This is an entertaining bit of not-quite-contained panic:

…Hillary Clinton towers over the putative Democratic field as no non-incumbent party candidate has in recent memory, leading every rival by 40 points or more.

In 1988, Bob Dole was available for Republicans who didn’t fancy George Bush Snr. And if they didn’t want George Jnr in 2000, there was JohnMcCain. Ditto on the Democratic side. Al Gore from the outset was heavy favourite, but Bill Bradley, senator from New Jersey, gave him a decent run for his money. But in 2016, it’s Hillary or nothing for Democrats – and that’s why the fuss over the emails sends shivers down their spine.

Never has a party been so invested in a single candidate.

Admittedly, it’s from the UK Independent; hence, my use of the word ‘panic.’ This is, of course, not a new problem for the Democrats (although they hadn’t realized that there was a problem until quite recently).  But the reason why I’m bringing it up this time is that all of this is due to a lot of patient, careful effort in federal and state races across the country, from 2009 onward.  The Democratic cupboard is bare because the Republican grassroots decided to empty it ahead of time. The numerous state legislative and gubernatorial advances we’ve seen since then are a direct result of our strategy.

And this will still be true after the inevitable somebody gets up on his or her (usually his) hind legs and starts in on how horrible the GOP is, how the parties are identical, how we’ve all been betrayed, how nothing gets any better, ever.  You know the drill.  Anybody who reads comments sections knows the drill.  I don’t want to completely discount that attitude, because I recognize that the party can be maddeningly slow to fix problems and people need to vent*; and yet, if [you spend] your entire life looking for ways that people and groups will let you down… well, you’ll find enough examples for any amount of existential despair that you care to name.

You still want to live like that, well, it’s a free country.  I’m just here to cough significantly, in a meaningful sort of way. Nobody’s obliged to take my advice, of course.

Moe Lane

*Fortunately, the Democrats are even worse when it comes to course corrections. A sensible party would have started some just-in-case measures over Obamacare by now.

[**Edited from ‘seat’ after a commenter noticed. Danged if I know why I wrote it that way, either. – ML]