Lessons from Georgia 6th district for Democrats and 'Liberals'
- In Dispatch
- 08:02 PM, Jun 21, 2017
- Mayuresh Didolkar
In a closely watched special election in Georgia, viewed by many as referendum on President Trump Republican nominee Karen Handel defeated Democratic candidate Jon Ossoff In the congressional election for Georgia’s 6th district. Ossoff, a Hollywood producer out of LA, ran one of the costliest campaign in the history of congressional campaigns, raising and spending between 23 and 30 million USD. Earlier in May, he had failed to close the election out by failing to win the requisite 50 % vote against a fractured Republican field.
As an outsider who follows American politics closely, here are some lessons Democrats can learn from this loss:
1. All Politics is local politics – In an attempt to make this as a referendum against Trump’s presidency, Democrats sent in an outsider out of Hollywood to contest in a deeply red district. Interestingly, in South Carolina, a much-neglected race by Democrats, local boy Archie Parnell ran Ralph Norman much closer, losing only by about 2000 votes (Osoff is likely to lose by about 14000).
2. Obsession over Trump is costing them- I can’t help but get the feeling that Democrats have truly not accepted the loss in November last year yet. So, their idea of appealing to the centrists in a deep red district by convincing them how Trump presidency was a failure didn’t find enough takers. The democrat elites out of both coasts need to accept it to themselves that there are enough pockets in USA that don’t hate Trump as much as they do.
3. Identity Politics is on its last legs- Sally Cohn and a few other observers blamed Georgia loss on the centrist line taken by Osoff. Yes, because the main problem when you are appealing to the undecided voters is you don’t appear radical enough!
4. Hollywood is a liability not an asset- Really, America, it’s time for the filmmakers and actors to go back to moviemaking and for serious, full-time politicians to run the main parties. If the elections in the last couple of years are any indication, the celebrity impact is almost never positive and very often negative. Ordinary people don’t like being called racists/sexists/bigots. They positively hate being called these by rich, entitled jerks with private jets and 20,000 dollars tuxedos.
5. Impeaching Trump may be a weak electoral platform- Again, Dems are letting their personal dislike for a person dictate their strategy. If you are an ordinary, working class American, what difference does impeaching Trump makes to your life? Democrats need to focus on issues and stop obsessing over Trump.
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