# Will Democrats ever figure out why they lost? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [November 6, 2014, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-democrats-ever-figure-out-why-they-lost/703925 "2014-11-06T21:14:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2014, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-democrats-ever-figure-out-why-they-lost/703925/141 "2014-11-11T15:27:11Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > If the fundamentals like the state of the economy and OBama’s popularity are poor in 2016, the Democrats will have major problems. Talk about fighting the last battle; if Republicans run against Obama in 2016, they will make the same mistake you accuse Democrats of making. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2014, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-democrats-ever-figure-out-why-they-lost/703925/142 "2014-11-11T16:08:46Z")
It’s possible that will be true, but historically that third Presidential election is about the guy who won the last two. Ask John McCain. Guess when the last time was that a President was elected from the same party to succeed a President with a 40% approval rating. There’s fighting the last war, and then there’s repeating mistakes. Quite a few SDMB posters claimed that Obama’s approval didn’t matter. He won in 2012, no more elections for him! That was wrong in 2014 and it will be just as wrong in 2016, if history is any guide. 2016 will very much be about whether we want an Obama third term. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2014, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-democrats-ever-figure-out-why-they-lost/703925/143 "2014-11-11T16:13:26Z")
> [@Evil\_Captor](#): > > Well the high profile races were Dems running in blue states, of course they didn’t want to be associated with Obama, Democrats, or, let’s just say it: democracy. They ran as Republican-lites because they felt they had to. I do not see how they could have done much worse running as actual Democrats who backed Obama’s policies, given that practically all of them lost, but what the hell, it was the Perceieved Beltway Wisdom. Running as actual Democrats who backed Obama’s policies might have got them Obama voters who back Obama’s policies. Running as Republican lites against actual republicans got them absolutely nothing. Not one single voter who wanted to stop Obama’s agenda voted for a Democrat, it was idiotic to think any would. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2014, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-democrats-ever-figure-out-why-they-lost/703925/144 "2014-11-11T18:34:52Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > It’s possible that will be true, but historically that third Presidential election is about the guy who won the last two. Ask John McCain. John McCain didn’t lose because of Bush, he was quite capable of coming with any number of reasons why he shouldn’t be elected president. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2014, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-democrats-ever-figure-out-why-they-lost/703925/145 "2014-11-11T18:59:52Z")
But he was dragged down substantially by Bush. If Bush wasn’t an issue, the Obama team wouldn’t have made “McCain is Bush’s Third Term” such a big part of their message. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2014, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-democrats-ever-figure-out-why-they-lost/703925/146 "2014-11-14T11:56:25Z")
It’s pretty clear that most of SDMB realizes why the Democrats lost. However, the Democratic leadership, from the President to Congress, don’t seem to know. As a matter of fact, they are carrying on as if they never lost at all: > **[Democrats just lost big. Today they will reelect every one of their top party...](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2014/11/13/democrats-just-lost-big-and-today-they-will-reelect-every-one-of-their-top-party-leaders-huh/)** > > Congress is weird. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-democrats-ever-figure-out-why-they-lost/703925.md?page=7)