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Divided We Stand

Divided We Stand
New book about the 2020 election.

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Losing to Win

In Losing to Win, James Ceaser and Andrew Busch analyze the 1996 election in light of political cycles. That is, defeat can lay the groundwork for future victory. Early in 2008, I applied this analysis to the upcoming election, suggesting that the GOP could actually reap long-term gains from a loss. The 2010 election may provide some confirmation. Steve Kornacki writes of Susan's Coakley's various campaign problems and adds:
Had John McCain been elected last year, then all of the above could still be true -- and Coakley would be winning by 30 points. But with Republicans locked out power in Washington, swing voters in Massachusetts -- and every other blue state -- are, for the first time since 1994, ready to blame their problems on Democrats and use the GOP as a protest vehicle. And with 10 percent unemployment, voters have a lot of anger to vent.