Interesting What Inspires Confidence For Some

Prior to the special election in Ohio’s 2nd Congressional District on August 2, the race between Republican Jean Schmidt and Democrat Paul Hackett was billed as a “bellwether” that would provide a glimpse ahead to what the major parties can expect in next year’s mid-term congressional elections. And, sure enough, the Democrats have responded to the results with barely-restrained joy, proclaiming the results to be a “wake-up call” for Republicans.

Of course, all of the trumpeting over the election results is for much the same purpose that candidates and parties are continually commissioning polls and touting their results to the public. The idea is to convince enough undecided voters that their side is the side of victory, banking on the idea that, all else being equal, those who haven’t made up their minds by a certain point will be inclined to break for the expected winner. No doubt, the scheme being played out by national Democrats following Ohio’s election is to trumpet the results of the ultimate poll – an election – in order to convince the nation that they are the ones riding the wave of momentum.

There are only two flaws to the Democrats’ reaction to the election and their subsequent exulting over it. One is that they lost the election, and the other one is that they lost the election. Granted, this is really only one flaw, but it is such a huge one it merits being mentioned twice (apologies to the cast of Red Dwarf).

While it is true that Ohio’s Second District is considered heavily Republican, and Mr. Hackett wasn’t given much of a chance of winning anyway, the ecstasy over losing by four percentage points as opposed to forty seems a bit over the top. After all, if a “shockwave of voter discontent” is an accurate depiction of the 48 percent that voted for Mr. Hackett, what shall be said of the 52 percent that voted for the victor?

Besides, it’s not like the voters in the 2nd District were being forced to choose based on distinct Republican and Democrat campaigns. Those on the ground in the district report that Mr. Hackett, while bad-mouthing the Bush Administration when the audience was national Democrat leaders, ran a campaign in the District that actually employed President Bush’s image, and Mr. Hackett’s agreement with recorded statements of the President, while playing up his identity as a member of the military – which most people identify with the GOP. Apparently the Democrats are learning that the most likely way to get a majority of Americans to support them is for them to sound and look more like Republicans.

In any event, the aggressive attempts to spin the election results did not stop in the days following the election. Now, over a week after the election, Mr. Hackett has written a fundraising letter on behalf of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, touting his loss as a reason for people to put their confidence in the minority party and contribute to their campaign coffers.

This writer can’t help but be fascinated by what inspires confidence on the part of the party of the left nowadays. Of course, the touting of a close loss may be perceived by Democrat operatives to be the best they can do right now, as the victories they would like to be able to tout are few and far between, even when they don’t run as Democrats.

If Mr. Hackett is right in his assertion that his election performance is evidence that “no Republican is safe,” then the future may be bright for the majority party. Most people would be quite happy at the thought of being “vulnerable” to a victory, even if it is by “only” four points.