Not a problem, not even in the slightest. If anything, it’s better for a majority party not to have a lightning rod. A leader will emerge in 2020.
As for this election, great night for the Democrats, but let’s not get too crazy now. Some people are making this out to be as great as a midterm win and it’s not even close.
Any reports on turnout? If turnout is much higher than normal for these elections, that’s something.
I keep hearing this, and while I agree leadership is important, at this stage and in this time, I think it’s a complete load of crap.
Three years until a presidential campaign is a lifetime. I could name half a dozen folks who could and would easily lead, but there’s a dispute within the party for dominance. Should they jump progressive? Should they appeal to the middle? Who knows? It’s too early to tell which wing of the party will prevail.
And why should anyone poke their head up, just to give Russians and Republicans more time to demonize them ahead of the presidential election? That’s the one thing we know for sure will happen. Give the Russians and the US-ian oligarchs more time to work on their Facebook propaganda? I think not.
Best to do exactly what they’re doing: One thing at a time, focus on the mid-terms and let the presidential race take care of itself sometime after. It will.
Dems turned out at levels comparable to 2013, which I gather was a Big Year for Turnout. Reports were that Dems haven’t beaten Republicans by this margin for a gubernatorial race since the 1980s.
ETA: Referring to Northam’s race, to be clear. Turnout did appear to be consistently high for Dems across the races I followed.
Then that would mean this race is predictive of nothing, since 2013 led to 2014 and 2016, where turnout by Democrats was disappointing.
Be that as it may, more Republicans stayed home than Democrats. The spread is the spread, and it speaks for itself.
Per 538, turnout was up 16% relative to 2013, including 31% in Charlottesville. The increased turnout appears to have been almost all in heavily Democratic areas; they gave as an example one precinct that Trump won 434-83, but Gillespie won only 178-37.
In 2013, McCauliffe was leading by around 7 points in the polls and won by 3. This time, Northam was leading by 3 in the polls and won by around 10. This seems to suggest good things for Democratic enthusiasm relative to the GOP, especially in conjunction with the good legislative results.
I am a happy Virginian tonight!
Why would a leader only be needed during the presidential election? And once the presidential nominee is chosen, that person becomes the de facto leader, so that’s done.
Yes, exactly. The lack of leader is a symptom of that dispute, so basically you’re saying “who needs a leader since we are unable to choose one”. That doesn’t make a lot of sense.
I don’t consider cowering in fear to be a winning strategy. YMMV.
NBC News Exit poll has some interesting nuggets.
57% disapprove of the way Donald Trump is handling his job as President.
To the question “Was one reason for your vote for governor today:”
1)To express support for Donald Trump
17%
2)To express opposition to Donald Trump
34%
3)Donald Trump was not a factor
47%
MSNBC said that Northam’s most optimistic polls showed him up by 5 - so they were surprised also.
I’d like to see that.
Wait. 28% of Virginians call themselves…the “L” word?!
Where did HurricaneDitka go? 
Yes they were. I was speaking to a pal last night. She’s part of the Virginia Democratic Machine and was running GOTV efforts in some districts in NoVa. She’s beside herself with the win.
Damn. I’m amazed too!
In response to John Mace, I think it’s worth remembering that in the wake of last year’s debacle, a lot of women and men in Virginia who hadn’t run for office before said, in effect, “I can’t wait any longer for someone to do this for me.” And they stepped up and ran. This was why only about a dozen GOP delegates, out of 66 incumbents, didn’t have challengers.
To me, this was the amazing part, that we, the people, stepped up and led from below. They didn’t wait for a leader. They didn’t wait to be recruited by the Virginia Democratic Party. They just freakin’ stepped up. And so did the voters themselves, showing up in unexpected numbers.
Now it’s everyone else’s turn to get in on that act, all across the country. That’s what the left needs right now, to be a genuine bottom-up movement that doesn’t need leaders. That’s what we need to be in 2018.
Now for 2020, yes, we’ll need a leader. And one will emerge. But we don’t need one in 2018.
Apparently Trump voters took their lead from Junior. :smack:
I think having a political leader can wait. What shouldn’t wait is having good leadership at the level of organizing the party. Democrats need a DNC that doesn’t take sides in the primaries and instead stays neutral then works competently to support the primary winners against their Republican challengers. Democrats need a DNC that focuses on fundraising rather than trying to set party policy, instead leaving policy positions up to each individual candidate. There is also a need to have a DNC that doesn’t become part of whatever scandals the Republicans bring up. Those are some of the things that were lacking in the lead up to the 2016 election.
Am I counting right? A 50/50 split in the House of Delegates?