( - promoted by Matt Glazer)
Your hardworking Texas DNC delegation was snowed under this weekend in the nation's Capitol. Approximately two feet of snow is on the ground and there's more coming on Tuesday. With that in mind, here's a brief summary of what we've been up to.
On Friday morning, President Obama gave a rousing speech focused on the Administration's accomplishments and the challenges of 2010. The President reminded us that the economy was even worse than he'd expected when he took office and that it's natural for folks to be impatient for change. Americans are obviously frustrated and they're looking to the party in power to fix things. The President noted that as Americans we've been through more difficult periods, but now isn't the time to talk about how hard things are, now is the time for action. President Obama received his best applause when stating that he will not walk away from health insurance reform.
I was reminded again that Barack Obama is truly the best campaigner in America; I've never seen someone own a room like him, not even Bill Clinton. While the President's poll numbers are down a bit, he remains personally popular and I have no doubt that Democrats will fare better than expected in November in part due to the President's ability to campaign and motivate the base.
DNC Chair Tim Kaine had the tough task, of speaking immediately after President Obama, but Gov. Kaine delivered a solid speech assessing the current landscape and laying out the party's blueprint for the mid-term election.
Gov. Kaine compared losing Ted Kennedy's seat to the Ghost of Christmas Future from A Christmas Carol. Scrooge gets a glimpse of his future, realizes it's awful and asks the ghost if the future is preordained or if Scrooge can change what happens. It's Scrooge's wake up moment. Well, for Democrats, we've seen what the future could be and fortunately we have time to change course.
That being said, Gov. Kaine noted that in the last 17 mid-term elections, the President's party has lost an average of 28 House seats and 4 Senate Seats. The party's goal is to beat the average. The good news is that Democrats are playing strong offense in a number of states, especially in Governor's races, and the GOP remains a divided party.
Gov. Kaine laid out a three point plan for the November election.
1. Focus on surge voters, the approximately 15 million first time, young or non-traditional voters who turned out for Barack Obama in 2008.
Gov. Kaine used Colorado (where I worked for Obama) as an example. The DNC's Colorado voter file has 456,000 Democratic surge voters. Normally about 40% of those people would vote in the mid-term. With extra attention, communication and targeting, it's possible to increase turnout among these voters to 48% or even 50%. That would mean about 40,000 votes...or enough to win a close election statewide.
2. Increase voter registration and set up a national voter registration website. We all know that Democrats do better when more people vote, so the party will work hard to make sure every eligible voter is registered.
3. Invest resources in building up energy and excitement among base voters. That's where the President will be most important. He's hugely popular and the biggest draw in American politics.
After President Obama and Governor Kaine spoke, you could feel a sense of greater optimism among the assembled party brass. Yes, there are some handwringers in DC who are worried that Democrats will get wiped out in November. But even those doubters acknowledge the capabilities of President Obama, the DNC, and Democratic candidates throughout America. The party in power may not be as well-liked as it was 12 months ago, but when it comes time for the election to heat up our side will have the best campaigner in America stumping throughout the nation. Remember, the valleys are never that low and the mountains are never that high. |
