What Does Cantor's Defeat Really Mean?

AN ALTERNATE VIEW ON CANTOR’S LOSS

image credit USA Today

Many people are very concerned about Senate Majority Leader Eric Cantor being booted out of office.  They view it as a bad omen…the Tea Party rising.  Which would be a very bad thing, indeed.

Here is a different thought on the subject.

It is equally possible that Cantor lost because his people were lulled into a false sense of security by the fact that he was so far ahead in the polls.  Surely, many Cantor supporters felt confident he would prevail, and felt a diminished sense of urgency as a result.

Imagine if a whole bunch of Cantor supporters felt so confident in his imminent victory that they stayed home on election day in droves, by the dozens, by the hundreds, by the thousands.  It is entirely conceivable.

On the other hand, Cantor’s opponent created a grass-roots movement, and real people supported his campaign.  THOSE people did NOT stay home on election day - no way!  With a budget of about $200,000, Dave Brat and his people managed to eke out a victory that unseated one of the most powerful men in politics.

image credit Salon.com

Of course, the Tea Party sees this as a huge victory, and as a prediction of future success at the primaries.  They have to view this astonishing upset as a testament to the validity of their nutty party.  But I predict that few primaries will result in such outright victory for the Tea Party.  (Unless the momentum they must feel right now is captured effectively…)

I have a hard time believing that Cantor’s campaign was in that much trouble.  I find it so much more plausible that his base got lazy, because they did not perceive a threat from Brat.

What this means to the more moderate Republicans in upcoming primaries - You can NOT allow your base to feel safe or comfortable!  They need to vote, no matter how far ahead it seems you are.

More importantly, Democrats need to learn this lesson NOW.  Democrats need to vote often, and vote well.  Vote every opportunity you have.  It is the only way to share your voice, and it has become more important, not less, with Citizen’s United in effect.

Democrats need to get out the vote!

image credit Wally's Wicked World