The Democratic Party has a problem. If this were "The Celebrity Apprentice," the party might be told, "You're fired."
And it all happened with President Barack Obama at the helm for the past eight disastrous years. Obama is the doomsday captain of the modern-day Titanic formerly known as the Democratic Party.
When Obama took office in 2009, Democrats controlled the U.S. House by a wide margin. Democrats also controlled the Senate by a wide margin — holding the first filibuster-proof majority since the 1970s. Democrats controlled 29 governorships. Democrats controlled 60 of 99 state legislative chambers. They had it all.
Today, the Republican Party controls the White House, U.S. House and Senate. The GOP majority in the House is the largest since 1928.
And then there's the U.S. Supreme Court.
President Trump may get the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to name as many as four Supreme Court justices (with as many retirements looming). Trump can put conservatives and capitalists in control of the Supreme Court for the next 40 years or more.
Republicans now have 33 governors, 31 lieutenant governors and 31 secretaries of state. Democrats have lost more than 900 legislative seats since Obama took office. The GOP controls 60 of 99 state legislative houses. The GOP controls the statehouse and legislature in a remarkable 25 states, Democrats only four.
President-elect Donald Trump finished off the tsunami that has been building since the day Obama took office. Trump won 194 of the 207 swing counties that Obama won at least once. Democrats no longer control a single legislative chamber in the South.
With Trump at the top of the ticket, the GOP won the governorship of ultra-liberal, hippie-dippy, Birkenstock-wearing Vermont. The GOP took the state Senate in ultra-liberal Minnesota. The GOP captured four seats in the Illinois house — ending the Democratic supermajority. The GOP captured the Kentucky house for the first time in almost 100 years.
This wasn't a Trump victory. It was a resounding message. Democrats now live alone in the wilderness.
And it's only going to get worse. In 2018, Democrats must defend 25 U.S. Senate seats, while the GOP must defend eight. Thirteen of these seats are in states Trump either won or barely lost. Five seats are from states Trump won by a landslide (19 points or more). Democrats won't regain the U.S. Senate for many years to come.
I tried to help provide a little common sense as I addressed the International Association of Political Consultants Conference in Denver this past weekend. The top political campaign gurus in the world had asked me to explain how and why Trump won ... and how I was able to predict it all.
My answer was simple: Obamacare. The Democratic Party was badly damaged from top to bottom by Obamacare. The Democrats' losses began the day Obamacare was passed, and the hemorrhaging has continued ever since. Obamacare has hurt the American people — the same ones who vote. People aren't stupid. If you pass something that hurts people — that destroys their job prospects, that dramatically cuts their income, that eats their budget — they will vote against you. It's that simple.
The American middle class is in despair because of Obamacare. Democrats will never recover until they face this truth and correct their course.
Wayne Allyn Root is a CEO, entrepreneur, best-selling author, nationally syndicated talk show host on USA Radio Network and the host of "The Wayne Allyn Root Show" on Newsmax TV nightly at 8 p.m. ET. To find out more about Wayne Allyn Root and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com
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