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To get some perspective ..Doug Jones is our Scott Brown (Original Post) Le Gaucher Dec 2017 OP
Scott Brown was the harbinger of the 60-seat beatdown Dems had in 2010..... scheming daemons Dec 2017 #1
Yeah but what happened for the republicans shortly after Scott Brown won? Tiggeroshii Dec 2017 #2
Why don't you see him lasting beyond three years? Irish_Dem Dec 2017 #3
Because this was a far from ordinary circumstance misanthrope Dec 2017 #14
I'm with ya misanthrope mnmoderatedem Dec 2017 #17
But perhaps the climate in 2020 will be similar. A prevailing negative view of the GOP. Irish_Dem Dec 2017 #24
In 2020 when the Democrati wins the White House, RDANGELO Dec 2017 #4
Pessimism is best kept to yourself. SharonClark Dec 2017 #5
What a great discussion site we'll have if only optimism is allowed.... nt LAS14 Dec 2017 #33
+1 . n/t obnoxiousdrunk Dec 2017 #44
Zero fucks to give right now. BannonsLiver Dec 2017 #6
he will have the power of the incumbent AlexSFCA Dec 2017 #7
If you can't say something good... world wide wally Dec 2017 #8
... then say what you think is the truth, so we can have a lively... LAS14 Dec 2017 #34
There's time for that. world wide wally Dec 2017 #36
In 2020 when the Democrat wins the White House, RDANGELO Dec 2017 #9
Martha Coakley is no Roy Moore. CentralMass Dec 2017 #10
That she is not.. But Doug , as swell a guy he is, cant win Le Gaucher Dec 2017 #11
And this was likely to be higher turnout treestar Dec 2017 #27
Let me guess, you were telling everyone that he would never beat Jones the first time. grantcart Dec 2017 #12
Yes.. I had zero hopes for Doug Jones Le Gaucher Dec 2017 #13
You're a bit of a pessimist Bucky Dec 2017 #20
Let's hope Steve Bannon gets his rematch Zambero Dec 2017 #15
Im ok with that... TDale313 Dec 2017 #16
Jones should just be the best he can, and show the Alabama people that Democrats aren't the OnDoutside Dec 2017 #18
talk about a wet blanket. book_worm Dec 2017 #19
Meh Bucky Dec 2017 #21
+1 treestar Dec 2017 #26
The night after a win, people are yelling game over. Maybe Jones will turn out to be a great Senator FSogol Dec 2017 #41
I think the pendulum is swinging back toward the center/left. GreenEyedLefty Dec 2017 #22
Not even close. Are_grits_groceries Dec 2017 #23
It can happen. Arkansas was a Repuke state before and after Clinton mvd Dec 2017 #39
Does this have to start today? treestar Dec 2017 #25
I know .. I always see the dark side to everything.. Le Gaucher Dec 2017 #31
Scott Brown ultimately gave us Elizabeth Warren crazycatlady Dec 2017 #28
Scott Brown was an empty LLBean jacket C_U_L8R Dec 2017 #29
Exactly. This "prediction" ignores the the fact that Jones should be a great Senator. Bleacher Creature Dec 2017 #43
It's still 3 years and who knows what happens beyond that. Better than 3 years of Moore. Hoyt Dec 2017 #30
But he is our guy as long as Trump is in there... lame54 Dec 2017 #32
I think all bets are off right now. alarimer Dec 2017 #35
Yes.. After years of losses ..it takes a while to get used to winning Le Gaucher Dec 2017 #38
We had some success here locally as well. alarimer Dec 2017 #40
I believe we are starting to see the begging of the deep south turning purple TNLib Dec 2017 #37
LOL.. that's your takeaway from this incredible win for Democrats?? honest.abe Dec 2017 #42
What a vomit inducing OP. Nice attempt at killing the buzz. Doesn't seem to be working. BannonsLiver Dec 2017 #45
Thats ok. obnoxiousdrunk Dec 2017 #46
Except for maybe one thing gratuitous Dec 2017 #47
 

scheming daemons

(25,487 posts)
1. Scott Brown was the harbinger of the 60-seat beatdown Dems had in 2010.....
Wed Dec 13, 2017, 02:28 AM
Dec 2017

....so I'll take that comparison.

 

Tiggeroshii

(11,088 posts)
2. Yeah but what happened for the republicans shortly after Scott Brown won?
Wed Dec 13, 2017, 02:28 AM
Dec 2017

Definitely not a pessimistic view in the lonf term

misanthrope

(7,405 posts)
14. Because this was a far from ordinary circumstance
Wed Dec 13, 2017, 03:02 AM
Dec 2017

The GOP ran about the only candidate that could lose to a Democrat. He made repeated missteps, showing his bigotry and lack of acumen.

It still took some investigative journalism by the Washington Post, journalism the state-based media had refused to do for decades that exposed Moore as a major-league creep and strongly possible sexual predator.

Then you have Richard Shelby's statement of the last couple of days making many Republicans feel OK about not voting for Moore.

Even with all that, Jones barely edged his opponent by a couple of percentage points. That was thanks to stronger than usual GOTV efforts and unexpected numbers of youth and minority votes.

Had Jones faced off against a run-of-the-mill Republican it's likely he would have easily lost.

Now, Jones will be faced with a difficult choice. If he votes and legislates in a way he feels is best for gaining re-election, he's going to have to betray some of his principles to curry favor with constituents.

Thing is, that probably won't amount to much. As long as the Republican he faces in 2020 is pretty average, as long as Jones has that D by his name, he's not likely to win re-election.

So do you govern in the way you think is best for the underrepresented and downtrodden in your state, the ones who need you the most knowing you only have a two-year window to do so? Or do you govern the way more pleasing to the Alabama electorate, though it gains you little?

mnmoderatedem

(3,706 posts)
17. I'm with ya misanthrope
Wed Dec 13, 2017, 05:25 AM
Dec 2017

as ECSTATIC as I am about this outcome, if Moore did not have that penchant for teenage girls, even pre teenage girls, he would have won this race. It's Alabama, about as red as it gets. It took THIS degree of character issues for Moore to lose a seat which is normally a shoo in for repubs.

I'm more looking forward to kicking the crap out of repubs in 2018, which WILL happen. Trumpism is spiraling downward in popularity and Mr Mueller is only going to make it better and better. Drip by drip.

Irish_Dem

(45,619 posts)
24. But perhaps the climate in 2020 will be similar. A prevailing negative view of the GOP.
Wed Dec 13, 2017, 10:44 AM
Dec 2017

And maybe AL has learned some lessons.
It would still make for a dicey situation for Jones.

Thank you for your informative post, I now understand the situation.
Maybe he can walk some sort of line that is middle ground.

AlexSFCA

(6,137 posts)
7. he will have the power of the incumbent
Wed Dec 13, 2017, 02:35 AM
Dec 2017

how do you know alabama is a red state? is it based on 90% turnout?

LAS14

(13,749 posts)
34. ... then say what you think is the truth, so we can have a lively...
Wed Dec 13, 2017, 10:53 AM
Dec 2017

...discussion and get to the bottom of the issues of the day. Maybe prepare for the next step with well grounded knowledge.

 

Le Gaucher

(1,547 posts)
11. That she is not.. But Doug , as swell a guy he is, cant win
Wed Dec 13, 2017, 02:42 AM
Dec 2017

Alabama in a presidential year election, given that he will someone better than ( likely) Roy Moore to compete against.


I will be most happy to be wrong.

treestar

(82,383 posts)
27. And this was likely to be higher turnout
Wed Dec 13, 2017, 10:47 AM
Dec 2017

In 2009 we had not learned the lesson on turnout. The 2016 disaster was instructive.

 

Le Gaucher

(1,547 posts)
13. Yes.. I had zero hopes for Doug Jones
Wed Dec 13, 2017, 02:46 AM
Dec 2017


I am sooo happy now.. Been constantly jumping between DU and Facebook

Bucky

(53,795 posts)
20. You're a bit of a pessimist
Wed Dec 13, 2017, 07:04 AM
Dec 2017

I appreciate that. Pessimists ended up being right about half the time.

Just be warned, if you're pessimistic on DU, you can expect to be accused of being an idiot or a republican troll by the angry pollyannas on this site.

But I think it's safe to just enjoy the three years of an extra Democratic Senator voting in the close calls in Washington

TDale313

(7,820 posts)
16. Im ok with that...
Wed Dec 13, 2017, 03:20 AM
Dec 2017

Brown may not have held the seat long term, but his win was a sign that a wave was coming. Repugs retook Congress. If we get Sessions’ seat for a few years and 2018 is a Blue wave- hell yeah I’ll take that.

OnDoutside

(19,906 posts)
18. Jones should just be the best he can, and show the Alabama people that Democrats aren't the
Wed Dec 13, 2017, 05:39 AM
Dec 2017

devils that Reps have painted them. They can actually help them far more than any Republican ever has in that state.

FSogol

(45,355 posts)
41. The night after a win, people are yelling game over. Maybe Jones will turn out to be a great Senator
Wed Dec 13, 2017, 11:06 AM
Dec 2017

and the clueless white guys in AL will get on board. Maybe African American voters will increase their voting totals from 70% to 90%.
At least give him a chance before proclaiming him finished.

GreenEyedLefty

(2,073 posts)
22. I think the pendulum is swinging back toward the center/left.
Wed Dec 13, 2017, 07:13 AM
Dec 2017

Virginia was the test, Alabama is proof. Unless the GOP does a major personality transplant in the next 11 months, Democrats have a real shot at flipping both houses of Congress.

The most conservative demographic is aging and will soon be gone. The real left is younger and browner, and they're coming for the GOP.

That's who's going to be running the show soon... my daughter who turns 18 in a couple of months was distraught yesterday over the video of the starving polar bear. I told her that her and her friends better turn out and vote in the midterms next year if there is any hope of staving off climate change.

Are_grits_groceries

(17,111 posts)
23. Not even close.
Wed Dec 13, 2017, 08:04 AM
Dec 2017

Yes, winning a rematch may be hard.
However, Jones has a long history rooted to service in Alabama. Brown was a dilettante.
Jones can spend time in Alabama being the decent person he is and letting people see who he is.

AND don’t count on those GOP lunatics in AL not to nominate another clown or even Moore again. As wild as that may seem, since Nov 2016 wild is the norm.

mvd

(65,148 posts)
39. It can happen. Arkansas was a Repuke state before and after Clinton
Wed Dec 13, 2017, 11:01 AM
Dec 2017

Look how long Baucus served. I am sure there are other examples.

 

Le Gaucher

(1,547 posts)
31. I know .. I always see the dark side to everything..
Wed Dec 13, 2017, 10:49 AM
Dec 2017

But I also hope he wins over the people of Alabama..

Maybe this is the start of something good

crazycatlady

(4,492 posts)
28. Scott Brown ultimately gave us Elizabeth Warren
Wed Dec 13, 2017, 10:48 AM
Dec 2017

Let's hope the GOP does not have their version of her in Alabama.

C_U_L8R

(44,891 posts)
29. Scott Brown was an empty LLBean jacket
Wed Dec 13, 2017, 10:48 AM
Dec 2017

riding around in a pretend pickup truck.

There is no comparison.

Bleacher Creature

(11,235 posts)
43. Exactly. This "prediction" ignores the the fact that Jones should be a great Senator.
Wed Dec 13, 2017, 11:34 AM
Dec 2017

He still may lose in 2020 as the fundamentals are going to be stacked against him in AL, even if there are coattails from the Democratic nominee.

But let's give the guy a chance.

alarimer

(16,245 posts)
35. I think all bets are off right now.
Wed Dec 13, 2017, 10:55 AM
Dec 2017

I'm not sure this is a harbinger of anything, honestly. But there does seem to be a trend of Democrats winning nationwide in places they generally don't and with people who generally don't win (see the wins in Virginia by progressives of all stripes). I think it goes to show that Democrats can run all sorts of candidates. Now, Jones is more of a "typical" Democrat, if such a thing exists, but that does not mean "typical" candidates are the only ones who should be considered.

What it DOES show to me is that Democrats have to at least TRY. They have to run candidates in ALL areas (and in my opinion should be looking to atypical candidates more often than not. By that I mean people of color, socialists, progressives, women or whatever fills the bill in a given location).

 

Le Gaucher

(1,547 posts)
38. Yes.. After years of losses ..it takes a while to get used to winning
Wed Dec 13, 2017, 11:00 AM
Dec 2017

Like a NY Mets fan .. I almost get comfortable in self pity while believing in our own goodness.

But working for the local town council election in a very R town , and seeing success is beginning to change some of that.




alarimer

(16,245 posts)
40. We had some success here locally as well.
Wed Dec 13, 2017, 11:03 AM
Dec 2017

Unseated the Republican mayor (who ran - through a PAC- a very nasty campaign), and unseated a couple of R city council people. And this isn't even a red area (which I suppose means it's actually easier, but it's still good news).

TNLib

(1,819 posts)
37. I believe we are starting to see the begging of the deep south turning purple
Wed Dec 13, 2017, 10:58 AM
Dec 2017

demographics are changing down here. Dems need to keep our coalition together and politicians like Jones needs to deliver to their supporters and I believe the deep south will continue to be competitive for democrats.

gratuitous

(82,849 posts)
47. Except for maybe one thing
Wed Dec 13, 2017, 12:16 PM
Dec 2017

Doug Jones is an accomplished public servant with a distinguished record, up to and including bringing terrorists who blow up churches to justice. Scott Brown's record? Well, he did pose for Playgirl. And he drove a red pick-up.

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