I didn't know that Kavanaugh's initial fed judge nomination was held up for 3 years, as he was seen (by Dems) as too partisan. Having been heavily involved with the Starr chamber and writing the Starr report. (Kav also advised Starr to go after all the sexual details on Clinton/Lewinsky, which of course now turns against him).
I also wasn't aware that Kav married W's personal secretary.
Or that he was involved in the Elian Gonzales case (which was a big right-wing cause for a while).
Obviously the big problem is that the Dems lost the WH to Donald Trump of all people. But the secondary problem is they never made a concerted case for the need to have a DEM senate. That derailed Obama's presidency and is allowing Trump to largely do what he wants (fortunately he gets easily distracted and feuds with his own GOP senators at times).
I really don't recall Hillary discussing the need for Dem senators and a Dem senate to get her agenda through. I was calling for her to do so. Using saving and expanding Obamacare as the primary reason. But also keeping us out of wars (Iran, Syria), making sure companies pay their fair share of taxes, getting infrastructure investment (though Trump also pretended he'd do that), raising the minimum wage, improving job training and access to day care, etc.
For the Dems it always seems one election at a time, each individual candidate, with no overarching message or strategy.
As I've said before the Democrats should always say that they are the party of democracy, and support voter access and voter turnout. Have all Dem candidates hammer at that. Have grassroots initiatives to follow up on that. Cook up some Bill of Voter rights (including ex-convicts can vote) as Gingrich would do). All of which would counter GOP voter suppression efforts.
Say the Dems are the party of Health Care, health insurance, access to medical treatment. With the goal of all Americans insured and therefore able to get medical treatment. Dems want Americans healthy, safe, financially secure.
DEMS = the party of voting and health care.
They are already associated with abortion and social programs.
They should also be the party of middle class and unions.
They really allowed the GOP to undermine unions the past 30 years, which has hurt the Dems in fund-raising, manpower, messaging, in the Rust Belt states, with the shrinking middle class, etc. Along with the pronounced Dem shift to being a corporate party reliant upon large corporate donations.
Obama kept the Midwest Dem because he saved the auto industry. That won him Ohio. But Dem support for NAFTA and China in the WTO and all manner of globalization left Rust Belt support weak, and Trump took advantage of the discontent. DEms never pivoted to protect jobs that left for Mexico and China and the workers left behind.
Poll
5 (45.5%)