I haven't felt this way about the Democratic Party, probably since the Howard Dean era, when there was a grassroots push to install him as party chairman in order to reorient the party.
And I have one take-away from this election: Someone (actually lots of someone's) must pay for this abject failure, of politics, of policy, of leadership. And, you know what? Right now, I just don't care if "accountability" comes by way of Obama's impeachment. I'll be just fine with a President Biden, as he'll get just as much done with Republicans as Obama: Nothing.
Yes, the pols will all try to excuse this latest loss away, say that "oh, it is a midterm, we were doomed to start!" (all the while not realizing that that attitude right there is part of the problem). Or, "Oh, all those Senate seats were all in RED STATES!" Well, our lack of competitiveness in such states is yet another party failure for which someone should pay the price, now that the chickens have come home to roost.
Truly, there are no doubt many reasons why the D's lost, but one point makes the loss completely inexcusable: They lost to these guys, idiots who don't believe in science, do believe in voodoo economics (and vulture capitalism), just got finished obstructing everything the government does AND THEY WERE JUST REWARDED FOR THEIR PUERILE, UNPATRIOTIC BEHAVIOR. That is simply inexcusable, and another example of how our democracy is failing at dispensing any accountability at all for those willing to harm the country for partisan gain. Holding the other party accountable in this two-party sytem is the Democrats JOB--one at which they have demonstrably failed.
At the very minimum, this means that Harry Reid should no longer lead the Senate Dem caucus, not least for his failure with the filibuster: first, for not going far enough with it once they decided to pay the political price for doing it so that the Senate might, you know, ACTUALLY WORK afterwards, and second, for being the leader of a filibuster-proof senate majority only 6 years ago and now losing the body entirely.
Chuck Shumer, head of the DSCC, should also be replaced, for failing to come up with a political agenda that the party, specifically senate candidates, could unite around and give constituents something to vote FOR. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, current chair of the DNC, should lose her post for precisely the same reason.
And although the House was never truly in question, I still think House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and DCCC chair Chris Van Hollen shouldn't get off without any blame either. The failure of the party's policy and politics also falls heavily on their shoulders.
As for President Obama, he gets no more free passes on anything. ANYTHING. He hasn't done shit to defend himself, much less the Party, from this onslaught of fascist, know-nothings. No, he and Joe Biden are now talking about what all they might get done with those nice Republicans in congress (and if that isn't the definition of clueless, I don't know what is). If President Obama wants help fighting the Republicans for the next two years, we should all collectively make it clear to him that we won't be doing it for free, out of the goodness of our hearts, but rather for tangible political gains. If he has nothing to offer us, then we should not find ourselves reflexively behind him, except insofar as he does, in the last years of his tenure, decide to lead the fight against the retrogrades he should have been leading since 2008. Period. And if you think I'm not serious, right now, I don't think Obama even deserves Democratic votes in the Senate against his now-certain impeachment trial. President Biden is fine by me. If Obama wants the progressives to have his back, I don't see any particular reason why. Maybe Biden will be a better leader against these fascists lunatics (though, I doubt it). Why not? Seems he could hardly be worse. Still, I'm all for accountability, and if that means going along with Obama's impeachment, so be it. I just don't care. He's dug his own hole, made his own bed, so if he STILL wants to sit down and play patty-cake with the Republicans, be my guest. Just don't expect me to have his back when they inevitably bite his hand off and then impeach him for getting his nasty, Kenyan blood on their clothes. Want the party to learn why it shouldn't take us Progressives for granted? Stand back and be willing to abstain or vote with the Rs to impeach a Democratic president, and they might suddenly come up with a few reasons to get some progressive religion on a thing or two.
Seriously, I have had it with this party. If heads don't roll over this, over losing the Senate, if Progressives don't make damn sure there is accountability for this failure, then we shouldn't be surprised in 2 years if our presidential candidates are all trying to out-triangulate the Right rather than appeal to their own base of voters. Otherwise, you should expect more of the same useless tripe from Dem candidates in 2016, 2018 and beyond: a listless party afraid of it's own shadow, too corrupted to address or embrace anything that might persuade anyone else to vote for it. The Tea Party, for all it's idiocy, has shown one thing quite clearly: The fear of accountability can be a very powerful thing that changes behavior of elected officials, even to the point where it can lead to a shutdown of the entire federal government. I don't appreciate the example, but I appreciate the lesson.
So, no more Mr. Nice Base. Now, the time for accountability in our own party is at hand--and someone must pay for this debacle. So, I invite you now to demand the resignations of every person in party leadership--without exception. Demand accountability. Demand a party that works. Demand it of your local party officials, demand it from your elected officials, but most of all, demand accountability from those who are now purportedly in charge of running this party--a party that a mere 6 years ago had the Trifecta: a House majority and, for a short time, a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate, along with the White House. Because someone should pay for taking that huge advantage, squandering it, and running it completely into the ground.