Fifth-ranking House Dem doubles down, says it's time to overhaul leadership

[research_guy]

17. Leadership, November, etc

It speaks to the mess the party has become when a kid can gun down a veteran like that. They're giving up his seniority, his contacts, his experience. Tim Ryan has been screaming bloody murder but no one's listening.

Some of this is about to happen in the Senate. McCaskill has been on a list of seats almost certain to flip for several years running. I thought Nelson might survive as a former astronaut and borderline Dixiecrat but they say not. Manchin will be fine. Joe Manchin lose in West Virginia? The hell you say! Casey's name has come up but the guy is Pennsylvania royalty. I don't see him being beefed.

Brown's being targeted by a guy who's worth anywhere from $50M to $100M. Jane Timken has a fucking target painted on his back. I've noticed the networks have very conspicuously stopped talking about that race. He was everywhere and now he's nowhere. I told my wife it's at least even money we'll walk into one of the wineries, stop at the registration desk and there's Sherrod and Connie. I hope it isn't Wente. One would think he has better taste than that. They're the McDonalds of wine.

Some of us have been around awhile and see the overall pattern. My wife and I were government majors, worked on campaigns, etc. I've cooked a ton of spaghetti sauce and baked a lot of cookies in my time.

Within the next few years, there will be a meeting among all the major constituencies and senior leadership. At that time, the big players will begin to strip the flesh from the carcass and proceed with building a new party. New coalitions need to be formed, certain races identified for testing of ideas, millions of dollars raised, etc. We're building a new house because someone burned the other one down.

This is standard nuts and bolts, right out of the book. Those of us who have a copy or two should keep them handy.

I'm really hoping 2020 doesn't end up looking like 1972 but it might. I think we're gonna have to get sicker before we can get well.