washington, dc

The Democratic Strategist

Political Strategy for a Permanent Democratic Majority

Month: December 2013

Political Strategy Notes

According to “Obamacare Impact on Virginia Vote Steers Strategy in 2014” by Bloomberg’s Julie Hirschfeld Davis & John McCormick, quoting McAuliffe pollster Geoff Garin: “Cuccinelli’s focus on the health-care measure had “actually been counterproductive,” even with voters who disapproved of the law. It solidified their view that he was an ideological candidate with a national agenda that had nothing to do with Virginia, said Garin.”
Craig Harrington and Albert Kleine explore how “How Print And Broadcast Media Are Hiding Obamacare’s Success In Controlling Costs.”
At The Atlantic Richard Florida explains why “The Suburbs Are the New Swing States.As Florida puts it, “…The key political footballs – the new “swing states,” so to speak – are the swelling ranks of economically distressed suburbs, where poverty has been growing and where the economic crisis hit especially hard. There are now more poor people living in America’s suburbs than its center cities, and as a recent Brookings Institution report found, both Republican and Democratic districts have been affected by this reality.”
Salon.com’s Micheal Lind discusses “How to beat libertarians on the economy: While the right is united economically behind one main agenda, the left lacks such a consensus. Here’s the solution.”
Zachary A. Goldfarb reports at Washington Post Politics on why “More liberal, populist movement emerging in Democratic Party ahead of 2016 elections.” Says Goldfarb, “The arena where the populist push is likely to play out most clearly is in the nascent 2016 presidential campaign. [Sen. Elizabeth} Warren is the object of admiration among liberals, drawing huge audiences for her speeches. She has said she doesn’t plan to run for president, but she hasn’t made a firm commitment to stay out of the race…”
Kelly S. Kennedy writes at the Tucson Citizen that “States’ numbers will likely tell HealthCare.gov’s story” better than the federal exchange website. “There are a lot more resources available in the states that are doing their own exchange,” [Urban Institute Fellow Stan] Dorn said. Those states received federal funds to market their exchanges…And, he said, it’s easier for one state to handle marketing, technology and enrollment for just one exchange than it is for the federal government to manage all of those issues for the 35 states that chose not to create state-based exchanges.”
At The New York Times, Jeremy W. Peters reports that “Abortion Cases in Court Helped Tilt Democrats Against the Filibuster.” As Peters explains, “Very quickly and unexpectedly, abortion and contraceptive rights became the decisive factor in the filibuster fight. First there were the two coincidentally timed decisions out of Texas and Washington. Then momentum to change the rules reached a critical mass when Senator Barbara Boxer, Democrat of California and a defender of abortion rights, decided to put aside her misgivings, in large part because the recent court action was so alarming to her, Democrats said.”
At The Plumline, Ryan Cooper explains why “Dems should not hesitate to further streamline the Senate rulebook,” and punctuates his argument with a simple point: “if Republicans continue to use procedural tricks to block the nomination process. Republicans will not be so generous when the tables are turned.”
Obama’s field director Jeremy Bird has a TNR post discussing how Dems can improve turnout, noting that “We Can’t Just Play Defense on Voting Access. It’s Time to Make Voting Easier.”