Grabbing Credit For the Anti-Trump Wave

NBC's Jane Timm reported that "Democrats won the House with the largest margin of victory in a midterms election for either party... While votes are still being tallied, Democratic House candidates currently hold an 8,805,130 vote lead over Republicans as of Monday morning. The Democrats' national margin of victory in House contests smashes the previous midterms record of 8.7 million votes in 1974, won just months after President Richard Nixon resigned from office in disgrace amid the Watergate scandal. Of the more than 111 million votes cast in House races nationwide, Democrats took 53.1 percent-- retaking control of the House of Representatives by flipping nearly 40 seats-- while Republicans received 45.2 percent of the vote."

Don't bother congratulating the DCCC for managing to red the anti-red wave without screwing up too many seats. Besides, over at CNN yesterday, Ben Ray Luján, worthless out-going DCCC chair, currently "running" ("running" as in someone running in a Stalinist dictatorship since there is no opponent) for Assistant to Pelosi, was not shy in grabbing credit he deserves none of. Did he invent Trump? Did he get the House Republicans to rubber stamp and enable Trump? No, he didn't. He oversaw a dysfunctional operation that made lots of DCCC-connected consultants and vendors very, very wealthy. And, worse, he oversaw a dysfunctional operation that-- with an incredibly bad recruiting and support agenda-- sowed the seeds for a catastrophic reversal and GOP takeover in 2022, when there will be an anti-blue wave based on the inability of the Democrats to deliver anything voters now expect of them.

Most of the DCCC recruits-- from Jeff Van Drew in New Jersey to Gil Cisneros in his beachfront mansion far from his new district-- are pure garbage and who will work against a progressive agenda from their first day in Congress until they are defeated in 2022, the same way the garbage from the Republican wing of the Democratic Party that was elected in 2006 and 2008 were all defeated in 2010, giving us 8 years of horrific Republican rule. Just wait for it.

Luján is certainly a worthless moron but the funniest thing about his OpEd is the blatantness of the glory grab for his pathetic committee and for his boss, Nancy Pelosi, right now everyone's-- even mine-- lesser evil. Ready to puke?

I spent a significant amount of time this cycle traveling throughout the country making a personal case to supporters about our candidates. I know firsthand how Democrats achieved our historic victory, and what it will take to build on this success heading into 2020.

Throughout my time on the road, there was one constant: Nancy Pelosi. She was strong, passionate and persuasive. She always showed up, always took the time, always made the case better than anyone else about how consequential these midterms were.

In ways seen and unseen, Pelosi was integral in setting up our Democratic Party for success on the campaign trail. For one, she was overwhelmingly our best fundraiser, raising roughly half of the DCCC's cycle haul and helping us build resources at levels never before seen in a midterm election.

Battle-tested, she used her voice to keep the national conversation focused on things that mattered to the American people: health care, real middle class tax reform, protecting Medicare and Social Security and growing our economy to increase wages. Working closely with our messaging leads, she-- and our colleagues and candidates-- took our "For The People" message to the people. And it worked.

She did all this while balancing an ideologically diverse Democratic caucus and the dangers posed by an erratic, impulsive President who constantly sought to distract from the personal conversation that Democrats were having with voters. But with laser focus and a "Just Win, Baby" mentality, Nancy Pelosi's achievements this year are historic.

It's important to note that this was all in the face of Republicans' desperate attacks against her character, backed up by millions of dollars. Not only did Pelosi persevere through those ugly and relentless attacks, a net of at least 39 seats have flipped from red to blue. It's clear that the Republicans' attacks are part of a tired and failed playbook.

There's a reason it failed: Outside of Republicans' Beltway echo chamber, in competitive districts across America, voters simply didn't buy it.

Really? Americans didn't buy it? New poll: 42% of Democrats say she shouldn't be speaker; 63% of independents say she shouldn't be speaker and, of course, 76% of Republicans say she shouldn't be speaker (but no one cares what they say).

Luján wasn't done: "The simple truth is that House Republicans lost the majority because they could not defend their record on the issues that mattered most to voters: health care and prescription drugs, the GOP tax scam for the rich, and cleaning up corruption in Washington. While Republicans spent their time and money talking about Pelosi, she was busy orchestrating the resources, mobilization and message discipline that threw the GOP majority into a headlong retreat from their votes on taxes and health care. Now we are in the majority, and this is a critical time for leadership and unity. With Nancy Pelosi as Speaker, House Democrats will pass bold legislation to deliver on the commitments of our For The People agenda."

Sure, unity with the Blue Dogs and New Dems who work for corporate America and whose ideas are nearly as antithetical to Democratic values-- and to what the voters expect Democrats to deliver-- as Republicans. Do you think anyone voted for this?

DCCC recruit Gil Cisneros, "ex"-Republican lottery winner

Or did they just vote for anyone who wasn't this? Be honest with yourself. Almost all the DCCC recruits were absolutely horrible. Just wait and see. (And sorry for the eye-candy.)