The 2014 midterm election was such a drubbing for Democrats, so embarrassing in its lopsidedness, that there doesn't appear to be much more to say about it. One party completely walloped another. Period. Full stop.
But there's new ground to explore, and in the latest episode of Drinking & Talking, we explored it: From the inside story of why the Republican Party didn't pour more money into Virginia to help failed Senate candidate Ed Gillespie, to the origins of the plagiarism scandal that ended Sen. John Walsh's (D-Mont.) political career, to the reason why so many campaign websites borrow language from each other.
The panelists -- Brad Dayspring, the communications director for the National Republican Senatorial Committee, Bill Burton, former deputy press secretary to President Barack Obama, Kate Nocera, a political reporter at BuzzFeed, and Christina Bellantoni, Roll Call's editor-in-chief -- also had a lot to say about the chaos, stress and absurdity of elections. Over a bottle of Maker's Mark, they discussed the the worst attempts at opposition research (chasing Scott Brown down a river in a canoe!), the best stories from the trail (Charlie Crist and his lucky fan) and Sen.-elect David Perdue's impressive jawline ("presidential timber," according to Burton).
Enjoy.
Watch the video above. Here's an index of key moments in the discussion:
0:00 -- The Democratic Party Death Spiral0:49 -- Alison Lundergan Grimes Can't Remember Who She Voted For1:36 -- Democrats' White Voter Problem2:25 -- The Tide Turns In Favor Of The GOP3:59 -- Ed Gillespie Comes So Close6:17 -- A Long Dark Night For Democrats7:13 -- An Election Driven By Opposition Research11:35 -- David Perdue: Presidential Material?12:37 -- The Plague Of Plagiarism19:58 -- What Now? Progress Or Gridlock?
Listen to the audio of the show below:
Before You Go
