Howard Dean: Georgia special election result points to Democrats easily retaking the House in 2018

[Madam45for2923]

http://www.palmerreport.com/politics/howard-dean-special-election-democrats-retaking-house/3565/


Looking at House races, Dems win 50 seats in 2018 if our candidates close the gap as much as these two did

Link to tweet

Democrats need to win 24 House seats to take back the House. There are 71 seats bluer than GA 6. Be informed. Stay vigilant. Organize. Vote.

Link to tweet

Richard Painter, a straight shooting Republican pundit, put it thusly:

RNC/RCCC never approve cabinet nomination of a House or Senate member who does not have a very safe R seat. Keeping it should be pg. 6 news

Link to tweet

In other words, the Republican Party only allowed those two seats to be vacated because the resulting special elections were supposed to be automatic blowout victories. Instead, the GOP collapsed in both of those “safe” districts – and similar sized collapse in the 2018 midterms will mean an overwhelming majority for the Democrats.

http://www.palmerreport.com/politics/howard-dean-special-election-democrats-retaking-house/3565/

[Madam45for2923]

1. Republicans are struggling under Trump and Democrats are energized!

[Madam45for2923]

2. Don't Agonize! Organize!

[Madam45for2923]

6. Democrats need to win 24 House seats to take back the House. There are 71 seats bluer than GA 6.

[Madam45for2923]

7. Be informed. Stay vigilant. Organize. Vote.

Democrats need to win 24 House seats to take back the House. There are 71 seats bluer than GA 6. Be informed. Stay vigilant. Organize. Vote.

[mcar]

3. Gov Dean is correct

Sad some supposed Democrats are too busy running down our leaders to see it.

[Demsrule86]

12. They have an agenda.

[NastyRiffraff]

28. Gov Dean knows what he's talking about

Unlike some here on DU who have an agenda, to tear down the Democratic Party and remake it in someone's image.

[brer cat]

39. +1000 nt

[Demsrule86]

4. Thank you Governor Dean.

All this attacking of Democrats by those who claim to be allies...seems to be more of waiting for a reason to pounce.

[Kentonio]

5. If the midterms were this November then I'd be pretty optimistic

But a year and a half is a long time and a lot of things can happen. Fingers crossed that things continue the way they have been though, then we'll be in for an even better election.

[bluestarone]

8. the key will be

for someone to figure out a way to get the 40% that DO NOT vote get to the poles and VOTE!!!!!!! we gotta do this

[Demsrule86]

14. Easy to say but hard to do.

Many people are just not interested.

[Wounded Bear]

9. From a guy who should know...

The most successful DNC Chair of recent memory.

[MineralMan]

10. Nothing is easily won. If we want to retake Congress,

we're going to have to work hard for it. It will only happen if enough people step up and do the hard work in every Congressional district and state. It's going to take volunteers, working hard, to get the votes out that we need to win.

It's not going to be easy. Posting on DU isn't going to do it. It's going to take people working locally to make it happen. Many people. Working hard.

We can do this. Let's do this.

[LakeArenal]

30. Yes, that term "easily" really sticks in my head...

There hasn't been anything easy in politics since Citizen's United. (well, probably before that, but...)

[pnwmom]

36. But optimism energizes people and pessimism has the opposite effect.

No one thinks it's going to be easy -- but people need to believe that all their hard work will pay off in the end.

So all the doom and gloom around here is not helpful.

[MineralMan]

37. People need a reason to fight for what they want.

Saying it's easy just encourages them to continue sitting idly by and waiting for others to do the work.

Getting fired up is essential.

[pnwmom]

38. Pessimism doesn't fire people up. What Dean said will encourage people to work

toward the goal. People want to go with a winner. They don't want to think their efforts will be for nothing.

[broadcaster90210]

11. Here's hoping but ...

1. A year plus is an eternity

2. America surviving that long is 50/50 at best.

However, its good to hear this from someone I expect who just isn't doing the obligatory pep talk. I certainly don't need or care for pep talks. I just want wins. A whole lot of em.

[NCTraveler]

15. I want mine and I want it now does not work in politics.

It's clear that people don't understand we will have many losses with a fifty state strategy. It appears that is what we are getting back to considering the fight we are putting up in red red districts.

"A year plus is an eternity"

Actually, it's one year.

"America surviving that long is 50/50 at best. "

Then we are done in your eyes. This has to be sarcasm.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

24. Today is June 22, 2017.

November 6, 2018 is election day.

That is definitely more than one year according to my calendar.

[NCTraveler]

25. Solid.

[DFW]

16. We survived:

Warren Harding
Richard Nixon
Dick Cheney (dba George W. Bush)

I personally give Trump a 50/50 chance of really running for re-election. To do that, you have to still be president in 3 years, and I'm not sure he will be. As far as I can tell, he seems to hate the job, and even if he doesn't, he sure as hell acts like it. If his legal problems ever REALLY start to get close, he'll just say "witch hunt, I'm not playing," and take a hike to the nearest open golf course, and spend all the contributions the idiots made to his "re-election fund."

[NCTraveler]

13. Those using this race in an attempt to demoralize us are transparent.

Every one of them has one other thing in common. Well known.

[joshcryer]

17. Impeachment is on the table boys and girls.

Be patient.

[bucolic_frolic]

18. Nothing is ever easy

GA-06 is the result of 6 months of peak anger and frustration.

Can we maintain that level of vigilance for another 17 months?

[Madam45for2923]

19. Hell yeah!

[Buckeye_Democrat]

20. Bravo, Howard Dean! The other side wants people to feel hopeless so...

... they don't even bother to vote.

[Chemisse]

21. Thank-you for the encouraging message.

But we still need Dems to be working on strong, positive messages that appeal to the middle-class voters. That should be easy!!

For every godawful thing that Trump does, Dems should be presenting a position that they would take if in office. Don't just criticize; offer alternatives. And be loud and clear!

[IronLionZion]

22. If we can have some effective messaging

and keep an optimistic attitude.

There are two hungry wolves approaching us in these situations. The Yes We Can wolf and the doom and gloom wolf. Whichever one we feed will keep coming back for more.

[Madam45for2923]

23. Cool illustration! Stealing it!

[Me.]

26. Thank You

One piece of advice I saw, which considering how the race was run in Ga. 6, is very apt when trying to win over a Con.

Neera Tanden
✔ @neeratanden
One important lesson is that when they go low, going high doesn't f**king work.

[awesomerwb1]

27. How do you think the reps will counter to

fire up their base in 2018?

Their recent California liberal money "flooding" red districts(as used in GA6)? Not enough brown people deported?

Considering the massive advantage they have in social media/hacking etc we'll see how confident they are going into Nov 2018.

[pirateshipdude]

29. Anyone arguing this race suggest Pelosi should retire has to ignore this fact.

There is a reason to blindly ignore fact to argue in dividing Democrats. It is on us if we buy into it like so many bought into the lies about Clinton.

[LakeArenal]

31. If by "we" buy into lies...

who are you speaking of?..not me. I bought into exactly 0.0 lies about either Clinton.

If by we you mean voters... Clinton won the election..

[pirateshipdude]

32. Are you suggesting there were not plenty of lies of late in our elections?

I think the "we" is obvious and clear.

[gordianot]

33. I can already hear Republican cry baby howling to come.

If Pence goes too Pelosi becomes President she wants the job. I might get a good nights sleep. This would be a reversal beyond epic proportions.

[ailsagirl]

34. To win back the House would be fantastic

[obamanut2012]

35. I posted an OP basically saying that yesterday

I still think, if Ossoff actually lived in GA-6, he would have won.

[Madam45for2923]

40. Kicking!