Charles P. Pierce: Nat'l Democrats - Wrong. Very wrong. Incredibly wrong. Spectacularly wrong.

[kpete]

The Lessons Of The Past Forgotten
By Charles P. Pierce at 2:30pm

The national Democratic party can be depended upon to punch its own nose with startling regularity.
National Democrats stand by the decision not to play seriously in New Jersey, according to several who spoke with The Daily Beast. The calculation was two-fold, they said. First, the money required just to land a punch on Christie in the pricey New York and Philadelphia media markets could fund an entire campaign somewhere or sometime else when a Democrat had a chance of winning. "When you have someone this powerful and this popular, you shrug it off and wait for the next one," a top Democratic donor said of Christie. "It's not worth the financial investment to try to take him down or out."Second, Democrats firmly believe that no matter how strong Christie looks on Election Day 2013 in New Jersey, the Republican nominating gauntlet will eat his 2016 presidential candidacy alive before he ever gets a chance to face off against a Democrat in a general election. "When it comes to national elections, we've seen how efficient and effective Republicans are at destroying each other's reputations, so I'll leave it to them," said Robert Zimmerman, a national committeeman for the DNC. "Chris Christie is a very powerful national candidate, but the question is can a mainstream Republican be elected by the Republican Party today? No."

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/11/05/why-national-democrats-rolled-over-for-chris-christie.html


Wrong.

Wrong.

Very wrong.

Incredibly wrong.

Spectacularly wrong.

Also, stupid.

First of all, according to the latest NBC News/WSJ Poll, Christie's numbers are plummeting just like those of every other candidate. He's at 33 percent favorable right now. This is not a "powerful national candidate." He's weak and he's insecure and you can make him pop his cork as predictably as Old Faithful. In fact, your job, Democratic panjandrums, was to make him a national candidate before he is ready to be one. It was to make him a national candidate on your timetable, not his. Define, define, define. Spend whatever it takes to do that. Second, as Steve M. relentlessly points out, the Tea Party folk don't necessarily like the fact that Christie spent quality time with the Kenyan Usurper, but they love, love, love the way Big Chicken bullies the helpless and powerless. To hate like that gives their lives meaning, and Christie is a perfect vessel for that. They'll settle for that more easily than they settled for Willard Romney, god knows. So depending on the Tea Party folk to bring him down is to gamble high on phantoms.

This is the same ghastly strategy that aided and abetted the rise of C-Plus Augustus in Texas. It was their one opportunity to bloody him up, to wound him with ridicule until he (predictably) explodes, before the tingle rises up Chris Matthews's leg. That was worth anything they could have spent. And what campaigns, precisely, elsewhere in the country, was the Democratic party spending its money on that were so important that they took precedence over blowing out at least one tire on the Christie bandwagon? If you can't learn from the mistakes you made that helped elect George W. Bush, an intervention is clearly called for.


Read more: http://www.esquire.com/blogs/politics/The_Lessons_Of_The_Past_Forgotten
Visit us at Esquire.com

[Dawson Leery]

1. k/r

In 2009, the polls were wrong for the NYC mayoral election. Bill Thompson lost by 4%. The polls had Bill down by 20%+.
Democrats deeply regretted not helping him.

[Autumn]

2. Rec, because it's just fucking stupid.

Good article.

[trumad]

3. Could not agree more with Mr Pierce.

Howard Dean knew this---Bring back Howard.

[pa28]

11. Yes please. Bring Howard back. n/t

[SchmerzImArsch]

33. There was a reason he was shown the door.

[dhill926]

36. please elaborate....

[SchmerzImArsch]

80. Howard Dean believed in the 50 state strategy.

Others prefer a balance of power.

[cui bono]

79. Don't be coy....

fill us in.

[SchmerzImArsch]

81. Howard Dean believed in the 50 state strategy.

Others prefer a balance of power.

[HenryWallace]

97. Too cryptic!

Are you saying that:

1) The "New Way" Democrats share too many beliefs about the roll of Government to seek a progressive majority, and
2) As a result of his success, Dean has been forced sojourn in the political wilderness by the party establishment?

[bullwinkle428]

4. Dammit, kpete - I was salivating over posting this one myself!

K&R.

[geek tragedy]

5. at some point, New Jersey Democrats have to lead the way in their own state

Why was Chris Christie such an overwhelming favorite in NJ? Because NJ Democrats hadnt done enough damage on Christie, and had created the opening for him in the first place by choosing Jon Corzine as their standard-bearer.

Also, the more that national Democrats attack Christie, the more popular he'll be in the Teapublican primary. Parade Nancy Pelosi and Barack Obama and Harry Reid in to bash him, and he's guaranteed the nomination.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

19. EXACTLY!! This isn't about the DNC!! Jersey Democrats had been licking CC's ass

since Day #1. They NEVER fought back!!

[msanthrope]

38. Exactly. NJ Dems went after the legislature seats, leaving CC to beat up on Cruz and Jebby. nt

[tabbycat31]

57. A Corzine primary challenge in 2009 would have prevented Christie

[merrily]

82. Maybe preventing Christie was not a priority.

[bvar22]

6. Appears stupid on the surface,

...but the guys running the Democratic Party aren't stupid.


This reeks of a behind the scenes "deal".
Almost everything we are allowed to see these days is scripted Kabuki Theater.

[smokey nj]

7. It's a shame because Barbara Buono is a decent person. I was proud to vote for her today.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

20. She's an amazing woman and an amazing candidate. I wouldn't blame her at all

...if she left the Democratic Party because of how they abandoned her. Not at all.

[ancianita]

34. The DNC should have helped her more back when she started 30 pts. down.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

60. Yes, but the NJ Democrats should have backed her from the beginning. They didn't!

[ancianita]

62. They must have feel too tired to revenge vote against this union buster, teacher hater.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

92. Right! Exactly! People can wrongly blame national Democrats all they want.

They are wrong! It was NJ Democrats who backed down. Barbara Buono went after Jersey Democrats and rightly so. She knows who's to blame for this mess. It is, quite simply, them who are at fault.

[merrily]

86. Maybe they were not supposed to.

https://www.google.com/search?q=images+Obama+and+Christie&client=firefox-a&hs=I4d&rls=org.mozilla:en-US fficial&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=2ul5UoCpKI-_sQSw24K4AQ&ved=0CCkQsAQ&biw=1093&bih=427

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

91. I don't care about Obama and Christie. They are state level Democrats.

They ARE Democrats. Regardless of what Obama does, from the beginning they cowtowed to Chris Christie, backing down on measures that they should've fought him on. They allowed him to get away with shit--going after unions, not fighting for infrastructure projects, mistreatment of public school teachers--none of that has anything to do with Obama. This was all about NJ Democrats in the House and Senate. They were busy being cowards and kneeling before Chris Christie. There is no excuse!!

[Euphoria]

47. +2 of us

[leftstreet]

8. +1 The Democrats aren't stupid

They don't want majorities

[woo me with science]

52. ^^^^This is the correct answer. We are played like fools by corporatists in both parties.^^^^

This is not a Red/Blue game anymore. It is the rich corporatists represented by both parties against the rest of us. Corporate Democrats cannot enact the con game of claiming to want liberal legislation but just being unable to achieve it when they have strong majorities. We have seen this deliberate rolling over to keep the voting close many times, perhaps most strikingly when Harry Reid decided that changing the filibuster rules wasn't such a good idea, after all.

So now we are mysteriously falling short of Democratic votes for filibuster reform
http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=1809132

The Democratic Party's Deceitful Game
http://www.salon.com/2010/02/23/democrats_34/

[chervilant]

95. Hear, hear!

Corporate Democrats cannot enact the con game of claiming to want liberal legislation but just being unable to achieve it when they have strong majorities.

From your mouth to EVERY Democrats' ears! We've got to "know our enemy" in order to effect real change.

[flamingdem]

59. explain?

what majorities?

[Ninga]

10. I posted exactly the same thought yesterday. I found an article that ever-so-briefly

made passing reference to NJ Dems looking the other way...

"Governor Christie is heavily favored to win re-election. His opponent, State Senator Barbara Buono, is not only facing Christie and his stuttering admirers in the press but also the machinery of the state Democratic Party who fears her progressive agenda would threaten state and local business dealings that Christie has happily looked the other way on."



http://news.firedoglake.com/2013/11/04/chris-christie-screams-at-another-teacher-on-election-eve/

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

17. And again, I keep seeing this fallacy that Barbara Buono was a weak candidate.

Bullshit! She was an amazing candidate. Amazing!! She never backed down from Christie. Never! I think she intimidated him, too. She went after him during those debates. She wasn't afraid to go toe to toe with him. Unlike most Democrats, she stood strong and resilient to the very end. She's a fighter and I hope to see her again on the state or national scene.

[hopemountain]

100. she was powerful in the debates

because she has the strength of conviction. i watched her stand up to christie….whereas, christie is a big ass arrogant bully with a ginormous ego - one of these days he is going to implode.

[geek tragedy]

23. Oy. Stating that the national democratic party is in a conspiracy

to help Chris Christie get elected governor is crazy talk.

Would any amount of money spend by the national party have helped defeat Christie?

No. It would have made him look stronger after winning by double-digits. It would have elevated his national profile, made his election a national referendum that we lost, and it would have clinched the 2016 Republican nomination for him.

This more of the Ted Cruz "fighting to the bitter end is always a smart strategy" theory at play.

But, go ahead and blame Christie's win on the DNC and the Freemasons and whatever other imaginary forces you want to conjure.

[Bluenorthwest]

28. His win is the fault of the people of NJ, but we as Democrats should seek to intervene and attempt

to cure them of their madness. The 'moderates' in NY/NJ politics wanted Christie, backed him, kept the heat away from him. This is because they are basically Republicans. They have already 'invested' with Chris and they get the returns they expect so they don't need to get a Democrat in, they own the Republican.

[geek tragedy]

30. In a world where the Democratic party has infinite resources, sure.

The smart money in NJ went to legislative races--deny him any accomplishments and make his life difficult.

Newsflash: Democrats want to be talking about Virginia, not New Jersey, tonight.

[Fuddnik]

42. Oh yeah, slimmed down 34% approval Christie McCaullife.

Talk about the lesser evils.

[DireStrike]

32. Thats why a national committeeman was quoted in the article, because it was the illuminati

wooo conspiracy! rattle those chains! crazy kooky woo woo!

[woo me with science]

53. +100000 You bet it does.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=3985733

[bvar22]

9. The Daily Beast said the same thing this morning:

"Why National Democrats Rolled Over for Chris Christie"--- The Daily Beast

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023982881



You will know them by their [font size=3]WORKS.[/font]

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

18. Why National Democrats rolled over for CC? Because NJ Democrats did!!

That's why!!

[merrily]

85. Or was it the other way around?

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

93. No. It was not the other way around, and Barbara Buono called them out on it.

Stop making excuses for Jersey Democrats. Jersey Democrats are the problem. They were the problem when it came to sticking up for Corzine and they are the problem now.

[KamaAina]

12. "before the tingle rises up Chris Matthews's leg"

Can we give Pierce an honorary DUzy??

[Bolo Boffin]

16. I'm afraid that train had already left the station.

But good on Pierce for pointing it out.

[Baitball Blogger]

13. Perhaps this a good place for progressives to field a third party candidate?

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

21. No!! It's a good place for Democrats to field progressive Democrats!!

The problem with Jersey Democrats? Most of them aren't really progressive!!! They are CORPORATE. Hence, why Cory Booker won. And why we will be disappointed in him.

[Baitball Blogger]

26. I'll donate to the cause.

[ancianita]

35. We will most assuredly be disappointed. I already have been. He's the corporate class' guy.

[DissidentVoice]

46. Do you honestly believe that the DLC establishment would allow it?

OK, maybe they don't exist in name any more, but their thinking has filtered throughout the Democratic Party.

"Can't be part of the 'looney left'..."

"Gotta capture the 'centre'..."

"Gotta be 'mainstream'..."

"Gotta recapture those 'Reagan Democrats'..."

"The 'Blue Dogs" won't go for it..."

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

56. Excuses, excuses. Blue Dogs are starting to lose races. I've told the story of Donna Edwards'

rise to congress many times, so I won't go into detail here again. But her story is one of courage and resilience. She continued to lose over and over again to a well funded and well known Blue Dog Democrat in a fairly progressive area here in Maryland for several terms. She nearly gave up. But many of us in progressive circles continued to work hard, and every time she lost, we worked harder the next time. And the next. And the next. Until she finally defeated her opponent. And she not only defeated him. She fucking MURDERED him!! And the next election? He was so scared of her, he decided not to face her again, instead opting for some fancy K Street lobby job.

We have to keep trying.

I am opposed to Third Parties. I didn't used to be, but I am now. (My history with Nader is very long and not pleasant.)

[arthritisR_US]

14. I totally agree!

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

15. The first time I'll disagree with Charlie because it's not just the DNC.

It's Jersey Democrats. Because Jersey Democrats in the legislature were so weak, timid and gullible, Chris Christie could possibly end up being the president in 2016.

[mountain grammy]

37. Of course I agree with Charlie, but your posts are getting to me..

Barbara Buono was a good candidate and big business Democrats abandoned her. CC is a bully. While visiting family in Delaware a couple of weeks ago, I saw an anti Buono ad and thought, that damn Christie has all this support and still runs a negative campaign. She did scare him.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

58. Yeah, I keep hearing Democrats falsely accuse her of being a bad candidate simply because she didn't

have the name recognition or the money to go after Christie. Well, of course! If one doesn't have big money backing them or national notoriety, then of course, said candidate won't be able to compete. NJ Democrats abandoned this woman. National Democrats saw that she had no chance and saw that NJ Democrats weren't backing her, so why waste their time?

I blame the national Democrats, but I point my finger squarely at NJ Democrats FIRST and foremost.

[flamingdem]

61. Just look at de Blasio in NYC, Dems weren't afraid to support him!

Even after the smear articles about how he was a leftie activist in Central America on the front page of the NYT

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

69. The people were behind him. He had a huge coalition, name recognition, a presence. By the time Buono

entered the race, it was really too late for her. She simply did not have that kind of backing and it was too late for her to grow in that area. She was an outstanding candidate, and like I said before, I hope that she'll remain on the scene.

[flamingdem]

70. She did well considering and I really liked her

and the way that she stood up to Christie

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

71. I loved her during the debates. She did not allow him to intimidate her at all. In fact, he seemed

a bit moved by her.

[CK_John]

22. Your main flaw is assuming policies count, it's all about the persona of the person.

People vote for a leader figure. They vote for assertive, self confident, know it all, rude, in your face take charge persona regardless of party or policies.

[Rain Mcloud]

27. True That!

Look at all the braggadocio morons they elect in Texas,over and over and over.
I swear they must live on a strict diet of yellow #2 lead pencils down there.

[dreamnightwind]

68. Policies count plenty

They count to the corporate guys thinking about who to write a check to.

After election, of course they count since we're all governed by these people.

I get what you're saying about voters voting for image and personality rather than policy. The king-makers understand exactly how it works and pick out candidates that will resonate with the people they are supposed to screw over after getting elected.

[DeSwiss]

24. ''We are led by the least among us....'' ~Terence McKenna - K&R n/t

[Fuddnik]

25. Debbie Weaselman-Schlitz wouldn't even bother to endorse Florida Dem Congressional candidates,

Especially against extreme right-wing repukes like the Diaz-Ballart Brothers and Illean Ros Lehntien. She said they were "her friends".

She gave a gushing, fawning interview with the St. Pete Times for Ginny Brown-Waite, she said everything but, "I endorse", against progressive Democrat.

She should go join her friends. She was on Colbert last week, and gave me more reasons to dislike her.

[madfloridian]

29. Debbie W. insulted Dem candidate (against Adam Putnam). Refused to support him. 2008

The lack of support by the Florida party for progressives goes back a long way. We were supporting this guy against Adam "Opie" Putnam, and we mistakenly assumed Florida Democrats would also. But they didn't. Doug Tudor would have been a good thing for Florida Democrats, yet they shut him out.

Wasserman Schultz insults FL Dem candidate...says "don't pull that populist stuff on me."

In the words of a very capable Democratic candidate with a lot of support from the people....

One of the most satisfying aspects of my time in Denver was being able to see Democrats uniting together to help other Democrats. I received financial support from Congressman John Salazar (D-CO), Congressman Phil Hare (D-IL), future Congressman Jared Polis (D-CO), as well as from convention attendees from Washington, Montana, North Carolina, and Florida. What I have not been able to do is to get Democrats from Florida’s congressional caucus to risk offending their good friend, Adam Putnam, by contributing from their personal wealth or campaign accounts, or by endorsing me.

I, of course, was most anxious to meet and speak with Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (DINO-FL), who is chairing the DCCC’s Red-to-Blue program. I just knew that she would welcome the chance to defeat Adam Putnam, as that would allow her lay sole claim to the title of “Wonder Kid” in Florida’s politics. Adam, after all, isn’t her next door neighbor. Once she comes onboard, I assumed, the other members of the caucus would lose their timidity and also support me. I was dead wrong, and I should have known better.

It is well known that Wasserman-Schultz supports Republicans Lincoln Diaz-Balart, Mario Diaz-Balart, and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen over their Democratic opponents, although lately she has been pressured into giving belated and grudging support to Joe Garcia and Raul Martinez who are opposing the Diaz-Balarts. I always figured that she was just afraid of the Hispanic backlash in her own district. What I hadn’t considered is that she is just afraid of all incumbent Republicans in Florida. When I met her in Denver, she immediately told me that she couldn’t support me, saying I hadn’t raised enough money. I told her that I had raised $100K, that I was a military retiree, that my family is living on my wife’s Air Force E6 pay, and that I wasn’t able like other “viable” candidates to drop a quarter of a million dollars into my own campaign. I then told her, “Congresswoman, I am one of those working-class guys that our party claims to represent.” Her response was “Don’t pull that populist stuff with me.” I thanked her for her time.

Don't pull that populist stuff on her? Now that is just sad.

It wasn't just Doug, and it wasn't just Debbie W. who refused to support Democrats.

Two Florida Democratic congress folks prefer their Republican incumbents to their own party.

This time around, Wasserman Schultz and Meek say their relationships with the Republican incumbents, Reps. Lincoln Diaz-Balart and his brother Mario, and Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, leave them little choice but to sit out the three races.

''At the end of the day, we need a member who isn't going to pull any punches, who isn't going to be hesitant,'' Wasserman Schultz said.

The decision comes as Democrats believe they have their best shot in years to defeat at least one of the Cuban-American incumbents with a roster of Democrats that include former Hialeah Mayor Raul Martinez, opposing Lincoln Diaz-Balart; outgoing Miami-Dade Democratic party chair Joe Garcia, opposing Mario Diaz-Balart; and businesswoman Annette Taddeo, opposing Ros-Lehtinen.

But Wasserman Schultz and Meek say their ties to the three Republicans are personal as well as professional: Both served in the state Legislature with Mario Diaz-Balart and say they work in concert with all three on South Florida issues.

I sort of mentally compare this attitude in Florida through the years to the apparent lack of opposition to Chris Christie in NJ. There's a price to pay for refusing to oppose Republicans.

[Fuddnik]

39. I remember that.

Not to mention screwing John Russell.

[madfloridian]

41. Also they ignored 2 other great candidates we supported with our donations and more.

It's a pattern here. Rahm would pay the state a visit when he was DCCC chair, and he worked with Debbie and Karen Thurman, former chair, to get progressives out of the race.

David Lutrin, a teacher, was another victim.

[Fuddnik]

49. They put it to Jan Schneider too.

And backed a Republican that Rahm converted.

Two more losses.

Now, they're pulling the same shit on Jessica Ehrlich, when Alex Sink decided to run. Emily's list was backing Ehrlich, until they removed her from their recommended list. Guess who sits on Emily's List Board? Former BofA Florida Executive, Alex Sink.

[madfloridian]

54. Ah, I forgot Jan. We met with and supported her with our donations.

Our FL Dems have made sure most progressive candidates get out of the races because of lack of funding. Didn't Bob Graham endorse and stand with her? I think he did.

[merrily]

84. EMILY's list works very closely with the Democratic Party.

[Fuddnik]

96. Breaking.....Ehrlich drops out.

Ehrlich dropped out of the race this morning.

http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/the-buzz-florida-politics/jessica-ehrlich-drops-out-of-congressional-race/2151084

Of course, she was flanked by Third Way, Stinky Hoyer at the announcement.

[AzDar]

31. " C-Plus Augustus"...

[senseandsensibility]

40. I see I'm not the only person feeling uneasy about the way the whole Dem

party is bowing down to Christie for NO EARTHLY reason, just like they bowed down to the chimp a decade ago. They refuse to ridicule or even criticize him. It's like the fix is in.

[markpkessinger]

51. +1 Thank you. n/t

[blkmusclmachine]

43. YAY! Third Way, bringing the Party to its (bi-partisan) knees.

[SDjack]

44. National DEMs: When you have the goppers on the mat, stop fighting,

reach down, help them up, and causually turn your back toward them. The goppers will love you for ever. Works every time.

[Z_California]

45. Reminder to National Democrats:

The last two GOP nominees were John McCain and Mitt Romney. As horrible as they are, they were both considered the most "moderate" of the primary candidates***. If you don't think they'll nominate Christie, you are dead ass wrong.

EDIT: ***(Except for Huntsman LOL)

[BillyRibs]

48. Thanks DNC!

for throwing us to the bully!

[calimary]

50. Howard Dean wouldn't have made that mistake.

I miss him! SO underwhelmed by Debbie. I fell out of love with her fairly quickly. My husband remained a huge fan until just recently, when he heard her comment, during the government shutdown, that she wouldn't give up her paycheck during the crisis. Others certainly did. That was enough to turn him against her.

[brooklynite]

55. Sorry...I told the Democratic Governor's Association not to give her a penny.....

I'm not a fan of Christie (although apparently a LOT of NJ Democrats are), but campaign $$$ aren't infinite, and the Party helps those where it will make a difference. If you're losing by 20-30% consistently through the campaign, how many millions would you need to shift those numbers considerably? And which winnable 2014 races would you take that money away from?

I read a lot of folks here complaining that we don't run "real" Democrats. Well, why didn't Frank Pallone run? or Rush Holt? Barbara Buono was the only person willing to take Christie on, and she was an inadequate candidate (I met her personally. She's nice, but not impressive). If you want a competitive election that DGA or DNC or the President can make a difference in, find a better candidate.

[Laelth]

101. Interesting. Thanks for the post. n/t

-Laelth

[Roarybeans]

63. Agreed

We do need to take this guy down one way of another. Let your friends and family know the true nature of Christie.

[WillyT]

64. Yep... K & R !!!

[aquart]

65. Fight for every seat.

I agree it was idiocy not to bring up how little Christie has done for Sandy people. And all his other genius acts like his crap jobs record.

But teabag fancy against the god-inspired destiny of our future king, Ted Cruz? I trust Ted to be as vile as Satan so I'm feeling fairly secure on that.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

66. The game is to prop up that egomaniac and get the Republicans to pick him as their next loser.

[spooky3]

73. "Please proceed, Governor..."

[Spitfire of ATJ]

74. See his speech? He'll proceed all night long.

[spooky3]

75. I mean--proceed to try to get the nomination and self-destruct.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

76. Exactly,...with a string of 50 page speeches.

[WillyT]

67. Kick !!!

[ecstatic]

72. The more democrats embrace Christie, the more the repub base will hate him

At first I agreed with Pierce's thinking, but Christie won't win a primary. All we have to do is sit back with a nice bag of popcorn and watch the fireworks unfold. Besides, if the teabaggers don't take him down, his own scandals will.

That being said, the DNC should have given more support to the democratic nominee.

[TheKentuckian]

78. The amount of falling in line the TeaPubliKlans do is way underrated.

See Poppy. See McShame. See Rmoney.

No, they aren't fixing to nominate a Huntsman but it will almost certainly will go to someone who is relatively moderate as compared to the batshit caucus as a whole and with some level of plausible denial to sell to actual moderates. Well, the kingpin here fits the mold better than some will admit. This is exactly the too clever by half shit that tends to lead to certain folks saying stuff like "who could have ever guessed?".

A strategy based on a union busting bully that can play the "bipartisan" card is far from a sure bet. I not sure it is even a decent attempt.

[frazzled]

77. Conservatives are making the exact same complaint about National Republicans

re: Cuccinelli. They're saying if national Repubs had thrown in some money, the Coochmeister would have won. And that turned out to be a close race. They actually may have had a point. (Though I don't even think they wanted him to win, given the level of crazy.)

The fact remains: this is how politics works on the national level. Politicians don't throw around their weight for a candidate who is destined to lose, because it makes them look ineffective and weak.

Christie was always going to win this election (thanks to Sandy), though he might have won it by less (like Mcauliffe) if more money and talent had been thrown at to Buono. But without New Jersey Democrats heading up the fight, which they didn't, it wasn't meant to be.

Even DFA (Dean's group--though Dean himself doesn't appear to have done any work for her) didn't commit any money to the race:

Buono said she will be "competitive financially," but noted that having the same amount of money doesn't always matter in New Jersey.

"Chris Christie was outspent three-to-one by Gov. Corzine and we saw how far that went," Buono said. "This governor does have a national persona; he's spent a lot of time outside of New Jersey for three years, criss-crossing back and forth in pursuit of really his national ambitions and so the fact that he is known on a wider, a broader scale than just in New Jersey has focused national interest on the campaign."

Buono has been endorsed by and getting help from national liberal groups like Democracy for America and Emily's List, as well as the Democratic Governors Association and the Democratic National Committee. Although most won't comment on how much money they are willing to dump into the uphill battle, it's clear that it's not just about this race and they are looking toward 2016.

DFA, Howard Dean's liberal PAC, officially backed Buono last week and although it has no plans to put money behind the endorsement, it says the official backing is more "about activating our boots on the ground in the state."

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/chris-christie-challenger-barbara-buono-lost-amid-obama/story?id=19278119&page=3

[merrily]

83. Whether they were wrong or not depends on what their goal was.

[loudsue]

87. The money that buys our party wouldn't let Howard Dean continue the fighting spirit

that was bringing back the Democratic party. He spoke the plain truth about how things are, and the robber barons couldn't have that.

[DallasNE]

88. Christie Had No Coattails

As Democrats only suffered minor loses in the legislature. Pumping a little money into some of those down ticket races could have produced even better results so that plan was lose-lose. It also assumes that massive TV advertising is the only path to victory. Ever hear of ground game?

[ctsnowman]

89. The 4th estate

seems to be on board with CC as well even "liberal" MSNBC has many who fawn over him. As far as him not being able to win the nomination, ROMNEY for fucks sake.

[TreasonousBastard]

90. This bullshit is back again? Have these guys...

ever been to New Jersey. Do the names Ray Lezniak or George Norcross mean anything to them? Lezniak was thinking of retiring when I was leaving Joisey, but if he has, his successor should be holding the same cards, although possibly not the same talent at the game.

New Jersey Democrats are entirely machine run, with the only significant difference from some machines of old being that none of them runs the whole state so you have to deal with a bunch of county fiefdoms. When I lived in Elizabeth, there were at one point three Democratic parties, two of them trying to oust Lezniak. Unless they've learned some lesson, half the Hudson County Dems are under indictment by now-- they were setting records so fast the reservoir didn't bother putting names up lest they be jailed and taken down.

"Real" Democrats should know about this stuff. It ain't about high-minded national concerns. It's about local power and ass-kissing.

Who in his or her right mind would stick a finger in this mess to waste money on a term limited Governor who will implode the minute he blows his stack on the national stage? Christie is a smart pol running brilliant Sandy commercials, but he can't control his temper any more than his waistline, so he'll be toast and have a Presidential career second only to 9/11 Rudy's.

I said this before, but no one cared:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=3983089

[NorthCarolina]

94. It's the Dems way of indicating the conservative candidate is closer to their ideology..without

actually having to publicly say it.

[DonCoquixote]

98. Yes..

I am sorry, but if I were running the Democrats right now, I would be marching certain people out to pasture, namely Harry Reid and Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, as they have done more to support Republicans than they ever have progressives. The fact the NJ is in the shape it is in is a testament to how this whole Red/Blue State things is bullshit. We need Dean back in his old job, stat!

I am really going to laugh if the only people that keep the GOP out of office in 2016 are we Blue people down in Florida.

[SleeplessinSoCal]

99. I think Democratic Leadership needs to attend local city council meetings in GOP areas

Just as the wacky conservative mayor in Toronto is pushing ahead with his agenda, and his "cousin" Christie in NJ, we have dictatorial battles going on in towns all over the country. Republicans are fighting the Tea Party very fiercely in Costa Mesa. This is their new model - be totally agresssive and ignore wishes. Christie has to work with his Democratic legislature, so he's somewhat contained by them and able to seem more moderate than he actually is.

Democrats just don't like to fight. Republicans are naturals. Democrats need to go into training in a big way.