THE DEM DISASTER – AT 11:47 A.M. ET:   Democrats are holding a variety of head sessions to try to figure out what went wrong.  Actually, some of these meetings seem intelligent.  The adults in the party, both of them, are coming to terms with reality.  From Reuters: 

MONTPELIER, Vt. (Reuters) - Still sifting through the wreckage of the Nov. 8 election, Democratic leaders nationwide are struggling to find a new message to claw back support and avoid years in the political wilderness.

Not only do Republicans control the White House and both the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives, they now hold 33 governor’s offices.

New England, long considered reliably Democratic, is a prime example of the party's demise.

Republican Phil Scott won in Vermont over Democrat Sue Minter who was criticized, like presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, for failing to develop an economic message that resonated with voters worried about good-paying jobs.

Considered a liberal bastion, Vermont has a tradition of sometimes choosing a Republican governor to keep one party from having too much control.

Elsewhere, Republican Chris Sununu will replace a Democratic governor in New Hampshire while Maine and Massachusetts already have Republican governors.

“We lost the governorship of freaking Vermont,” lamented Washington-based Democratic strategist Chris Kofinis. “We didn’t just lose an election. This was a national rebuke. This was biblical.”

Republicans also command 32 state legislatures and have full control -- meaning they hold the governor’s office and both legislative chambers -- in 24 states, including swing states such as Florida, Ohio, Michigan, and Wisconsin. When President Barack Obama was elected in 2008, they controlled just nine.

“There are more Republicans at the state legislative level than there have ever been,” said Tim Storey, an analyst with the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Republicans scored a major coup when they seized the Senate in traditionally liberal Minnesota, giving it full control of the legislature, and they gained full control of next-door Iowa.

COMMENT:  Many Americans still don't understand the full extent of the Democratic disaster.  There is so much attention paid to the presidential race that many news organizations give skimpy coverage to the "down ballot" races.  That is where the Republican Party has cleaned up in recent years.  It's hard to find any great victories for the Democrats.  Obama was the exception, not the rule.

Read the whole piece.  Well reported, with the exception of a few snide remarks.

November 22, 2016