With just two weeks to go, national Democrats appear to be using anonymous press comments to lay the groundwork for explaining away a loss in the upcoming Wisconsin recall election.
“[T]he national party turned down Wisconsin Democrats’ request for $500,000, one party official said.”
“We told them [the recall] was a bad, bad, bad idea,’ one Democratic official said.”
… These, of course, are not profiles in courage. But they are consistent with the finger pointing and recriminations employed by the DNC when they sense something is about to go awry.
In 2009, for example, a White House official preemptively “distancing the president” from Creigh Deeds, the Virginia Democrat running for governor.” As the Washington Post reported, “[Tim] Kaine, who is also chairman of the Democratic National Committee, told Deeds that he should lay out more of his own vision and stop attacking Republican Robert F. McDonnell so ferociously. But Deeds did not embrace the advice, according to a national Democratic strategist.”
Message: The 2009 loss in Virginia was about Deeds — not Obama.
But it was “Ground Hog Day” all over again in 2010, when Scott Brown defeated Martha Coakley in liberal Massachusetts. Once again, it wasn’t Obama’s fault. And once again, the long knives came out early.
Blogger Jane Hamsher cited this report from Nora O’Donnell: “I’ve spoken with a number of people in both campaigns, both parties. And I’m shocked, stunned frankly by the information I’ve received from a Democratic Party official already blaming Martha Coakley the candidate even before the polls close.”
The only conclusion one can draw, I suppose, is that the DNC once again sees the writing on the wall, this time in Wisconsin. And if that’s the case, what does this mean for a Democratic Party that has spend the last year demonizing Walker? Is their message wrong? Is their party poorly organized?