Nancy Pelosi To Democratic Voters: Yes, It’s A ‘Terrible Year’ – But It’s Your Fault

– Nancy Pelosi to Democratic voters: Yes, it’s a ‘terrible year’ — but it’s your fault (Washington Post, Nov 7, 2014):

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi reflected on the Election Day losses with fellow Democrats, saying that it really wasn’t the party’s messages or platforms to blame — rather, it’s more the voters’ fault, she suggested.

Specifically, Mrs. Pelosi said during a 75-minute call with caucus members that the reason Democrats lost had nothing to do with party message and everything to do with voter turnout — and that if more Democrats had turned up at the polls, more Democratic candidates would have won, she said, The Hill reported.

Now she’s calling on colleagues in Congress to do their “moral responsibility” and get more voters to the polls, she said, The Hill reported.

“Next year has to be the year to expand the universe of people who vote,” she said, a source on the call told The Hill. “I’m concerned that eligible voters did not vote in the election this year. We have the magic and the resources to have massive voter registration over the country — not just the places that might benefit the Democrats.”

Mrs. Pelosi then said that it didn’t really matter to her if voters cast ballots for Democrats or for Republicans — just so long as they vote.

“I don’t care if they vote for a Republican,” she said, The Hill reported, “just so they vote, get in the game, are counted, and people will pay attention to what their concerns are.”

Meanwhile, other Democrats saw deeper roots at play in their election losses — namely, that Republicans were able to nationalize the races, rather than allow liberals to keep them local.

“We lost all over because people weren’t motivated to come out to vote,” Rep. Jerrold Nadler said on the Thursday call, the source said to The Hill. “And the whole campaign — not just the campaign but the whole zeitgeist for years — has been the president who has the bully pulpit refusing to attack the Republicans, refusing to differentiate, refusing to defend his own policies.”

And Rep. Rosa DeLauro said similarly, The Hill reported.

“This election … was nationalized by Republicans,” she said, the source said to The Hill. “It focused around President Obama.”