Where Do the Democrats Go from Here?

I was debating between writing about President Trump’s acquittal, the Iowa Caucus and Nancy Pelosi but decided to write about all three. Each one is bad news for the Democrats.

First, the acquittal. We all knew that would be the conclusion. Democrats have been trying to get rid of him since he won the election. The charges of collusion with Russia didn’t pan out so they impeached him because of a call with the Ukrainian president. They made no attempt at fairness and have gone down in flames again. I’m not sure if they were so deluded that they actually believed he could be convicted or thought it would damage him politically. Either way, it’s a ridiculous assumption. Neither party should try to throw a president out of office without broad public support. Now Trump is getting the highest approval rating of his presidency. The House has accomplished nothing since Democrats gained control except going after Trump.

We still don’t have the final results of the Iowa Caucus but it clear that Pete Buttigieg is the winner. Bernie Sanders is close behind followed by Elizabeth Warren, Joe Biden and Amy Klubuchar. This is a huge win for Buttigieg. He now is clearly a contender. Biden was the big loser. A few more results like that could knock him out of the race. Klubuchar was also a winner. She could be a contender if Biden fails. Sanders and Warren are in a huge battle for the party’s left flank. Michael Bloomberg was not on the ballot. At this point it is hard to tell if he can move to the front ranks. Money alone is not the answer.

Nancy Pelosi is a very savvy politician. She has led House Democrats since 2003 without a serious challenge to her authority. That’s an incredible accomplishment. Lately she has been making questionable moves. She long resisted efforts to impeach President Trump. It was inevitable that she would have to allow it. Instead of trying to manage it, she became one of the howling mob. Her stunt of using a number of pens to sign the impeachment was beneath her dignity. Holding it up to try to control how the Senate would handle it had absolutely no chance of working. Tearing up Trump’s speech made her look petty and mean-spirited.

I once read about a woman living in New York City. She was surprised that George McGovern lost the 1972 presidential election since everyone she knew voted for him. Many Democrats are as insulated as she was. They are consumed by hatred toward Trump and assume the rest of the country feels the same way. That has been their complete focus. The only ones talking about the issues are the extreme left. They have nine months to develop a story on why people should vote for them. So far, they have shown no signs of doing so.

The Iowa caucus was a debacle but that will soon be forgotten. The bigger problem is the candidates themselves. Right now, the most likely nominees are a 78-year-old cranky Socialist, a 70-year-old who is almost as far to the left, a 77-year-old whose campaign is falling apart and a 38-year-old small city mayor. Is this the best they can come up with? Trump has all the advantages of incumbency and a party united behind him. I just don’t see any of these four beating him. Maybe there is someone coming to their rescue but I don’t see it.
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House Democrats have totally failed in their efforts to oust Trump. Unfortunately, their leader seems to have suddenly lost her good judgment.
A lot can happen between now and November. If Democrats want to win, something better start happening soon.