Democrats Won in 2010 (Just Not the Election)

...Democrats didn't lose the most important battle of 2010. They won it.

So says William Saletan in this important article on the accomplishments of Speaker Nancy Pelosi. While I do agree that the Democrats chose not to focus on job creation and that this was a major tragedy, their accomplishments were nevertheless important. That is the main point Saletan makes: that the Democratic loss is being blamed on non-existent causes.

Much can be said on this subject. I think Saletan's main point that the critics who say the Democrats lost because of their support for health care are themselves in error, is correct. Still, I wish he had talked more about the poor economy itself. Two thousand nine was truly an opportunity lost what with Time magazine declaring we were all socialists now. The stimulus bill was not large enough, job protection measures were not strong enough. These were two major short-comings of the Congress now quickly passing into history.

But Saletan's article makes interesting reading.