Democrats, you lost. I really don’t know what to say after last night’s double-defeat in Georgia and South Carolina. You lost. Period. It’s time to cut the talking points about having the momentum because it was close crap too. If you did, you would’ve won, especially in Georgia. Coming close doesn’t cut it. There is no trophy for second place. That’s what CNN’s Chris Cillizza drove home to the beleaguered cohorts of the Democratic Party. There’s a reason why the GOP is celebrating and you aren’t - they won:
National Democrats will tell you that the race should have never been this close -- and that Ossoff even threatening Handel suggests big trouble for Republicans on the ballot next November.
But deep down they know they needed -- and still need -- a win in a high-profile race in which the fight was between Trump/Republicans and Pelosi/Democrats. Along with Archie Parnell's loss Tuesday night in a South Carolina special House election, Democrats have now lost four straight specials this year where at least some within the party saw the chance for an upset. (Kansas' 4th District and Montana's at-large seat are the other two.)
There are no moral victories in politics. No matter what the losing side says -- and they always say this -- the only thing that really matters when it comes to special elections is the "W" and the "L."
Had Ossoff won, he would have become an immediate national sensation for Democrats -- proof positive that the Trump agenda was being rejected even in Republican-leaning seats in the south. Donations to the Democratic House and Senate campaign committees would have soared. Democratic candidates on the fence about whether or not to run in 2018 would have taken the Ossoff victory as a sign that the national environment was beginning to tilt heavily in their side's favor.
[…]
So yes, this is one race. And history suggests there's just as good a chance that it means nothing as there is that it tells us everything we need to know about Trump and the 2018 election.
But Democrats are depressed and Republicans are rejoicing. And that tells you exactly why Georgia matters.
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Yes, the GOP could still lose the House, but we’re 400+ days from that election. Special elections aren’t the best indicators for midterm projections either, so tread carefully when the cream of left wing commentators try to spin this as a red flag for Republicans. Democrats have struggled to find solid candidates to run in competitive elections. Republicans are also not as vulnerable as Democrats were going into 2010 congressional map-wise. The rural areas that they snatched from the GOP were retaken and this territory is now firmly Trump country.
Now, colorful Trump associate Roger Stone, feeding into the notion about winning, has also said that losers don’t legislate. That’s true. The GOP should breathe a sigh of relief, but also remember that big-ticket items, like health care and tax reform, are still on the table. There’s also the issue of the border wall, which is a key issue that allowed President Trump attract a solid and devoted fan base. This election is over. We should be happy that we won, but we have to get back to work.
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Yeah, Democrats have a lot of momentum, or something.
Democrats had the worst May fundraising since 2003 https://t.co/2PfOdthskT pic.twitter.com/xkBPfkk9bb
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) June 21, 2017
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