So, Democrats, If You Want Nice Things...

It's hard to put into words what a great day the past 24 hours has been for loyal Democrats across the country.  Over the course of just a day, we won a U.S. Senate election.  We watched in awe as State Sen. Wendy Davis proved that one man may not be able to make a difference, but one woman sure as hell can.  And we saw the Supreme Court strike down Proposition 8 and DOMA in one full-swoop, giving thousands of gay and lesbian couples the same rights as their heterosexual counterparts, at least in the twelve states that currently have it legalized.  It was a great, great day.

And yet, as this is politics, there's always a bit of a forlorn stench behind such great, great days, and it's not because Kirsten Gillibrand, after an impressive pitching performance, lost the annual softball game. It's because Democrats don't always remember that when they work together, they can accomplish something huge.  This may sound a bit condescending, but it's true.  Want proof?  Take a look at two recent midterm elections: 2002 and 2010.

In both years, the Democrats decided to stay home and the consequences were dire.  In 2002, the Democrats watched as their Senate majority disappeared, not to be seen again for another four years.  We watched as major Democratic leaders like Max Cleland, Walter Mondale, Roy Barnes, and Kathleen Kennedy Townsend went down in defeat, never to hold political office again.  The majorities that the Republicans won in 2002, and in the subsequent election in 2004, were enough to mean that much of the Aughts were under Republican rule, resulting in us remaining in an unjust war for a decade, halting the gay rights movement for years, and leaving the Supreme Court in Republican hands for at least a decade-likely much longer.

2010 was even worse for the Democrats.  Thanks to Democrats checking out, despite the President and House Democrats going out on a limb and voting for the most expansive, sweeping health care reforms since the Johnson administration, we lost the U.S. House and multiple Senate seats.  Legendary Democrats like Chet Edwards, Jim Oberstar, Ike Skelton, and John Spratt lost their seats after decades of serving in Congress.  Even more damning, though, were the major losses in the gubernatorial elections in Florida, Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, all states that would two years before and after go to the Democratic presidential nominee, went to the Republicans, potentially costing us the U.S. House for a decade, thanks to the harsh gerrymandering that came as a result.

This is a long way of stating that politics is a long game, and you can't give up key battles just because it's been tough going for a while.  In this severely splintered environment in Washington, where you practically need to have 60 Senate seats, the House majority, and the White House to get anything done, you need to basically get three back-to-back election cycle wins to get something cohesive done in government.

So we need to remember this feeling when the going gets rough, and we need to remember it when we're debating either staying home or toying with going with Republicans to "punish" the Democrats who aren't doing anything in Washington.  Because House Republicans have proven that compromise is a four-letter word, and while this toxic environment needs to end, it won't go away until the Democrats win all three branches of government, at least for a cycle or two.  And the best way to do that-vote.  There are a number of major elections happening in November and next November.  It is unacceptable to only vote in presidential elections.  You want gay marriage to pass in all states?  Voting for Chris Christie this fall is not going to help your cause.  Want to ensure that a woman's right to choose remains?  Get out and make sure your Senate and House seats go blue.  Want to make sure that your state's conservative legislature doesn't pass damaging education and environmental bills?  Make sure that your state has a Democratic governor with veto power (or better yet, turn the state legislature while you're at it).

The point is that it's unacceptable to take these victories in a tunnel and not work for more and fight for others.  Rick Perry has already started to unravel what Wendy Davis accomplished.  Gay and lesbian couples in 38 states still don't have the right to get married.  The Voting Rights Act is going to result in many Southern GOP governors gerrymandering their states even further and enacting voter ID laws that will make it more difficult to vote.  The best way to do that is to continue the good fight.  Tweet people like Brian Schweitzer and Allison Lundergan Grimes to get into their Senate races.  Instead of buying a $4 drink at Starbucks this week, put it in a jar and at the end of the month, send it to the DSCC or Emily's List.  And for the love of god, don't forget to vote during the midterm.  If we work hard, days like June 26th, 2013 will become the norm instead of blue moon rare.