The Dem Base Walk-away

By Dave Anderson:

From a Daily Kos analysis of base Democratic communities in Massachusetts:

I identified a total of 31 Democratic strongholds in the state by
using the following criteria: the community had to have over 10,000
voters in 2008, and President Obama had to get two-thirds of the vote
there.

In only 11 of the strongholds did turnout exceed the statewide
average yesterday. In fact, in nearly half of them, the turnout was
less than 70% of the turnout from fourteen months ago.

Meanwhile, over a dozen of the Democratic strongholds had lower turnout rates than Scott Brown's worst stronghold in terms of turnout (defined as communities of the same size, carried by Brown with 60% or more of the vote).

From Publius at Obsidian Wings:

Democrats are a big tent party.  But health coverage -- and the
security it provides -- is one of those issues upon which all Democrats
agree.  The party's reputation on the issue has played an integral role
in building its current supermajorities.  People like Stupak are
benefiting from the party's stance on health care, stances that helped
secure majorities, even while they seek to prevent reform from
happening.

Letting this die will not be forgiven, nor forgotten. 
And if they do let it die, to hell with them all.  Let a new group of
Democrats -- one not scared by the oh-so-mighty forces of the
Massachusetts electorate in a special election -- come to power.  Let
the congressional Democrats know that its supporters have a few (a very
few) non-negotiable conditions.  When you have historic
supermajorities, you pass health care reform.  Or at least you don't let it die when generations of effort and struggle are within one measly House vote of coming to fruition.

I'm 100% serious.  I'm voting GOP if they let this die.  Sarah Palin, sure.  She's scrappy.  Why not? 

This
is why we fight.  This is why we poured our hearts into elections and
political organizing.  For this very moment.  The Democratic Party is
on the verge of the greatest domestic policy achievement in decades. 
And it is simultaneously on the verge of an outrageous and immoral
betrayal to their base from which they will not -- and should not --
soon recover.

From Ian Welsh (not a US voter, but always an excellent analyst:)

In 2010 Democrats will be slaughtered, absolutely slaughtered,
because Obama and the senior Democratic leadership does not learn.

In 2012 Obama will become a 1 term president, and a right wing
populist will get into power.  That populist will turn out not to be a
populist, and will do even stupider things than Obama economically (and
may start a war, too).

The job is to prepare for this, to get new members and leadership in in 2014.  Start working on it now.

Because 2014 and 2016 are going to be your last chance.  If the US
doesn�t elect people who are willing to do what it takes in those two
election years, then the US economy is going to be a smoking ruin, far
worse even than it is now.

This group of Dems have proved they can�t learn.

Walking away is a key to being able to negotiate.  The Democratic base looks like it was willing to not walk to the polling stations yesterday in Massachusetts, and the evidence suggests it will not be walking or knocking for GOTV this fall either.  Being slightly more compassionate operators within the Nixon-Reagan political framework is not what the Democratic base voted for in 2006 or 2008; nor what the Democratic base expected when their party had 60:40 splits in both chambers.