So It Happened And It Was Bad. No Quitting Now.

Posted by | November 10, 2014 17:45 | Filed under: Contributors Opinion Politics Ramona Grigg Top Stories

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It’s been almost a week since the mid-term elections and you may or may not have noticed that this space has been empty.  Deserted.  Lights out.  Nobody home. It wasn’t because I’m chicken about expressing how I feel about what happened last Tuesday.  That’s not it.   I kept trying, but I honestly had nothing coherent to say about it.  I wrote an entire blog post on Wednesday morning and almost hit the “Publish” button before I realized that it was nothing but one big whine.  A total waste of time.  We didn’t just lose an election, we lost in such a devastating, humiliating slam-dunk of a rout, I felt as if I have been physically beaten.  I couldn’t catch my breath, it hurt so bad.  The only thing I could think to do was to lay low and do nothing.It worked out that there were other things going on in my life that distracted me enough so that going off the deep end wasn’t an option.  For the first two days I deliberately stayed away from the blame games, the prognosticating, the clueless reporting of the results–as if it wasn’t the worst thing in the world that the Republicans skunked us.  All across the country.  The undeserving bastards SKUNKED US!!!!But, okay.

I was not the only one to take the loss personally.  A whole lot of cussin’ going on out there.  And blaming.  Mostly at the Democrats who apparently let this happen, either by choosing bad candidates, by running hopelessly out-of-touch campaigns, or by being pseudo-Democrats who pretended they cared but didn’t feel the need to actually go out and vote.

For once it wasn’t Obama’s fault, it was the fault of the Democrats who moved away from Obama in order to have a chance at winning in Obama-hostile states.  Unless you believe it was Obama’s fault for not giving those Dems reason enough to want to include him in their quest, as representatives of his party, to win a seat on the Democratic side.

There is plenty of blame to go around and all of the principals deserve a portion of the flak, but the bottom line is that the Republicans are now in charge of everything but the executive branch of our government, and the big unknown is how the executive branch will handle it.  The truth is, President Obama doesn’t follow a predictable path.  He doesn’t even follow a Party path.  He is the epitome of the Big Unknown.  Will he now suddenly become our 21st Century FDR?  I wish.  But no, he won’t.

Will the Republicans suddenly come to their senses and realize they have two years to attempt to fix the damage they’ve already done, hoping that by 2016 we’ll forget that they’re the enemy and give them a chance at owning the entire government?  No to the first part but yes to the last.

I want to quit.  I’m tired and mad and demoralized and hurt.  But it’s like voting.  If I stay home, deciding my vote won’t count, it won’t.  If  I decide my voice won’t count, it won’t.  My singular voice doesn’t count, but if I add it to the thousands of others who can’t and won’t give up, we might just make a difference.

It’s the hopeless optimists the Republicans have to fear.  We’ve always been their undoing.

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Copyright 2014 Liberaland
By: Ramona Grigg

Ramona Grigg is a freelance columnist and blogger living in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.. She owns the liberal-leaning blog, Ramona's Voices, and is a contributor to Liberaland and on the masthead at Dagblog.

87 responses to So It Happened And It Was Bad. No Quitting Now.

  1. OldLefty November 10th, 2014 at 17:51

    Why do you feel that way?

    It happens every other election when the turnout is so low.

    They said this was going to happen in 2014 as early as Sept 2012, because of the map and the stars.

    Did you think that they felt the same way in 2012 when 58% turned out as opposed to 36% (the lowest since 1942)?

    • R.J. Carter November 10th, 2014 at 17:56

      Midterm elections are like odd-numbered Star Trek movies. :-)

      • tiredoftea November 10th, 2014 at 17:57

        But, people pay to see them ,anyway!

      • StoneyCurtisll November 10th, 2014 at 18:52

        Damn it RJ…
        I’m a doctor, not a physician..

        • R.J. Carter November 10th, 2014 at 21:56

          This also explains why all the GOP were asked to wear Red Ties to the floor on the night of the vote.

    • R.J. Carter November 10th, 2014 at 18:00

      You can follow the ups-and-downs here: http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0781453.html

      2010 was my personal favorite year.

    • Tommy6860 November 10th, 2014 at 18:38

      In 2006 the GOP had their collective butts handed to them and the GOP didn’t stay home then (though I suspect some moderate GOPers voted dem). That enthusiasm seemed to have disappeared in 2010 and this year for what those voters wanted in 2006. It’s hard to figure this out. What’s worrisome is that we have to seemingly go through deregulation, economic downturns and more wars created by the right before people hit the polls to reverse it. Voting shouldn’t be a rut and trying to pay off the cost of their ideology needs to stop.

      • OldLefty November 10th, 2014 at 18:56

        I think the factor is the older voters who are mostly Republican and the fact that those who lost the last presidential election are always more motivated to vote in the next one (especially a polarized electorate.,

        Young people (20-40) vote in presidential elections, then dust off their hands and say, “I just DID that…”

        (Kind of like doing all the work to lay sod, then saying when some of it dies, and they are asked, ‘did you water it twice a day when it it was so hot?’

        “Water it twice a day??? I don’t have time for that! ”

        My experience from my kid’s friends, my friends and husband when they were that age…
        Mid terms are boring, they don’t cover issues, it’s only about the horse race and TV ads.

        It doesn’t seem important to them, especially when they have small children and are trying to start careers.

        My husband voted last Tues, but he made it home 20 min before the polls close. He had to be at the hospital before the polls opened and we don’t have early voting.

        Then you have the low information voters who go with the hype they hear on TV.

        • StoneyCurtisll November 10th, 2014 at 18:58

          Excellent analysis..

          I agree.

        • Tommy6860 November 10th, 2014 at 20:08

          And what you’re saying is all true, but i still refer back to 2006, when even then, the older voters were more prevalent to vote GOP than today (8 years is a long enough time to change that demographics status from 2006 to now). Yes, disinterested young voters and even some older dems stayed home en mass this time as did so somewhat in 2010. But the turn-out in 2006 was telling and it gave us good results for what we have today. Yes, that message was lost on the fear of backing up the man. If we do not learn this lesson, the dems will keep losing and then we are doomed to stagnant governance into perpetuity.

          I also think the dems are losing their progressiveness. I am personally sick and tired of dems running on policies that are ‘liberal lite’ just to get elected. In all honesty, I am to the point where I will not vote for Hillary. As long as we run on the theme that we must elect a person because they are not GOP, then we fail in the long run.

          • OldLefty November 10th, 2014 at 20:18

            I also think the dems are losing their progressiveness. I am personally sick and tired of dems running on policies that are ‘liberal lite’ just to get elected

            _______

            I understand, but I also think that in 2006 we had the war going south , and Katrina, and Bush wanted to privatize Social Security, Mark Foley, the K Street project, recession, GOPers going to jail… and the maps.
            (Plus, Republicans had NOT got to redraw the districts)

            I knew many older Republicans who stayed home.

            But now, they fear immigration, the gays, an irrational hatred of Obama,.

            I will vote for the Democrat.
            I think there is a tremendous difference.

            One BIG, and long lived one? Scalia and Ginsberg.

            • R.J. Carter November 10th, 2014 at 22:06

              I keep hearing about “redrawing the districts” and how this is unfair to the Democrats. However, there are quite a few gerrymandered districts drawn up by Democrats that are just as tortuously rendered in order to capitalize.

              So why does the prevailing party — why does any party — get to be in charge of this. Why isn’t there an independent organization whose job it is to draw up these maps? And why not just lay a friggin’ grid over the map, and the square you fall in is the square you fall in?

  2. OldLefty November 10th, 2014 at 18:51

    Why do you feel that way?

    It happens every other election when the turnout is so low.

    They said this was going to happen in 2014 as early as Sept 2012, because of the map and the stars.

    Did you think that they felt the same way in 2012 when 58% turned out as opposed to 36% (the lowest since 1942)?

    • R.J. Carter November 10th, 2014 at 18:56

      Midterm elections are like odd-numbered Star Trek movies. :-)

      • tiredoftea November 10th, 2014 at 18:57

        But, people pay to see them ,anyway!

      • StoneyCurtisll November 10th, 2014 at 19:52

        Damn it RJ…
        I’m a doctor, not a physician..

        • R.J. Carter November 10th, 2014 at 22:56

          This also explains why all the GOP were asked to wear Red Ties to the floor on the night of the vote.

    • R.J. Carter November 10th, 2014 at 19:00

      You can follow the ups-and-downs here: http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0781453.html

      2010 was my personal favorite year.

    • Tommy6860 November 10th, 2014 at 19:38

      In 2006 the GOP had their collective butts handed to them and the GOP didn’t stay home then (though I suspect some moderate GOPers voted dem). That enthusiasm seemed to have disappeared in 2010 and this year for what those voters wanted in 2006. It’s hard to figure this out. What’s worrisome is that we have to seemingly go through deregulation, economic downturns and more wars created by the right before people hit the polls to reverse it. Voting shouldn’t be a rut and trying to pay off the cost of their ideology needs to stop.

      • OldLefty November 10th, 2014 at 19:56

        I think the factor is the older voters who are mostly Republican and the fact that those who lost the last presidential election are always more motivated to vote in the next one (especially a polarized electorate.,

        Young people (20-40) vote in presidential elections, then dust off their hands and say, “I just DID that…”

        (Kind of like doing all the work to lay sod, then saying when some of it dies, and they are asked, ‘did you water it twice a day when it it was so hot?’

        “Water it twice a day??? I don’t have time for that! ”

        My experience from my kid’s friends, my friends and husband when they were that age…
        Mid terms are boring, they don’t cover issues, it’s only about the horse race and TV ads.

        It doesn’t seem important to them, especially when they have small children and are trying to start careers.

        My husband voted last Tues, but he made it home 20 min before the polls close. He had to be at the hospital before the polls opened and we don’t have early voting.

        Then you have the low information voters who go with the hype they hear on TV.

        • StoneyCurtisll November 10th, 2014 at 19:58

          Excellent analysis..

          I agree.

        • Tommy6860 November 10th, 2014 at 21:08

          And what you’re saying is all true, but i still refer back to 2006, when even then, the older voters were more prevalent to vote GOP than today (8 years is a long enough time to change that demographics status from 2006 to now). Yes, disinterested young voters and even some older dems stayed home en mass this time as did so somewhat in 2010. But the turn-out in 2006 was telling and it gave us good results for what we have today. Yes, that message was lost on the fear of backing up the man. If we do not learn this lesson, the dems will keep losing and then we are doomed to stagnant governance into perpetuity.

          I also think the dems are losing their progressiveness. I am personally sick and tired of dems running on policies that are ‘liberal lite’ just to get elected. In all honesty, I am to the point where I will not vote for Hillary. As long as we run on the theme that we must elect a person because they are not GOP, then we fail in the long run.

          • OldLefty November 10th, 2014 at 21:18

            I also think the dems are losing their progressiveness. I am personally sick and tired of dems running on policies that are ‘liberal lite’ just to get elected

            _______

            I understand, but I also think that in 2006 we had the war going south , and Katrina, and Bush wanted to privatize Social Security, Mark Foley, the K Street project, recession, GOPers going to jail… and the maps.
            (Plus, Republicans had NOT got to redraw the districts)

            I knew many older Republicans who stayed home.

            But now, they fear immigration, the gays, an irrational hatred of Obama,.

            I will vote for the Democrat.
            I think there is a tremendous difference.

            One BIG, and long lived one? Scalia and Ginsberg.

            • R.J. Carter November 10th, 2014 at 23:06

              I keep hearing about “redrawing the districts” and how this is unfair to the Democrats. However, there are quite a few gerrymandered districts drawn up by Democrats that are just as tortuously rendered in order to capitalize.

              So why does the prevailing party — why does any party — get to be in charge of this. Why isn’t there an independent organization whose job it is to draw up these maps? And why not just lay a friggin’ grid over the map, and the square you fall in is the square you fall in?

  3. tiredoftea November 10th, 2014 at 17:56

    Cheer up! Take comfort in knowing that Dems got beat by a party with nothing to sell but fear, lies and obstruction!

    • StoneyCurtisll November 10th, 2014 at 18:48

      Exactly…
      Cause that’s all they ran on…

  4. tiredoftea November 10th, 2014 at 18:56

    Cheer up! Take comfort in knowing that Dems got beat by a party with nothing to sell but fear, lies and obstruction!

    • StoneyCurtisll November 10th, 2014 at 19:48

      Exactly…
      Cause that’s all they ran on…

  5. Anomaly 100 November 10th, 2014 at 18:01

    “I was not the only one to take the loss personally.”

    Damn skippy. I’m pissed the hell off at other Democrats, mostly millenials who opted to stay home.

    • StoneyCurtisll November 10th, 2014 at 18:46

      Bingo…
      We “lost” only due to lack of voter turn out…
      The fear and hatred campaign from the right trumped our apathy.
      And it’s only 2 more years until the next election..

    • Kick Frenzy November 10th, 2014 at 18:52

      I’d say “me too”, but I’m just as pissed (if not more) at Democrats who were running in electoral races.

      Had we had representatives that had a unified, strong message touting the insane amount of positive progress the President and party have made, we may well have seen a higher turn out… enough to turn/keep a couple seats that ended up red.
      It’s something they MUST turn around for the next election.
      The base, overall, wants a strong progressive/liberal party which has representatives who shout it out… instead of hiding under a bushel.

      • Anomaly 100 November 10th, 2014 at 19:25

        I completely agree. Our messaging sucked. Instead of touting Obama’s accomplishments, Democrats ran like scared rabbits and bought into the right wing propaganda.

        • mea_mark November 10th, 2014 at 20:09

          I don’t think it was so much propaganda as it was the game. We played their game instead of our game. See my other comment.

  6. Anomaly 100 November 10th, 2014 at 19:01

    “I was not the only one to take the loss personally.”

    Damn skippy. I’m pissed the hell off at other Democrats, mostly millenials who opted to stay home.

    • StoneyCurtisll November 10th, 2014 at 19:46

      Bingo…
      We “lost” only due to lack of voter turn out…
      The fear and hatred campaign from the right trumped our apathy.
      And it’s only 2 more years until the next election..

    • Kick Frenzy November 10th, 2014 at 19:52

      I’d say “me too”, but I’m just as pissed (if not more) at Democrats who were running in electoral races.

      Had we had representatives that had a unified, strong message touting the insane amount of positive progress the President and party have made, we may well have seen a higher turn out… enough to turn/keep a couple seats that ended up red.
      It’s something they MUST turn around for the next election.
      The base, overall, wants a strong progressive/liberal party which has representatives who shout it out… instead of hiding under a bushel.

      • Anomaly 100 November 10th, 2014 at 20:25

        I completely agree. Our messaging sucked. Instead of touting Obama’s accomplishments, Democrats ran like scared rabbits and bought into the right wing propaganda.

        • mea_mark November 10th, 2014 at 21:09

          I don’t think it was so much propaganda as it was the game. We played their game instead of our game. See my other comment.

  7. Suzanne McFly November 10th, 2014 at 18:39

    Yaaaa, another hopeless optimist, glad to know I am not alone.

  8. Suzanne McFly November 10th, 2014 at 19:39

    Yaaaa, another hopeless optimist, glad to know I am not alone.

  9. StoneyCurtisll November 10th, 2014 at 18:44

    I dont look at it so much as a loss…
    What did the republicans gain?
    They gained control of the most hated institution in America, congress..(whoopy Doo)
    Let em have it and wallow in their own filth.

  10. StoneyCurtisll November 10th, 2014 at 19:44

    I dont look at it so much as a loss…
    What did the republicans gain?
    They gained control of the most hated institution in America, congress..(whoopy Doo)
    Let em have it and wallow in their own filth.

  11. mea_mark November 10th, 2014 at 20:02

    Republicans are good at buying votes, democrats are not. Democrats need to run on issues people care about, we didn’t do that. Just because there is more money in politics doesn’t mean democrats can’t win, it just means we need to define ourselves by the issues better. Issues win for democrats, not mindless advertising and sound bites. We need to play to our strengths, not to the the strengths of the republican party and their ability to con and buy votes with misleading and deceptive advertising. We need to not worry so much about the amount of money we have to spend but on the integrity of the issues and how much people genuinely care about them. Democrats help people, we need to focus on that.

    • StoneyCurtisll November 10th, 2014 at 20:08

      Right on~!..
      Fuggin A~!

      • mea_mark November 10th, 2014 at 20:17

        I’m not one to pat myself on the back, but I do think I nailed it. I feel really good about it.

  12. mea_mark November 10th, 2014 at 21:02

    Republicans are good at buying votes, democrats are not. Democrats need to run on issues people care about, we didn’t do that. Just because there is more money in politics doesn’t mean democrats can’t win, it just means we need to define ourselves by the issues better. Issues win for democrats, not mindless advertising and sound bites. We need to play to our strengths, not to the the strengths of the republican party and their ability to con and buy votes with misleading and deceptive advertising. We need to not worry so much about the amount of money we have to spend but on the integrity of the issues and how much people genuinely care about them. Democrats help people, we need to focus on that.

    • StoneyCurtisll November 10th, 2014 at 21:08

      Right on~!..
      Fuggin A~!

      • mea_mark November 10th, 2014 at 21:17

        I’m not one to pat myself on the back, but I do think I nailed it. I feel really good about it.

  13. greenfloyd November 10th, 2014 at 21:14

    Seems the more money, the less the politicians actually matter. Nov. 4 was still a very good day for things like cannabis legalization, gun control, min wage and other progressive causes.
    This DailyBeast article should lift everyone’s spirit: One of the Midterms Little-Noticed Big Losers: The NRA

  14. floyd[@]greenfloyd.org November 10th, 2014 at 22:14

    Seems the more money, the less the politicians actually matter. Nov. 4 was still a very good day for things like cannabis legalization, gun control, min wage and other progressive causes.
    This DailyBeast article should lift everyone’s spirit: One of the Midterms Little-Noticed Big Losers: The NRA

  15. fancypants November 10th, 2014 at 23:20

    Sadly im going to disagree unless something is done about Big spenders who hog any kind of communication possible to voters.
    Mitch Mcconnel for example spent over 35 million in campaign $$ and it gets worse from there as we are about to see big bucks spent on presidential campaigns.
    No wonder the voter doesn’t show up anymore They don’t want a million or billionaires representing them.

  16. fancypants November 11th, 2014 at 00:20

    Sadly im going to disagree unless something is done about Big spenders who hog any kind of communication possible to voters.
    Mitch Mcconnel for example spent over 35 million in campaign $$ and it gets worse from there as we are about to see big bucks spent on presidential campaigns.
    No wonder the voter doesn’t show up anymore They don’t want a million or billionaires representing them.

  17. Pundit456 November 11th, 2014 at 06:39

    Did you see where Limbaugh is suing the democrats? That is because he, like you, relies on partisan bickering to support his instigating rhetoric and support his show.
    You have a vested interest in disharmony in congress so that you help to ensure that only the most adversarial people get elected.
    If congress ever begins to function again, you people could be out of a job.

    • OldLefty November 11th, 2014 at 06:48

      That is because he, like you, relies on partisan bickering to support his instigating rhetoric and support his show.

      _______

      Like who???

    • Ramona Grigg November 11th, 2014 at 10:00

      You talking to ME? Because I’m the one who wrote this piece and I have no vested interest in partisan bickering. I HATE it. I long for the good old days when the Dems and the Repubs in Congress actually talked to one another and pretended to be “good friends”. At least something got done.

      (I really have to remember to sign my name to these things. Not that I’m ashamed of being confused with Alan–not at all–but what’s mine is mine.)

      • Laura Flannery November 11th, 2014 at 17:14

        @Ramona, you stated that the repukelicans were your enemy, how can half of your fellow Americans be considered the enemy? That is what is wrong in politics. It is one big game, and you are playing with millions of peoples lives. How very sad our political leaders are.

      • Pundit456 November 16th, 2014 at 13:24

        My mistake. The attribution was so small i missed it.
        My comment was directed at Alan Colmes; who has assumed the online/on air persona of an intractable instigator.

  18. Pundit456 November 11th, 2014 at 06:39

    Did you see where Limbaugh is suing the democrats? That is because he, like you, relies on partisan bickering to support his instigating rhetoric and support his show.
    You have a vested interest in disharmony in congress so that you help to ensure that only the most adversarial people get elected.
    If congress ever begins to function again, you people could be out of a job.

  19. Pundit456 November 11th, 2014 at 07:39

    Did you see where Limbaugh is suing the democrats? That is because he, like you, relies on partisan bickering to support his instigating rhetoric and support his show.
    You have a vested interest in disharmony in congress so that you help to ensure that only the most adversarial people get elected.
    If congress ever begins to function again, you people could be out of a job.

    • OldLefty November 11th, 2014 at 07:48

      That is because he, like you, relies on partisan bickering to support his instigating rhetoric and support his show.

      _______

      Like who???

    • Ramona Grigg November 11th, 2014 at 11:00

      You talking to ME? Because I’m the one who wrote this piece and I have no vested interest in partisan bickering. I HATE it. I long for the good old days when the Dems and the Repubs in Congress actually talked to one another and pretended to be “good friends”. At least something got done.

      (I really have to remember to sign my name to these things. Not that I’m ashamed to be confused with Alan–not at all–but what’s mine is mine.)

      • Laura Flannery November 11th, 2014 at 18:14

        @Ramona, you stated that the repukelicans were your enemy, how can half of your fellow Americans be considered the enemy? That is what is wrong in politics. It is one big game, and you are playing with millions of peoples lives. How very sad our political leaders are.

      • Pundit456 November 16th, 2014 at 14:24

        My mistake. The attribution was so small i missed it.
        My comment was directed at Alan Colmes; who has assumed the online/on air persona of an intractable instigator.

  20. greenfloyd November 11th, 2014 at 17:47

    Obviously most people think politics are boring, predictable and corrupt… and they be correct. We need to spice things up. I suggest a random factor, a candidate draft or lottery.

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