The lost decade
Published December 15, 2015
by John Wynne, Politics NC, December 14, 2015.
North Carolina Democrats have a lot riding on their shoulders this election cycle. Next year, they need to do at least one of the following: either elect Roy Cooper governor, knock off Richard Burr in the U.S. Senate, or deliver the state’s 15 electoral votes to Hillary Clinton. Failure to do any of those things would make the 2010s the NC Democrats’ lost decade.
The 2016 cycle is their last chance to recover it because 2018 is a “blue moon” election year without any competitive races at the top of the ballot. This hasn’t been a friendly past six years for Democrats, which to many is a head-scratcher because the state is supposed to be getting more competitive.
Although it would be imprudent to discount Republicans’ superior advantage in money and infrastructure, Democrats in North Carolina have also been victims of two other important factors: timing and luck. In 2010, their majorities in the General Assembly were wiped out in the Tea Party wave. Two years later Democrats nationally had a good year, but not in North Carolina. Democrat Bev Perdue was unpopular and the state was ready to elect a Republican governor for the first time in decades. Finally, the new GOP majorities in the legislature used the power of the pen to redraw the district lines and make them more favorable to their candidates. So while 2012 was a good year for Team Blue, in North Carolina it was a banner year for Republicans.
In 2014, it looked like the state was once again willing to buck national trends – to the benefit of Democrats. Although the GOP looked to be riding a historic tide, the environment was different in North Carolina, and Kay Hagan was holding strong thanks to a campaign where state issues, particularly on education, were prominent. But the Hagan campaign could not overcome the national dynamics for long, and in October the race broke Tillis’s way. At the same time, Republicans increased their hold on the state’s congressional delegation, sending 10 Republicans to Washington and only 3 Democrats. The one bright spot was that Democrats managed to pick up a few seats in the State House – but they actually lost ground in the State Senate and Republicans kept their veto-proof majorities in both chambers regardless.
The 2016 cycle is an opportunity for Democrats to break the pattern of defeat, and the governor’s race in particular. The latest poll shows Governor Pat McCrory with a narrow, 2-point edge over Cooper, with the Attorney General unknown to many voters and a lot of people undecided.
McCrory/Cooper is also going to get a lot of attention because Democrats don’t look to be as competitive elsewhere, at least for now. Richard Burr is seeking a third term in the U.S. Senate and his race is seen as a lesser-tier contest. In the presidential race, observers expect the race to be less competitive than in 2008 and 2012 and leaning Republican – though with the GOP primary a total mess, anything can happen.
Still, the governor’s race is widely anticipated to be the most competitive contest, with the closest final outcome. If Cooper ekes out a victory, he’ll redeem North Carolina Democrats and his win will be a bright light in a generally dark and dismal decade. But if he loses, it probably means the party of Terry Sanford and Jim Hunt will have suffered a consistent losing streak throughout the 2010s – for Tar Heel progressives, truly a lost decade.
December 15, 2015 at 10:22 am
Richard L Bunce says:
2020 is the next really important election in NC. Gain the majority in the NC Legislature and sitting in the Governors chair helps too and then that party controls the drawing of the Federal Congressional and State Legislative districts for the next decade. That is what the Republican Party was able to do in 2010 when the effects of the Democratic Party gerrymandering in 2000 was at it's weakest.
December 16, 2015 at 7:14 pm
Norm Kelly says:
So, it comes down to one simple question. A simple question that NO demon is willing to ask and avoids answering if anyone else dare ask it. Even Chris 'tingle up my leg' Matthews tells a questioner where to go when asked a simple question. Typical of left-wingers!
What is it that demons are doing wrong that voters continue to keep them in the minority?
See, simple. It's not about how Republicans are keeping demons down. It's not about how voters are stupid, as demons want us to believe. It's not that voters are angry. It's not that voters are racist. Of course these are all the excuses demons use for not winning elections. They blame their inability to get their message out. Or to have their message properly explained.
Funny. Demons have the majority of media-types as their allies. Demons have print media (used to be called newspapers but since they stopped so much with news and went to so much left-wing propaganda, they can no longer be called 'news' papers) including the N&D in Raleigh, demons have most video media as allies, including CNN and MSNBC both of which show dramatic loss in viewers due to their inability to report news or demonstrate an ability to be unbiased, and unless you listen to talk radio like Rush, Bill in Raleigh, Hannity, and various others, the rest of audio media also leans left. So, what's the problem with demons that they continue to be the minority?
It comes down to their ability to get their message out perfectly. The reason a majority of voters don't elect demons is because their message is understood EXACTLY! What is the demon message? Tax more. Spend more. Go into debt more, cuz money is unlimited. Pay even more people for their vote. Allow ANYONE to come into the country regardless of how much they want to destroy us, provide government benefits to everyone including illegal aliens, provide US Constitutional benefits to non-residents, even those living in foreign lands, prevent US Citizens from owning firearms ignoring the 2nd amendment. Every idea coming from the socialist party is tried and tired. Used. Old. Proven failures. And hostile toward working Americans. Nothing about demon schemes warrants a second look. They are the minority BECAUSE people understand their messaging perfectly. It's just time that the majority reject their schemes and prefer PLANS!
What part of socialized medicine is successful? What part of deficit spending is working? What part of paying people NOT to work is successful? What part of trying to prevent a US company (boeing) from building an ADDITIONAL plant to hire more Americans makes sense? What part of Billary being such a terrible liar, helping to get 4 Americans killed, qualifies her for ANY office other than a jail cell (if you want to call that her new office! and some of would like that to be her new office!)?
What demon has come out with any plan? What demon has shown where their scheme is different, improves freedom, protects American lives and jobs? What part of demon schemes doesn't involve expanding socialism?
Anyone? Any information? Any demon candidate with a plan? Anything NEW from the demon party? Anyone? Certainly NOT Billary. Certainly not Roy. So, who?
