In the wake of their historic shellacking, Democrats are playing the blame game.
President Barack Obama took part of the blame. Obama told “60 Minutes” it was a failure to communicate:
You know, I think that over the course of two years we were so busy and so focused on getting a bunch of stuff done that we stopped paying attention to the fact that leadership isn’t just legislation. That it’s a matter of persuading people. And giving them confidence and bringing them together. And setting a tone. And making an argument that people can understand. And I think that we haven’t always been successful at that. And I take personal responsibility for that.
Some Democrats blame Obama’s White House team. Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen told the Washington Post:
There doesn’t seem to be anybody in the White House who’s got any idea what it’s like to lie awake at night worried about money and worried about things slipping away. They’re all intellectually smart. They’ve got their numbers. But they don’t feel any of it, and I think people sense that.
Democratic strategist Douglas Schoen agrees and says it’s time to change some of the players. Writing in Politico, Schoen observed:
When a political team like that of White House adviser David Axelrod, press secretary Robert Gibbs and pollster Joel Benenson has failed as utterly as Tuesday’s results make clear, there has got to be a change. There is no disrespect in finding another team of breadth, depth of intellect and a different vision to pick up the momentum after a crushing defeat.
In noting “there’s enough blame to go around,” TV One’s Roland Martin, recommended “four adjustments” Obama must make to “get back in the game.”
The complete transcript of “Washington Watch with Roland Martin” is available here.
