What Does It Mean?

http://www.vox.com/2014/11/5/7159145/9-takeaways-from-the-2014-election

I've argued that Democrats don't win by appealing to their voter's fears.  Yet that's what they did.  They ran a campaign based on "Be afraid of the GOP."  I personally was not motivated by that pitch.

The sort of voter who can bestir themselves to vote for Democrats is unlikely to be motivated by fear.  That's what Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama proved in 2008.

So, once again, trying to emulate GOP election strategies has proven to be a failure for the Democrats.  They suck at politics.

But that can't explain Rick Scott and Scott Walker getting re-elected.  That can't explain a genuine whack-a-loon like Joni Ernst winning in Iowa.

Some of this has to do with the absolute failure of the media to explain the issues and the public for following them.

The GOP purposefully broke government, because they believe government should be broken.  And because it's never explained that way and because people don't give two shits, no one can see what's really at stake in these elections.

The 2014 midterms were pre-labelled the "Meh" election.  No plausible result was going to fundamentally change the gridlock in Washington.  So, who cares?

But these elections have reverberations beyond the next two years.  Senators serve for 6 years and most governors for 4.  And what happens if Ruth Bader Ginsburg dies before 2017?

All elections matter.  And there were real issues at stake.  In fact, personhood measures went down to defeat, while minimum wages were raised and marijuana legalized.  While at the same time the GOP increased their hold on the House and won the Senate?  How is that possible if people understand what the parties stand for?

The voters of Kentucky really like Kynect, but hate the Affordable Care Act.  That's fundamental ignorance.  I understand why the GOP sews that ignorance, but why aren't the Democrats fighting harder against that?  And shouldn't the media explain it?

But we spent the last three months obsessing about ISIS and Ebola.

We get the government we deserve.

Sadly.