Did you know that the Republican Party has the Democrats' best interest at heart?

Even as the results were still trickling in, GOP Rep Eric Cantor was already warning that the results were an early rumble under the feet of marginal Dems, arging that voters had delivered “a shot across the bow to the moderates and Blue Dog Democrats as they decide votes on health care.”

What kind of idiot would take the GOP's advice?

Oh.

Vulnerable House and Senate Democrats want their leaders to skip the party’s controversial legislative agenda for next year to help save their seats in Congress. In the run-up to the 2010 midterm elections, they don’t want to be forced to vote on climate change, immigration reform and gays in the military, which they say should be set aside so Congress can focus on jobs and the economy. “It’s hard; the most important issue in front of us is the economy right now, and that’s where most of us really want to stay focused, the economy and jobs, that’s what our constituency is concerned about,” said Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D), who is facing a tough race next year in Arkansas [...] “That’s an awful lot to bite off and chew for right now,” said Lincoln, who described herself as “not in a hurry” to tackle climate change, an issue she has some jurisdiction over as chairwoman of the Senate Agriculture Committee.

Democratic voters stayed home last night. You'd think that the most endangered Democrats would worry about such things.

Giving Republicans cover by stymying the reform agenda that won Democrats the 2006 and 2008 elections won't win them any conservative votes. In a base election, and 2010 will certainly be one, the party that better rallies its base will win. And abandoning the promises that got Democrats elected is a sure fire way to make sure that the activist base stays home and refuses to do the heavy lifting every campaign needs to win, and makes sure that less committed Democrats say "fuck it" and stay home on election night.

You piss off Latinos, gays, people concerned about the environment -- your path to victory just got a lot more difficult.

Definitely focus on jobs. Maybe this time, those "moderates" and "centrists" won't water down a new stimulus by stripping out critical spending (like school construction) and adding irrelevant and non-stimulative tax cuts. How's that for a crazy thought?

But we all assumed that Congressional Democrats could walk and chew gum at the same time. So focus on jobs ... and all that other important stuff. Maybe skip the "National Bratwurst Day resolution" crap. If we were wrong about the ability of our Congressional majority to multi-task, then it's good to know -- more the reason to cheer the loss of Democrats like Lincoln while we work toward electing Democrats of the "better" kind.

Update: Great comment by ky Dem: