Ruy Teixeira
Monthly Commentary and Analysis
January 2021
The Sobering Downballot Facts

The good folks at the Cook Political Report have produced their traditional list of end-of-cycle facts about the the most recent election. I call your attention to the downballot facts. They should provoke some serious thinking about how the Democrats blew it so badly. The 2022 election could be a serious bloodbath without some very smart Democratic campaigning. The 2020 results do not inspire confidence.
How Good Is AOC at Politics?

Not very good. Bill Scher makes the necessary points in a piece on the Washington Monthly site:

"Last week, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, champion of the Green New Deal, suffered the humiliation of an overwhelming defeat dealt by her fellow House Democrats for a spot on the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

Also last week, Sen. Bernie Sanders led a successful battle to include direct payments for millions of Americans in the pandemic relief.
Back to the Working Class

The chorus of voices is growing louder that the Democrats need to address their working class problem. That's a very good thing because (1) the Democrats are going to have a hell of hard time consistently winning if they continue to do so poorly with working class voters and (2) what the hell is the point of a left party if they are not in reality and in the eyes of these voters the defenders of the working class and its interests?

Matt Yglesias on the virtues of the welfare state and how the Democrats are losing the plot:
The Left's Assignment, Should They Decide to Accept It

To be honest, I don't have a lot of confidence that the left will accept this assignment, but I think it is quite clear both what the assignment is and that they should accept it.

The assignment: help Biden succeed. His policy commitments are plenty progressive and it will be a big challenge to make progress on these commitments, even without endless sniping from the left that Biden is not a real progressive and pointless intra-party squabbles. Above all, the Biden administration needs to make rapid progress ending the coronavirus crisis and getting the economy back healthy and into high gear.
Democrats' Sad Performance in House Races in 2020--and Yes, "Defund" and "Socialism" Did Hurt Candidates

David Wasserman is among the best political analysts in the country and he is especially good on House races, his specific beat at the Cook Political Report. He has a new piece out on "Five Takeaways" from 2020 House races.

First, the results: they're not as bad as you think they were--they're worse!

"[I]n the House, Republicans nearly swept the 27 races in our Toss Up column and won seven races in our "Lean" and "Likely" Democrat columns. These included some big upsets:
The Squad Vs. Obama, Part Deux or Moral Grandstanding Vs. Practical Politics

Obama on "defund the police"
“You lost a big audience the minute you say it, which makes it a lot less likely that you’re actually going to get the changes you want...The key is deciding, do you want to actually get something done, or do you want to feel good among the people you already agree with?”
The Squad on Obama on defund the police: