Do Liberals Ever Admit They’ve Lost*?
Whenever a Republican wins a significant election, many on the left are quick to dismiss it is a fluke–or the result of some underhanded right-wing scheme. Reagan wouldn’t have won in 1980 had his advisors not worked behind the scenes to prevent the release of the hostages held in Iran (a Sick theory lacking any substance whatsoever). Bush wouldn’t have won in 1988 had it not been for his “racist” Willie Horton ads. White men threw a temper tantrum in 1994 and helped steal Florida six years later. Martha Coakley was a lousy candidate; Massachusetts voters weren’t opposed to the Democrats’ big government initiatives.
And still despite polls in the Bay State, exit polls in New Jersey and Virginia and data from across the country, Democrats press forward on health care as if these elections didn’t happen. To Nancy Pelosi and her allies, inconvenient electoral returns (so long as she remains Speaker) just don’t register. Despite ever increasing numbers of Americans opposed to her health care plans, the San Francisco Democrat remains determined “to get health care done:”
“You go through the gate. If the gate’s closed, you go over the fence. If the fence is too high, we’ll pole-vault in. If that doesn’t work, we’ll parachute in. But we’re going to get health care reform passed for the American people.”
As it is with the Speaker on health care, so it is with Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Chairman Dr Rajendra Pachauri on the “science” behind his dire warnings of global warming. Despite errors found in 2007 IPCC report which helped win him the Nobel Prize, he won’t admit his mistakes because, as he puts it, “a lot of climate sceptics are after my blood, but I’m in no mood to oblige them”. It’s not a matter of science for him, but of pride, not admitting that his critics got something right.
Why can’t he just admit he made a mistake and move on? Why can’t Nancy Pelosi accept the fact that the American people don’t want the health care reform she’s offering and move on to other options more in line with the popular mood? Why can’t liberals admit that the mood of the American people is shifting, while polls may have recently suggested people were more open to big government options, they now show growing opposition to statist initiatives.
*and conservatives have won
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Martha Coakley was a lousy candidate
What? Are you trying to say Martha Coakley, the uninspiring gaffe-machine who seemed to consider herself above campaigning was a good candidate?
I’ve seen this brought up a few times, and I don’t understand why it’s so hard to get the fact that Coakley was a lousy candidate and that contributed to her downfall. Was it the only factor? No. But did the implied insult to the people of Massachusetts lose her a hell of a lot of votes? Yes!
Massachusetts voters weren’t opposed to the Democrats’ big government initiatives
I suppose that’s why the state has voted consistently for the Democrats in presidential elections since 1992, has all ten congressional districts represented by Democrats, has a state legislature dominated by Democrats, had not elected a Republican senator before Brown since 1972, and is a state where the only Republicans who can win (such as Brown) are so far to the liberal side of the Republican Party that they’re nudging the conservative side of the Democratic Party!
You’re extrapolating a hell of lot from one win here. You may be right to, or you may look unspeakably stupid after the coming elections.
Comment by Serenity — February 1, 2010 @ 8:07 pm - February 1, 2010
I almost hope that they pass the health care bill somehow, just to see them watch in absolute horror as Republicans win supermajorities in the House and Senate in November in order to repeal it.
Comment by Dav — February 1, 2010 @ 8:18 pm - February 1, 2010
I’m with Dav – And all in favor of watching Madame Speaker relegated to minority leader, if she’s lucky. (heck, I’d be happy just seeing her unemployed, but I’m sure that’s a pipe dream)
Comment by Jax Dancer — February 1, 2010 @ 8:24 pm - February 1, 2010
I almost hope that they pass the health care bill somehow, just to see them watch in absolute horror as Republicans win supermajorities in the House and Senate in November in order to repeal it.
I personally don’t see it.
Democrats: “We’ve passed the greatest reform of the healthcare system in American history! We’re the party of getting things done!”
Republicans: “We’ve repealed everything the Democrats just did!”
The fabled ‘Average Joe’ does not care much for ‘left’ or ‘right’, he cares about a government that seems to get things done, whether they really do or not. When one party passes a load of reform and the other party immediately repeals all of it, it would be very easy for the former to stereotype the latter as obstructionists who don’t want anything to change.
Note that I’m not actually addressing the merits or dangers of healthcare reform here, I’m saying your tactics stink of “Do nothing at all”, which never plays well in an election. Propose changes rather than the lack thereof.
Comment by Serenity — February 1, 2010 @ 8:31 pm - February 1, 2010
Yes, Dan, we all noticed how conservatives admitted that they lost in 06 and 08. Heck, they threw up their hands and acknowledged that the American people were sick of them, disagreed with them, and rejected them, and they promised to support all the liberal projects that the triumphant Democrats ran, and won on.
Just to remind you – ony the fifth or sixth time I’ve had to make this point to you – that the polling is very consistent on this point – the ranks of those opposed to healthcare reform consist of a significant chunk who oppose the bills because they are not liberal enough. It is a MINORITY view to oppose these bills from the right.
In any case, you should be glad of what the Dems are doing. You think it is political suicide for them – so why are you complaining? They think that what they are doing will work to there benefit. Thats what happens when you win elections. You get to play out your hand. If they are right, they will reap the rewards, if they are wrong, then they will lose. Thats the way it is supposed to work.
Comment by Tano — February 1, 2010 @ 9:24 pm - February 1, 2010
Oh, I forgot, I need to say this.
The first paragraph of my comment above is meant sarcastically.
Comment by Tano — February 1, 2010 @ 9:26 pm - February 1, 2010
Tano, we want everyone to get along. We agree that the electorate wants more bi partisianship. They want the two parties to work together to solve problems. So liberals should just give up and agree with the conservative Republicans. And we can move ahead. Simple easy and then we can all hold hands and hummmm
Comment by Gene in Pennsylvania — February 1, 2010 @ 9:46 pm - February 1, 2010
Did the people of MA vote for Brown because he promised to get rid of government-mandated universal health care in their state? I wasn’t paying much attention, but I don’t think so. Whatever the people of MA voted for, they did not vote on health care, the issue having been resolved in their state, in favor of government-mandated universal health care. He looks hot naked. That probably got him more votes than anything to do with health care.
Comment by arturo fernandez — February 1, 2010 @ 9:54 pm - February 1, 2010
Brown won MA because he’s hot and the democratic candidate’s campaign was completely inept. I hope your side continues to misread public opinion.
The midterms will be decided by the economic factors over the next eight or nine months. If things are looking on the upswing, the GOP will be lucky to break even. If economic markers dive over the next few months, the GOP will win seats, but won’t win control of either chamber.
Your side is hoping and praying for bad news. Sad, really.
Comment by buckeyenutlover — February 1, 2010 @ 10:20 pm - February 1, 2010
“You go through the gate. If the gate’s closed, you go over the fence. If the fence is too high, we’ll pole-vault in. If that doesn’t work, we’ll parachute in. But we’re going to get gay marriage passed for the American people.”
Yeah, I know Bela Pelosi didn’t say the above, but her quote is the epitome of gays’ attitude toward imposing on the American people a social change they’ve repeatedly said they don’t want. Gay liberals steadfastly refuse to just admit they’ve lost and move on. And sadly, most of the “conservative” gays here are the exact same way. Makes me wonder just how conservative you really are.
Comment by Seane-Anna — February 1, 2010 @ 10:31 pm - February 1, 2010
aw, poor seane-anna…all those cobwebs on your cooter are making you grumpy, huh?
Comment by bob (aka boob) — February 1, 2010 @ 10:40 pm - February 1, 2010
Dan, its plain and simple…. Democrats don’t have the capacity of being honest, and I’m not just talking about being honest with others. True inbred liberals are incapable of being honest with themselves. It drives them crazy to think they are wrong and can fail…. So rather then admit they’re flawed, they’ll continue to paper over the cracks of their circumstances until no one will remember where they were.
Comment by Spartann — February 1, 2010 @ 11:41 pm - February 1, 2010
To answer your question: no. Liberals never admit defeat; they just keep repeating their lies, because they know if they do it long enough, it will wear people down, people will forget, and eventually the lie will become accepted as truth.
Comment by Charles — February 1, 2010 @ 11:43 pm - February 1, 2010
#8: “Did the people of MA vote for Brown because he promised to get rid of government-mandated universal health care in their state? I wasn’t paying much attention, but I don’t think so. Whatever the people of MA voted for, they did not vote on health care, the issue having been resolved in their state, in favor of government-mandated universal health care. He looks hot naked. That probably got him more votes than anything to do with health care.”
Arturo, you’re right—you haven’t been paying much attention. The Massachusetts universal healthcare program is an undisputed failure. The state is facing massive budget shortfalls because of it and is now having to do things like this:
“Facing a massive budget shortfall, lawmakers are cutting roughly 30 thousand legal, taxpaying immigrants out of the state subsidized Commonwealth Care program. Health Care for All, a Boston based advocacy group, is taking hundreds of calls on their help line from people like El Salvador native Eugenio Hernandez who is battling prostate cancer and will be among those losing coverage.”
http://liveshots.blogs.foxnews.com/2009/07/17/massachusetts-universal-health-care-cuts/?action=late-new&order=asc
But go ahead and stick with your razor-sharp analysis that the voters (in a state where Democrats outnumber Republicans 3 to 1) sent Brown to Washington based solely on how he looks naked. It makes perfect sense in a state that has sent Barney Frank to Congress 14 times.
Comment by Sean A — February 2, 2010 @ 12:10 am - February 2, 2010
‘Whatever the people of MA voted for, they did not vote on health care, the issue having been resolved in their state, in favor of government-mandated universal health care.’
Good point Arturo.
The Massachusetts universal healthcare program is undisputedly popular.
A poll of MA voters in the special election found 68% of voters supported RomneyCare, including 51% of Brown voters.
As Scott Rasmussen – the GOP’s favorite pollster put it, about the MA election:
“I could make the case very strongly that health care is the issue that got Scott Brown his initial traction,” pollster Scott Rasmussen told me. “There are people out there who really dislike it, and saw him as a vehicle to get that 41st vote (to block it). But among the people who said health care was their top issue, Coakley won. So clearly that wasn’t enough to get him over the top.”
Comment by Tano — February 2, 2010 @ 12:38 am - February 2, 2010
#15: Tano, we’ve covered this before. Judging a government entitlement program by polling its beneficiaries proves nothing more than people like to get free shit from the government. Shocker! Next you’ll tell us that WIC/AFDC is testing through the roof among crack whores. It does not mean it’s a successful, sustainable program.
But hey, if you think Arturo is making good points, we’ll just assume that you also agree with his other conclusion–that Brown got elected because he looks hot naked.
Comment by Sean A — February 2, 2010 @ 1:10 am - February 2, 2010
Sean, I didn’t say that Brown’s hot naked photos are the sole reason he won. I said it probably got him more votes than anything related to health care.
“…you’re right—you haven’t been paying much attention.”
I am right. Even when I’m not not paying much attention.
Comment by arturo fernandez — February 2, 2010 @ 1:10 am - February 2, 2010
#17: “Sean, I didn’t say that Brown’s hot naked photos are the sole reason he won. I said it probably got him more votes than anything related to health care.”
Oh, my mistake. You’re not a monumental idiot, just a colossal one. Got it.
Comment by Sean A — February 2, 2010 @ 1:35 am - February 2, 2010
“Oh, my mistake.”
You make a lot of mistakes.
Comment by arturo fernandez — February 2, 2010 @ 2:15 am - February 2, 2010
#19: And as a conservative, I learn from them. Liberals just blame others, make excuses, recite talking points, tell Orwellian lies, and start all over again.
Comment by Sean A — February 2, 2010 @ 3:53 am - February 2, 2010
Good grief! There is an inverse relationship between the intelligence and sense of Dan’s posts and that of the comments they inspire!
Serenity:
Dan didn’t say that Massachusetts had become a state of Republicans. He didn’t say the majority of Massachusetts voters had suddenly become committed right-wingers. He noted, correctly, that Brown won while running against the Democrats big-government schemes. And in a state where Democrats outnumber Republicans significantly. That tells us something, especially considering how unpopular the Democrats schemes are generally.
You shouldn’t make yourself look foolish now by burying your head in the sand concerning all this and then warn Dan about looking foolish in future over predictions he didn’t make.
I very much doubt this is true. Not the bit about left and right, but rather the part about getting things done versus only seeming to. Even I, with my jaundiced view of human nature, don’t think people are that stupid. Especially when they see a government spending and borrowing the nation into penury.
Note that I’m not actually addressing the merits or dangers of healthcare reform here, I’m saying your tactics stink of “Do nothing at all”
This is based on a two false premises. One: Objecting to something you think bad is not a tactic. It is acting on principle.
Two: Conservatives do offer alternatives to socialist measures. This is true on health care as well as on other issues. (Now you’ve made yourself look foolish a second time by not having noticed this.)
Comment by Classical Liberal Dave — February 2, 2010 @ 4:26 am - February 2, 2010
I wasn’t much impressed with Serenity’s comments, but those that followed by the lefties really took the proverbial cake!
Tano, I know better than to expect anything resembling intelligence from you but still, this?
We didn’t see that because it would have been incredibly stupid since Republican politicians lost because Republican voters didn’t vote for them. The Democrats didn’t win because the country rose up and shouted ‘give us bigger government.’
But then also didn’t see the GOP jumping up and down shouting that they lost because the public really, really agrees with everything they’d been doing either, now did we?
Bullshit. If that were anywhere near the truth we would see massive demonstrations in favor of a more socialized reform instead of the exact opposite. The past summer’s town hall meeting’s would have been packed with citizens demanding bigger government. The opposite happened — to such an extent that some Dems brought in union shills (who occasionally beat people up).
If your claim were true Brown wouldn’t have won the “Kennedy Seat.” A Republican wouldn’t have beaten an incumbent Democrat in New Jersey’s governor’s race. The NY GOP wouldn’t have lost NY-23 because it ran a liberal Republican.
You, Tano, are a Democrat partisan hack, a leftist enemy of America’s founding principles, and a liar to boot. Sod off.
Comment by Classical Liberal Dave — February 2, 2010 @ 4:46 am - February 2, 2010
arturo fernandez @ 8:
Yet more stupidity! (Dan, you’re going to have to stop writing sensible posts, or the torrent of illogic flooding the comments here will crash GayPatriot’s server.)
The previous political success of socialized medicince in Massachusetts does not guarantee it unending popularity. But then the matter was irrelevant. Massachusetts own state health care wasn’t an issue in the election since it was for a seat in the national legislature, not that of Massachusetts!
What was at issue in the election for a federal office, was the federal bills currently being considered. Since the health care proposals in Congress are extremely unpopular, it isn’t unlikely that Brown’s opposition to them played some role in his victory.
Comment by Classical Liberal Dave — February 2, 2010 @ 4:59 am - February 2, 2010
buckeyenutlover @ 9:
Right. Just how dumb do you think GayPatriot readers are, buckeye nut? If Brown had lost you’d be saying it was because he dared pose nude umpteen years ago and because Coakley was so much smarter than he.
What is it with you lefties? Dan makes a good point about the Left and you can’t resist proving his point for him. What idiots you are.
Mm-hmm. Yup. Obama’s energizing conservatives to a degree that more than makes up for the GOP having disheartened them for years will play no role. And you accuse Dan and friends of “misread[ing] public opinion”?
Sigh. I can’t even be upset by the sheer idiocy of these comments anymore.
But I can still be upset by the gall like this!
You hypocrite. Your beloved Dems hoped and prayed for bad economic news all during G.W. Bush’s time in office. They hoped and prayed for bad news out of Iraq. And now you have the nerve to project your sick leftists ambitions on to us. Go f*ck yourself.
Comment by Classical Liberal Dave — February 2, 2010 @ 5:10 am - February 2, 2010
Tano thinks Rasmussen proves that health care reform had nothing much to do with Brown’s win. With logic like this it’s no wonder Tano is a leftie.
The people whom Rasmussen cites as seeing Brown as the fillibustering vote needed to stop the Dems proposals are the people who prevailed.
People who say that health care reform is their highest priority most likely lean to the left and like the idea of socializing medicine, at least to some degree. People who don’t want to socialize medicine — the people who won — are not likely to name health care reform as their top issue.
Rasmussen has overlooked this in his analysis. But then being a pollster and being a political analyst are two different things.
Comment by Classical Liberal Dave — February 2, 2010 @ 5:21 am - February 2, 2010
Kind of like being a leftest and thinking are two seperate things, eh?
Good job on the smackdown, CLDave. I noticed bob popped his head up, but the little fascist’s vile comments aren’t even worth the effort to reply to.
Comment by The_Livewire — February 2, 2010 @ 7:28 am - February 2, 2010
This just in: the Premier of a Canadian province is coming to the US this week to have heart surgery.
http://cbc.qwapi.com/site?t=xncRD1Eb8xb6h0Q92gtohw&sid=cbc
Comment by Sean A — February 2, 2010 @ 7:39 am - February 2, 2010
Liberals do admit when they’ve lost in one occasion.
Iraq.
“This war is lost.” Harry Reid.
Comment by The_Livewire — February 2, 2010 @ 8:47 am - February 2, 2010
Tano who seems to favor “government-by-polls” makes this comment in #15:
1.) Do you mean to say that “undisputably popular” is the very best measure for any welfare program?
2.) 68% support RomneyCare. Therefore………… ? (Would that be undisputable ?)
3.) 51% of Brown voters supported RomneyCare. Therefore………… ? (Would that be undisputable ?)
So far as I know, Brown did not run against RomneyCare. Therefore, I fail to see the connection between RomneyCare and ObamaCare. I do, however, see a worry that people who are paying for RomneyCare might have over being hauled into a system they did not choose such as ObamaCare.
I don’t think the polls you cite have anything important to add to the conversation.
Brown won handily in a state that is Democrat. The national mood of the voters certainly permeated the Massachusetts mood for someone to represent them who is more like a TEA party associate than a Ted Kennedy.
The Obamanauts are running about citing polls and dedicated to making a silk purse out of a sow’s ear. Obamacare is an unmitigated mess. It was conceived in secrecy and rammed through the legislative steps in a blizkrieg of bullying procedures. The super majority allowed the Democrats to do whatever they wished, but enough Democrats were sober to the radical consequences of the whole one-sixth of the economy takeover that Obamacare was under internal party stress.
Obama has demonized the Republicans as the party of “no” and blamed them for not joining the Obamacare assault on the health care system. The TEA party crowd and many Republicans are undisputedly irritated to the point of revolution over the dictatorial, anti-democratic, cockroaches in the dark methods that Obamacare plotted and rammed through. All of Obama’s lies about transparency and public input and insane “fuzzy” math fantasies about getting lots more for less has only served to drive people away. Obama is left with an ever shrinking of bunker mates who will dutifully mix more Kool-Aid.
Meanwhile, the Democrat leadership is still plotting ways to force Obamacare on the population.
Comment by heliotrope — February 2, 2010 @ 1:07 pm - February 2, 2010
“Obama has demonized the Republicans as the party of “no”…”
Only Satan says “no” to things? This gay website is for laughs, is that it?
Comment by arturo fernandez — February 2, 2010 @ 1:27 pm - February 2, 2010
Can anyone explain what the communication in #30 is? If there is a message implanted among the words, I fail to find it. I have parsed it every way I know how and I come up with nothing. Not that I think there is anything in there, I would just be surprised if there is.
Comment by heliotrope — February 2, 2010 @ 2:29 pm - February 2, 2010
heliotrope, you fail to find it because you did originally say that only demons say “no” to things. So it is not surprising you’re lost
Comment by arturo fernandez — February 2, 2010 @ 3:02 pm - February 2, 2010
#32: Now this is just pitiful. Arturo, the word “demonize” means to characterize someone else as villainous or wicked. It doesn’t actually mean the other person is physically transformed into a Chupacabra.
Comment by Sean A — February 2, 2010 @ 3:19 pm - February 2, 2010
Sean A, it would appear that you are as stupid as I am. I tried every syntax application I know and arturo just kept coming up holding the knife by the blade and stabbing with the handle. But hey, I am always ready to be ejumacated.
Comment by heliotrope — February 2, 2010 @ 3:24 pm - February 2, 2010
Sean,
God can say “no”. I don’t read the bible, but I’m sure he says it repeatedly. Those who believe in god disagree with you that he’s wicked and villanous like a chupacabra.
Comment by arturo fernandez — February 2, 2010 @ 3:33 pm - February 2, 2010
First off Dan, while Obama and Pelosi barrel ahead with their dream of a health care bill, there are several Democrats who have said that the bill needs to be scrapped/rethought in light of the Massachusetts special election, including Barney Frank:
“But our respect for democratic procedures must rule out any effort to pass a health care bill as if the Massachusetts election had not happened.”
I picked Barney’s quote because he’s the most liberal. Senators Evan Bayh and Jim Webb have said similar things.
As for the special election, I don’t know how anyone can spin the results. Scott Brown didn’t say he would change the health care bill. He didn’t say he’d slow the health care bill. He said to the predominantly Democrat citizens of Massachusetts that he would STOP the health care bill and they elected him to fill Ted Kennedy’s seat. Ted Kennedy! I don’t care how inept Martha Coakley’s campaign may have been (or how cute Scott Brown may be), this election was all about Obamacare.
Comment by Draybee — February 2, 2010 @ 6:23 pm - February 2, 2010
And the Democrats lost.
Comment by Draybee — February 2, 2010 @ 6:24 pm - February 2, 2010
[...] Can’t these guys just admit defeat? [...]
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