Someone should pay me to be a political consultant. I did reasonably well with my predictions, missing only the gubernatorial race. In an election where the Democrats swept every other constitutional office and made huge gains in the state legislature, Pawlenty’s win is a bit mystifying. Two factors seem likely contributors. One is independent candidate Peter Hutchinson. He only received 6% of the vote, but I’m willing to bet most of those votes came at the expense of Hatch. And the Hatch campaign’s missteps in the final week might have inflicted more damage than I had first estimated. I’m taking this loss in stride, though. A DFL-dominated legislature will kill any Republican efforts to grandstand on divisive social wedge issues like abortion and gay marriage. It might also mean that that we see some progress on issues like improving access to health care and modernizing our transportation system.
Of course, I’m thrilled with the national political landscape as well. It’s good to see my side coming in from the cold after a long sojourn in the wilderness. But Democrats can’t afford to be too self-congratulatory. They need to show the country that they didn’t win simply because the other side imploded. They must demonstrate that they have a vision and plan for our collective future that is better and more hopeful than anything Republicans can offer. They need to prove themselves as leaders.
