Seriously, did ANYONE actually EXPECT Dems to win those DEEP RED districts? Let's get real folks.

[LBM20]

It was conceivable but NOT PROBABLE to have won one or two of those special elections. Let's get real. NO ONE with any brain actually EXPECTED the Dems to win. What actually happened in every single one of them was EXACTLY what was EXPECTED: that the Dem would be competitive and get much more of the vote share, but the R would most likely eke out a win.

So for Mark Halperin or any other talking head to say "This is a disaster for the Dems." is a total crock of shit. If anything, it spells DOOM for the R's in 2018 because the vote shifts were huge. They had to work like hell to defend areas they should have won very easily.

Democrats put the 50 state strategy into action knowing how hard it would be, became much more competitive, and ALL Dems should be VERY HAPPY about that. But to actually flip these DEEP RED seats, of course that most likely was not going to happen.

If you want a 50 state strategy, expect to LOSE many elections, but expect to get closer and make them work for it. And that must be done.

Even in Georgia, almost NO ONE actually thought Ossoff had a large chance to win. A chance, yes, but not a very big chance. I expected Handel to win by a small margin, and that is just what happened.

So enough of the nonsense from the talking head blowhards, and enough of the Democratic dooming and glooming. Dems should be HAPPY AS HELL for having closed gaps bigtime and run hard in VERY TOUGH areas.

Repulicans won these DEEP RED Republican districts that have been Republican for DECADES, including Georgia-6 which has been very red since 1978. And Dems showed they could compete in them even if they could not yet flip them. And that is what happened.

[EL34x4]

1. Nobody expects to win but let's spend $30 million anyways.

I mean, it's only money. We'll grow more, right?

[herding cats]

7. If we wouldn't have fought tooth and nail, we'd be being lambasted for not trying hard enough.

People are never satisfied, and nothing is ever good enough. That's a basic fact of Democratic Party politics. We have lots of different views and opinions, and we apparently love attacking our own at every conceivable chance we get.

[LanternWaste]

9. What then was the precise amount that should have been invested?

What then was the precise amount that should have been invested, and on what objective measure is that number arrived from?

Or (and I find this more likely), you'll simply rationalize a guess.

[EL34x4]

17. Actually, I kind of thought we might win this one.

That's why I'm not jumping on the "we never had a chance" bandwagon.

[LBM20]

19. Read my post. I said we had a chance, just not a very large chance. And that's indisputable fact.

[LBM20]

10. Absolutely yes. You spend the damn money and COMPETE, and build for the future. You are not seeing

the big picture. This is the 50 state strategy. It was conceivable, but not probable. But that doesn't mean you refuse to compete.

You can't screech for a 50 state strategy and then be unwilling to put in 100% even KNOWING that you are going to lose seats. It is called COMPETING and making them defend their seats.

Again, please see the big picture.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

12. a lot of us were frustrated after 2016 and wanted to give someone a $100

to give us some hope and somewhere to channel our anger

Jon Ossoff happened to be that person

[doc03]

2. I never thought we could win them and I think it was

stupid to invest so much money and hope in those elections. It did nothing but give us bad press and Benedict
Donald bragging rights. The Fox News narrative was 91% of the Democrats money was coming from outside the state
and we still lost.

[LBM20]

18. It was worth it. It is called the 50 state strategy. Compete hard EVERYWHERE. But yes,

very tough to win, but losses must be expected if you are going to compete everywhere. You have to be a party active in every district. Build the party everywhere and with time you can flip some of these harder seats. Just wasn't gonna happen yet.

[MrPurple]

3. People are making too big a deal out of GA 6th, but Ossoff appeared to have a chance

He finished over 48% in the first round, the polls all had him up by a couple points. It's not that surprising that he didn't pull out a district that the R's have won for 40 years, but you're minimizing it to say that no one expected that Ossoff could win. It really did appear that there was a good shot to pull that one out.

I question a bit that the result (Handel winning by 4%) is outside the margin of error of nearly all of the polls, and wonder if some voter suppression, hanky panky with the counting could be involved, because we've seen that many times now.

[LBM20]

13. No, I did NOT say that Ossoff could not win. I CLEARLY said the PROBABILITY was low. And it was.

And please, no more conspiracy theories about vote fraud. She won in a Republican district.

And polls in special elections can be very up and down and inaccurate. In the endgame, Handel was winning the polls. What happened was just what was to be expected.

He got 48% in the primary and 48% in the general, just what was expected even after he won the primary. EVERYONE with a brain near their heads and an ounce of knowledge about that district knew damn well it was going to be close but with an advantage to the the Republican.

[PubliusEnigma]

4. What's more interesting is the immense need to paint this as a major Trump victory.

Repukes won seats that they already held. Trump didn't pick his cabinet from toss-ups. Why would he?

The desperation to blow this up in the media as a big vindication indicates the true nature of things. The real story is the swing towards Democrats in those districts due to Trump which will actually amount to Dem. victories across the country in 2018.

They are blowing smoke.

[rainy]

5. Even when we democrats say

how well we did and how the republicans should be scared all those media blow hards are lecturing about is what loosers we are, four for zero and on and on. The media always let's the republicans set the narrative

[NCTraveler]

6. It has been worth the effort in each one, IMO.

Solid showings.

[LBM20]

14. It's the 50-state strategy in action just as folks scream they want. So they must EXPECT losses.

[NCTraveler]

16. They screamed they wanted it because we weren't doing it.

Now it appears we are doing it they are furious and completely ignoring reality in order to make their arguments.

They are called ratfuckers.

[LanternWaste]

8. GA6 was never a bellwether or marker, it was simply an underdog

GA6 was never a bellwether or marker, it was simply an underdog we hoped for, rather than actually expected.

And my initial reaction to the Doom & Gloom Demographic saying otherwise is that they're merely simpletons... though time and any presentation of any objective evidence at all may eventually convince me otherwise

[LBM20]

15. Spot on!

[NurseJackie]

11. Of course not! It's just another excuse to smear and denigrate Democrats and the Democratic Party.

Heaven help us from Sarandonesque Stein-loving zealots.