It’s been hard to get motivated for this election. Until recently, the best we could hope for was that Democrats cling to their Senate majority, and gridlock continues for the next two years.
At least now, we have a chance to elect a populist progressive in South Dakota (one of the “better Democrats” we always hope for)—but there’s a further reason for us to get involved.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and his fellow Republicans are getting cocky. At a recent debate, McConnell said: “There is a great likelihood that I will be the leader of the majority of the Senate next year.”
The fact is, we knew from the start that 2014 would be monumentally difficult. Democratic turnout declines in midterm elections, and the Senate map—with virtually all contested races in red states that Romney won—is brutal. If Republicans can’t win the Senate this time around, they never will.
Beltway pundit (and Republican concern-troll) Stuart Rothenberg telegraphed this fear in a blog post at Roll Call called “Why Republicans Must Win the Senate in 2014″:
If the GOP fails to capture the Senate this year, 2016 could turn into an unmitigated disaster for the party. And for that reason, Republicans are under extremely heavy pressure to take back the Senate in November.
Current conditions are so favorable for the GOP … that Republican Senate gains of fewer than six seats would be a punch to the party’s solar plexus.
If Republicans don’t net those six Senate seats this cycle, they are going to find themselves trying to explain to disgruntled, disappointed donors and voters why and how they will do better in a more difficult political environment.
An unmitigated disaster? Absolutely. The next election in 2016 will have presidential turnout, plus a Senate map where Republicans must defend seats in places like Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Illinois.
So get involved today. Donate, make phone calls to voters with MoveOn (at home or from a field office)—and if you live in a state with a Credo Super-PAC office, start walking precincts!
We can turn 2014 into a nightmare for Republicans, and make sure that Mitch McConnell never smiles again. But that will only happen if we get involved today, and turn out the vote.
