was when Obama first took office. These are numbers the Democrats should be campaigning on. The Democrats may not have suffered such massive losses if they had supported the man who is supposed to be the leader of their party.
The realities of the economy and the state of the country should favor the Democrats. Things are by no means perfect, but under Obama’s leadership there has been a definite strengthening of the economy. Marriage equality, which has been a decidedly Democratic issue, is nearing universal popularity and acceptance. People are demanding action to improve roads and infrastructure, make education cheaper, and improve wages. All of these are fairly liberal issues and ones that the Democrats should have easily been able to campaign and win on.
But this election has shown that the Democrats have done a lousy job in marketing their successes and platform. If they had come together around the President and his accomplishments, and embrace the liberal ideals that help define their party we may have seen a much different election.
