Many have been complaining for months that the Democratic Party was dropping the ball. They thought they could coast to a Blue Wave without taking strong positions and engaging Americans throughout the country. They have yet to tell Americans precisely how they will make their lives better.
If Democrats are to revive the possibility of a Blue Wave, the time is running out as Republicans are framing a better message even if built on lies. They are even out messaging Democrats on the current shutdown of a government that they control totally.
For some time Democrats were leading in the generic poll by double digits. The latest CNN Poll is terrible news for Democrats.
As the midterm election year begins, a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS finds the Democratic advantage on a generic congressional ballot has tightened to a narrow 5 points among registered voters, but those voters who say they are most enthusiastic about turning out to vote this fall favor Democrats by a wide 15-point margin.
The new poll’s 49% Democrat to 44% Republican margin among registered voters is almost identical to Democrats’ standing in January of 2006, the last midterm election year in which they made significant gains in the House of Representatives.
But it represents a large shift from CNN polls conducted in the past three months, in which Democrats held double-digit advantages over the Republicans. Preferences among all adults have shifted less dramatically, but are also tighter than last fall, with Democrats currently 10 points ahead of Republicans among all Americans.
Many Liberals accused many Progressive bloggers of being too pessimist as we warned that Democrats were dropping the ball by not effectively engaging with voters of all stripes that are ready for the pickings. A few months ago I wrote the article “Democrats’ timidity & lack of a bold agenda dims 2018 blue wave hopes.” When I cross-posted that piece to the Daily KOS, the country’s most progressive site, I got a lot of flak from Liberals who thought I was too pessimistic. Some thought it was an attack on the establishment. It was deservedly. The following statement in the article still holds true.
Progressive Democrats need to take the reigns of their party and bring it into the 21st Century. It is time for them to take control to start winning again so they can effect policies to move poor, working-class, and middle-class America forward.
The CNN poll is a warning. Democrats will not coast to a Blue Wave. They must go out there and earn it.