Democrats woefully surrender any hope of sharing morning in America

When I got up this morning I had to tell myself that the polls were right.  It wasn't morning in America.  And for that dismal condition, both parties must share the blame.

As I sifted through the debris of the Democrats' train wreck, I jotted down the big winners of midnight in America, namely:

The Koch Brothers, Fox News,  climate deniers, George Will, Big Oil, Big Pharma, health insurance companies, Wall Streeters, closet racists, pro-lifers,   David Brennan's charter schools, gun enthusiasts, GOP stonewallers in Congress,  one percenters with wallets as fat as Rep. Steve King's cantaloupes, corporate lobbyists, anti-gays, religious fanatics, older white guys  in  baseball caps.

I may have missed a few, but these were enough with a compliant press to convince the electorate that America could resolve all of its problems if Barack Obama  would just go back to where they believe he came from. Never in my many years in the political trenches have I witnessed a greater operating fantasy by either party.  

Among the losers were those fearful Democratic candidates who distanced themselves from the president to please  their audiences, many of them losing anyway.   They might have stood up and proudly cited the positive things  that Obama has done:  Turned the Bush recession around into a recovering  economy, lowering unemployment, providing  against all odds millions of people with health insurance coverage, showing humanity  where people were in desperate need, supporting a hike in the minimum wage (and  strongly supported in states where it was on the ballot) trying to be the good guy against the terrorists  in the GOP caucus.

The passive Democrats in these instances acted disgracefully,  as did Alison Lundergan Grimes in Kentucky who refused to say whether she voted for Obama.  She was destroyed by Mitch McConnell.  The object lesson: Running and hiding doesn't pay off, so you might as well show some courage.

In earlier days when I was the guest speaker  to various groups around the area that paid me with a coffee mug and maybe a light lunch,  I had a line that I used repeatedly: "Republicans have no conscience and Democrats  have no guts."

That was especially true in this election when we were continually told that the voters were angry.  The economy was on their minds; others sadly let out their subtext of the color of Obama's skin, a major catalyst in how they perceived some of his faults that didn't exist.

 Republicans are rejoicing in Ohio, too, with a clean sweep.  But an electorate that can return Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel to office can't be taken too seriously. Meantime, every Democratic office, headquarters and hangout should post a sign from Pogo:

"We have met the enemy and he is us."