Democrats cannot win with 31% turnout...

[Tatiana]

95. Kentuck you are absolutely correct.

I rarely come to this site anymore -- politics is just too depressing. We had so much promise in 2008 and now I feel as if it is all we can do to survive.

Democratic voters are depressed. They simply don't have a reason to turn out. I believe that the national political landscape is affecting local politics. People look at candidates like Hillary Clinton and think, "been there, done that. Is that all you have to offer?"

I live in the reliably Democratic state of Illinois -- however, we elected a Scott Walker-esque right-wing Republican monster named Bruce Rauner. He's waged a batter with the legislature and as a result, most of our social service safety net is crumbling before our very eyes. One of his top goals is to break the unions and he will not back down. He doesn't care about the suffering of others -- he's a sociopath, like Scott Walker and he only cares about the millionaires (and billionaires) that line his pockets. Illinois voters picked him over Pat Quinn -- a moderate Democrat who did the best that he could with what he had, but made some mistakes (like alienating long-time Democratic constituents).

I guess my point is that Republicans have no problem being reliable voters because I think a good many of them lack compassion and a sense of empathy for others. Republicans like Walker and Rauner are appealing because they promise to go after and drag down all the so-called people who are "getting over" (read: doing better) on them. True Democrats are a different breed. They care. They have a conscience and they use it when making decisions such as voting.

Instead of blaming Democratic voters (and driving them further away), we need to embrace a strategy that offers these people candidates that offer solutions that will truly improve their lives. Democrats are not Republicans. We cannot take the voting base for granted. We also have to understand the values of Democrats in one state may be very different from the values of Democrats in another. But the overall point is that Democrats care about others and want everyone to do well (or at least better). We need to focus on running candidates that appeal to voters in each locality -- not candidates who will be owned by big business and special interests.

Conway was a very good candidate. He should have won. That he didn't is very disturbing.

I fear we are in for some tough times ahead.