[quote=UCGal][quote=Allan from Fallbrook]
Big Labor took devastating hits in previous strongholds like Illinois, Ohio and Pennsylvania and nearly all of the “goodwill” that Obama amassed in his run during the ’08 presidential run has evaporated. If you pay attention to the sums expended by Big Labor groups like SEIU and AFSCME (and they were amongst the leading spenders), they spent huge money and still lost.
[/quote]
I don’t think you can make that statement about Pennsylvania. The labor strongholds of Philly, Montgomery county, Pittsburg, Allentown – all went strongly Sestak.
James Carville described Pennsylvania pretty accurately: “Philadelphia on one end, Pittsburgh on the other, and Alabama in the middle”
Remember Pennsylvania voted in Rick Santorum for a few terms. It’s not a solid blue state. It’s as purple as they get.[/quote]
UCGal: I don’t disagree. I was trying to make two points: (1) Big Labor dropped some HUGE dollars in this election and still lost some very key states, and (2) Organizationally, the Dems got pasted.
I hear what you’re saying about Sestak voters, but now juxtapose that against Toomey’s ideology and record. Look at the fact that Russ Feingold is now out of work. In my opinion, this had far less to do with Obama and far more to do with some keen organization and mobilization by the GOP, while attempting to co-opt the Tea Party on the fly.
Obama had a two year window to significantly position the Dems, along with a massive and ENERGIZED real grass roots infrastructure behind him. All of that is gone. And I don’t care what anyone says, the Dems have to be demoralized and dispirited after last night, and that also will have an effect in the run-up to 2012.
