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The Democratic Strategist

Political Strategy for a Permanent Democratic Majority

Political Strategy Notes

This video deserves to ride another day:

Shane Goldmacher reports at The National Journal that “Democratic House Candidates Are Walloping Republicans in the Small-Money Game.”
Also at The National Journal, Alex Roarty asks “GOP strategists fret they aren’t scheduled to spend enough in a handful of battlegrounds. Are they lowering expectations or setting up the blame game?”
At Salon.com Thomas Frank has a good interview with Bernie Sanders entitled, “Bernie Sanders: Longterm Democratic strategy is “pathetic.”” Among Sanders’s insights is this one, which might make a pretty good meme for Dems in some campaigns: “I’m not one who says there’s no difference between the two parties. There are significant differences. The Republican Party is right-wing extremists. The Democratic Party is centrist. That is a big difference.”
Nate Silver makes his case that Republicans are still favored to win a Senate majority. But he answers “not quite” to the chicken little question in his headline.
Jacqueline Klimas argues at The Washington Times that “Online campaign ads may prove decisive in midterm elections“. Says Klimas “Even at just 3 percent of ad spending, online buys are much higher this year than they were in the 2012 campaigns. And analysts expect another big boost heading into the 2016 campaign cycle. Online campaign spending is expected to reach almost $1 billion, or 7.7 percent of total ad spending, in 2016, according to the Borrell report.”
Alexis Levinson reveals at CQ Politics what is “The Big Issue in the North Carolina Senate Race“: “The Tar Heel State is also uniquely suited for political messaging on education. The state’s public university system and the Research Triangle Park are considered local gems. North Carolina is the only state with a state constitution mandating the legislature provide funding for public institutions of higher learning…”Education motivates Hagan’s base, and that’s an urban corridor base,” said Morgan Jackson, a North Carolina Democratic operative. “Not only is it an issue that is a good issue for all of North Carolina, it is one that is off the charts on the people that she needs to motivate.””
A damn good question — and a good retort to ACA-bashers, as well as anti-choicers.
Ronald Brownstein explains at The Atlantic how the U.S. Senate got so “fickle”: “With each party consolidating Senate seats in its presidential strongholds, the prognosis is for narrow Senate majorities tipped by a few swing states and the handful of senators who win on the other side’s natural terrain. Looking forward, the Senate’s “natural division … is very close to 50-50,” says Emory University political scientist Alan Abramowitz.”

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