A friend writes:
Nothing on the blog regarding the election? I was hoping for some sort of positive Klonskyish spin from you on all this to bring me out of my depression.
Now, I hadn’t even had my second cup of coffee yet. Some people just need their blog fix.
Hey. There’s no need to go over what all the pundits are already saying. Obama and the Dems got pummeled. And a lot of people are going to be hurt by that.
However, I’m quite ready to play the blame game. I kind of like Paul Krugman this morning.
“Blame the whiny center,” he says.
At every stage there was a faction of Democrats standing in the way of strong action, demanding that Obama do less, avoid spending money, and so on. In so doing, they shot themselves in the face: half of the Blue Dogs lost their seats.
And nobody put a gun to Obama’s head and made him cave to the Blue Dogs.
With half of them gone, will Obama return to his electoral base, the folks who put him in the White House? Or will he continue the Blue Dog agenda without the Blue Dogs?
Reject the Blue Dog agenda and bring the troops home. That’s the recipe. A positive spin.
And some more good news. Young folks didn’t fall for the crap.
National exit polls of more than 17,000 voters show a remarkable trend: Adults age 18-29 voted against the Republican Tsunami by 16 points (56-40). Younger adults age 18-24 were even more progressive, voting against Republicans by 19 points (58-39).
End the war. Energize and organize young voters. Return to the base that won in 2008.
Will they listen?
Fred Klonsky 
I don’t feel so bad about those who betrayed us. I’m elated that pro-teacher Tony Avella won a NY State Senate seat. He was down 24 points October 4th, the UFT supported him a week later, we called, we leafleted, and we unseated a 38-year veteran. That’s the power of union. We took a bold step and won.
I hope against hope it’s a model for the future.