37% turnout in NC election

[apnu]

19. Yes I remember 2010 well.

I'm still fuming about it.

Census year, Dem party went through that cycle on auto pilot. Republicans knew it, and pounced. We're living with the ramifications of 2010 today.

I wasn't keen on the ACA prior to 2010 strategically. It was a dicey move that backfired on the Dem party. Yes the Dems finally controlled both Congress and the White House, they didn't think about solidifying that power before picking up a lightening rod topic like health care. I know they expected the ACA to be a signature item to run on in 2010, but it was an albatross at the time. Combine that with lower turn out in mid-terms plus a loss of the youth excitement level that powered Obama in 2008, the Dems had a steep hill to climb and I don't think party leader ship knew it at the time.

Census years are critical to defining congressional seats and districts. Because the GOP made large gains in 2010 on the state level they gained in control of the election map that won't really change until 2020.

Everything we've suffered since then has been a result of the GOP flipping the electoral count and re-drawing districts to lock in their power.

2018 was extraordinary for me to watch. The math was terrible for Democrats. We had to deal with gerrymandering in every red state, plus the worst Senate defense I can remember. Yet we flipped the House.

I only hope the Democratic party is ready to dig in like that in 2020. It will be one of the biggest elections of our life time, 2020 is a POTUS and Census year. Like 1980, 2020 will define our politics for a decade.