Ah, the old stiff upper lip, screwed into place by outright terror and another paycheck: "The more voters have gotten to know House Republicans’ fatally flawed candidates, including those with ties to organized crime, a Nazi enthusiast, and another being sued for attempted rape and sexual assault, the less there is to like," said DCCC's Ryan Rudominer to Politico. "So for all the Republicans’ popping the champagne and the countless millions spent in secret funds from shady right wing groups, they haven’t been able to close the deal in their targeted races, and that’s why Democrats will win."
Although Rudominer's premise was exceptionally gentle -- the less there is to like? -- his conclusion was ruggedly delusional, which is, however, what he gets paid for generating. The midterms may not be as apocalyptic for Dems as many observers were calculating just days ago, but the Cook Political Report remains pessimistic: "This year is shaping up to be something of a repeat of the 52-seat House and eight-seat Senate rout of Democrats in 1994." The Rothenberg Report essentially concurs, predicting a "likely Republican gain of 40-50 seats."
Politico gravely speculates on the causations of such vast voter dissatisfaction with the Congressional majority, citing the usual suspects of "unpopular legislative votes" (such as health-care reform, demanded by huge pluralities for decades), "the quality of opposition" (you know, rehabilitated witches, inarticulate Asian women who look remarkably WASPish, arresting First Amenders, those "with ties to organized crime, a Nazi enthusiast," etc.), "the partisan breakdown of the districts" (think unevolved knuckles, think dragging), "or the huge sums of money dedicated to Democratic defeat" (think Gilded Age, think William McKinley, think Mark Hanna).
A nice, respectably comprehensive list, no? Politico covered all the bases, yes?
Not quite, for the list omits possibly the most worrisome causation of all, the one the Founders feared most and seems destined to further retard America's (remaining) potential greatness: voter ignorance, resulting in a gross susceptibility to demagogically pain-free cures.
The empirical particulars of the American electorate's growing remoteness from enlightened democracy are far too numerous to even survey in a mere post; but that's OK, because you're already familiar with the disquieting evidence of our politically out-of-touch populace. From all too widespread beliefs in government "death panels" to intractable doubts about, say, the president's true faith, we've an electorate, in large part, that's either irredeemably ineducable or just downright stupid.
It's crowning achievement in transcendent dunderheadedness, though, will be to put those who screwed us of late right back in power -- after the screwers have made no misrepresentations whatsoever to the screwees about how they're going to screw us again in precisely the same position: brace yourself, they promise, for the repeat debaucheries of unregulated markets and supply-sided inequality.
So come on, Politico, and you other journalistic organs of political objectivity. Be complete when composing at least your postmortem list behind our midterm folly: to it, add popular stupidity.