The Democrats' macro problem

In 2004 after a humiliating collective loss of the majorities in the House, Senate and the presidency, the professional class of Democratic Party was stunned by its fractured state with voters.

Twelve years later, after winning back the presidency and historic majorities in the House and the Senate, they have collapsed again, and again that same professional class of the Democrats is back to being stunned.

The Election Day losses evaporated everything that former chairman of the national Democratic Party Howard Dean had put in place for the comeback midterms of 2006; gone was his 50-state strategy program, along with values messaging and the simple mechanics of good candidates running down-ballot.

Also gone, a full-time chair; both Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine and Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, who served after Dean, were only part-time. They, along with the Obama for America folks, divested the party of any investment in party infrastructure in red and purple states that would pay dividends for the party post-Obama.

In short, the classic bottom-up politics of the once iconic party of the people was gone; and it was also being run part-time.