Some Reflections on the Special Election in Georgia

By Dan Rather, Dan Rather's Facebook Page

22 June 17

ome reflections on last night's special election in Georgia:

Is it a sign that it won't be easy for Democrats to take the House in 2018? Yes, but we already knew that. The way the districts are drawn make that even more difficult. However, Democrats have overperformed in heavily Republican districts in every special election, even if they haven't won. That is a big deal.

Will the Democrats be demoralized? Probably, at least for a short spell. You always want to win. And the party hasn't. And they will have to change that. But these special elections are skirmishes before the big war. There will be 435 Congressional races on the ballot in 2018. The Republicans can't play this level of defense on all of them. It is a very different game, about candidate recruitment, tactical decision making and competing in races no one saw as on the radar.

Will this sap Democrats' energy and resolve? It could, but I think in a few days, after some more Donald Trump tweets and who knows what else in the news cycle, the state of politics will return to what it has been.

Will this embolden the Republicans and President Trump to pursue their agenda? Yes. They will claim it as a mandate. For all the talk about the problems facing Trump and the GOP in Congress, a standard Republican candidate won an affluent, educated Congressional district. Still, the President and the Republican Congress remain highly unpopular in the nation at large. The political fundamentals in the country haven't changed.

Should the Democrats change their messaging? There will be a lot of soul searching and second guessing in the wake of this loss. Many are saying that the Democrats haven't made a strong enough case of what they stand for, particularly on economic issues. I think that t it always helps to run on something rather than just against someone. In many ways, Hillary Clinton thought that being not Donald Trump would be good enough. That said, Donald Trump is extremely unpopular and opposition parties by definition run against who is in power. And the Democrats didn't make a big case of tying the Republicans to Trump in the election in Georgia. So I think you can do both if you are a Democrat - say why you think President Trump is a disaster - and then why and what you would do differently.

Is unity going to be a problem for the Democrats between the moderate and liberal wings? It could be, but then there always is President Trump. I suspect he will unify Democrats in the end. A desire to win helps with that. But it is unclear if Donald Trump will drive be enough Republican voters or inspire enough people who often down vote in non-presidential elections to vote for Democratic candidates in 2018. That's the challenge. Again, I think it helps to have big ideas to set the debate and rally people to your cause.

For Democrats, does this one hurt? Yes. A lot. But today is another day. It's the first day of summer. Go for a walk, listen to the birds chirping. Take in the fragrance of the Earth. And resolve to keep fighting for what you believe in. What were your takeaways from yesterday's election?