Political Wire

SubscribeSign in
  • Front Page
  • Trending
  • Polling
  • Trial Balloon
  • Books
  • Membership
    • Members FAQ
    • Exclusive Analysis
    • My Favorites
  • Sign In
Theme
Text size

Do Democrats Only Have a Message Problem?

November 26, 2014 · 10:39 am ET · 51 Comments

Molly Ball: “There’s a predictable debate after every election, as the losing partisans cycle through rationalizations for why they lost. This time, it’s the Democrats, who were slaughtered at an unexpected scale on November 4 and now must reckon with what went wrong and how to move forward.”

“When Republicans went through this two years ago, they were heckled constantly—by both the media and many of their own — about the need to moderate their positions if they ever wanted to win another election. But Democrats today are convinced there’s nothing wrong with what they stand for — if anything, they just need to stand for it louder and more aggressively.”

2014 Campaign, Democrats

← PreviousFiorina Sees Opening in GOP Presidential FieldNext →How the Iran Nuclear Deal Slipped Away

Keep reading

Front page →

Political Wire is reader-supported. Join for ad-free reading, member posts and new features →

Taegan Goddard

Taegan Goddard

Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire -- which for more than two decades has been one of the nation's most influential political news sites.

More about Taegan Goddard →

?Political Trivia

  • The Way It Was
    Eight moments in political history. Put them on a timeline.
    Play →
  • Yea or Nay?
    Five senators. Three bills. Can you guess how they all voted?
    Play →
  • Split Decision
    Nine Justices. One case. How did they rule?
    Play →
  • Pollster
    Do you have your finger on the pulse of America?
    Play →
  • Daily Trivia
    Four questions a day.
    Play →

A new game every day.

Your Account

Members

For the full experience, sign in.

Become a Member

Read everything on Political Wire. No ads, Talking Points analysis, Trial Balloon podcast, new features and more.

  • Join Political Wire
  • Gift a Membership

Members Only

  • Republicans Couldn’t Buy Their Way Out of Defeat
  • Democrats Now Dominate State Governments
  • Why Schumer and Jeffries Aren’t Going Anywhere
  • Trump Digs In
  • Republicans Had Nothing
  • Weekly News Quiz

More members only posts →

Electoral Map Electoral Vote Map

222Democrat 97Toss-up 219Republican
270

Make your own map →

The starting map is built from how each state has voted compared with the country as a whole, not from how a state voted on its own. The last two presidential elections, with 2024 counting more than 2020. Then we…

Updated Nov. 4, 2026

?Political Trivia

  • The Way It Was →
  • Yea or Nay? →
  • Split Decision →
  • Pollster →
  • Daily Trivia →

Copyright © 2026 · Goddard Media LLC

Political Wire® is a registered trademark of Goddard Media LLC

Also from Goddard Media: Political Dictionary · Political Job Hunt · Electoral Vote Map

Privacy PolicyCorrections PolicyContact