The Democratic Party got crushed during the Obama administration. Here's Why. (NPR)

[BernieforPres2016]

http://www.npr.org/2016/03/04/469052020/the-democratic-party-got-crushed-during-the-obama-presidency-heres-why

<Every president sees his party lose hundreds of positions — it's the price a party holding the White House pays — but no president has come close to Obama. During Obama's eight years in office, the Democrats have lost more House, Senate, state legislative and governors seats than under any other president.

When Obama took office, there were 60 Democratic senators; now there are 46. The number of House seats held by Democrats has shrunk from 257 to 188.

There are now nine fewer Democratic governors than in 2009. Democrats currently hold fewer elected offices nationwide than at any time since the 1920s.>

<Democrats had one spectacularly bad piece of luck. The Republicans' Tea Party-fueled surge in 2010 was perfectly timed to coincide with the decennial census, after which new congressional and state legislative district boundaries are drawn by governors and state legislatures. Republicans' huge gains in the 2010 midterms put them in the driver's seat when it came time to draw new congressional districts in 2011. Former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell remembers what happened when Republicans took over the governor's mansion and the Legislature in his state:

"When I left office in January of 2011," says Rendell, "there were 13 Democratic congressman and six Republican congressman. As a result of redistricting in the 2010 election, that turned around and we now have 13 Republican congressmen and five Democratic congressman.">

[Wilms]

1. They didn't mention DWS.

And they certainly didn't mention Obama's skin color...because it's not particularly "politically correct" to call out racists.

Funny how that works.

-on edit-

NPR DID credit Obama for reigning in the banks, at which point I began half-listening.

[FlatBaroque]

8. My gag reflex with NPR is currently down to 3 minutes /

[BernieforPres2016]

10. When you listen to the "Support for NPR comes from (insert corporate sponsors)"

You pretty much know what you're going to get. The 0.1% decided they better own "public" radio too.

[Svafa]

12. Exactly.

I was going to say, the article says nothing of the virulent racism that drives people to oppose every single thing Obama does and says. And then I remembered...oh yeah, it's NPR. Local affiliates are a little better, but who knows for how long. Now one of the biggest "donors" to my local NPR affiliate is a giant corporate law firm.

[Csainvestor]

2. its worse than this

democrats lost 1000 seats from the state level to the federal level.

this level of republican dominance has never been seen before.

During Obama’s term dems lost
11 governorships
13 U.S. Senate seats
69 House seats
913 state legislative seats
30 state legislative chambers.

[PoliticAverse]

3. Article fails to mention the political cost of passing the ACA, which really motivated

Republicans in the 2010 elections.

[Zorra]

6. If we had gotten single payer, the Dem party would be an unbeatable dynasty

right now.

[RobertEarl]

4. They are not communicating with anyone

What we have here is a failure to communicate.

But ol' Trump seems to be doing great?

But then Obama is communicating that he wants a Florida dino instead of Grayson as Fl Senator.

[BernieforPres2016]

5. They communicate plenty with the 0.1% behind closed doors

But they have done virtually nothing to excite Democrats who are among the 99% enough to go to the polls. We're seeing it in the 2016 primaries.

[RobertEarl]

9. Yep, again

Years ago, some radical on DU suggested that the establishment was conspiring to make sure the people were controlled so that the establishment could rip everyone off.

Hahaha, we laughed then, and now we see.... The one hope for the US, the Democratic party, is taking it in the shorts. And the people are screwed.

[fun n serious]

7. DU has become a RW site nt

[MisterP]

11. they can pre-blame the voters each time: why should they change?