… After every election, the losing party spends a good chunk of the off-year analyzing why they lost and developing solutions on how not to lose in the future. In 2013, Republicans unveiled their Growth and Opportunity report. … This year, Democrats have “A Better Deal” – an economic-centered agenda that focuses on creating jobs, lowering the cost of prescription drugs and “cracking down on the monopolies and big corporate mergers that harm consumers, workers and competition.”
But, more often than not, these documents are an exercise in fighting the last war instead of an appreciation of the fact that no one really knows what the next war is going to look like. … Most important, midterm elections are, at their most basic, a referendum on the party in power, not the party out of power. The White House and Congress are held by Republicans. Democrats don’t get a chance to set the agenda.
If Republicans go into 2018 with a solid list of accomplishments and people feel pretty good about the job they are doing, it’s going to be tough for Democrats to win, regardless of how smart or clear they’ve made their agenda. CONT.
Amy Walter, Cook Political Report