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How the Democrats can blow it in 2020
Lessons from the shutdown
Like many Democrats, I cheered upon hearing about Trump’s surrender to Nancy Pelosi over the Trump shutdown. But that happiness was nothing compared to the anguish I felt on election night 2016. As a result, my singular focus, and I believe the singular focus of all Democrats, needs to be electing a Democratic President and Congress in 2020.
It’s easy given Trump’s terrible approval rating to assume that a victory is certain. I have done it myself at times. But we cannot forget the institutional advantages the Republicans have coming into 2020. In the House, they still have gerrymandering on their side. Remember that it took the Democrats winning the popular vote by 8 points — a margin of 53.1 to 45.2 — to win the House. That is the largest midterm popular vote win in history, and it is what it took for the Democrats to win the House. But even with that vote, we couldn’t take the Senate. That brings me to the second institutional advantage the Republicans have.
