Are the Democrats failing or doing well as an opposition?

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Failing, obviously. They're hoping that no matter how bad they suck, they can still beat Trump, but that didn't work out for them last year.

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Opposition parties never have a coherent message or anything like that in the mid terms, or a clear leader.

Not true, see Newt Gingrich in 1994.

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No. The only reason they look like a strong opposition is because Trump and the current GOP congressional leadership are incompetent.

I'd have to agree, at least in part. Republicans are a mess, and it's stalling out their agenda bigly. And as for opposition on the left, that's just the thing. Activist energy is helping to fuel the opposition, which is separate from Congressional Democrats. The party itself is still making bumbling mistakes, such as that thing about Ellison supporters.

But this doesn't mean I think Democrats won't still do well next year. I think Republicans were probably destined to make huge gains in 2010 too, simply due to Democratic missteps in power and a slow economic recovery. Same thing seems to be happening now. An incompetent Congressional GOP and Trump intent on burning his party at the stake is helping to fuel a large backlash against the Republican Party.

In the end, I could see Democrats making substantial gains next year and at that point you'll probably see a shift in opinion of how the party is doing. It's easy to dump on them year after year when they keep losing. Not so easy if they actually start winning.

I think there is one plausible overarching message that Democrats can take to voters next year:

If you are looking for someone to keep Trump accountable and in check, vote Democrat.  If you're not, vote Republican.  

That should be enough.  It's simple and easy to understand.  

Democrats have to stand for something other than "We're against Trump except when we vote with him for military increases or the like".

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

No. The only reason they look like a strong opposition is because Trump and the current GOP congressional leadership are incompetent.

I'd have to agree, at least in part. Republicans are a mess, and it's stalling out their agenda bigly. And as for opposition on the left, that's just the thing. Activist energy is helping to fuel the opposition, which is separate from Congressional Democrats. The party itself is still making bumbling mistakes, such as that thing about Ellison supporters.

But this doesn't mean I think Democrats won't still do well next year. I think Republicans were probably destined to make huge gains in 2010 too, simply due to Democratic missteps in power and a slow economic recovery. Same thing seems to be happening now. An incompetent Congressional GOP and Trump intent on burning his party at the stake is helping to fuel a large backlash against the Republican Party.

In the end, I could see Democrats making substantial gains next year and at that point you'll probably see a shift in opinion of how the party is doing. It's easy to dump on them year after year when they keep losing. Not so easy if they actually start winning.

I think there is one plausible overarching message that Democrats can take to voters next year:

If you are looking for someone to keep Trump accountable and in check, vote Democrat.  If you're not, vote Republican.  

That should be enough.  It's simple and easy to understand.  

Democrats have to stand for something other than "We're against Trump except when we vote with him for military increases or the like".

Sure in 2020 but midterms have always been about "f**k the party in power"

That's really not a good enough reason to vote for Dianne Feinstein.