Continually losing in politics has a way of breaking even the strongest bonds, and the bond between the Democratic Party and Stacey Abrams has, up until recently, been ironclad. According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, though, the honeymoon is over, and Abrams is now being told to take a long walk off a short pier.
The drama started when Abrams’ top aide spoke out, essentially blaming everyone but the candidate for getting blasted by eight points in a state Democrat Raphael Warnock won outright.
One Democratic consultant called it a “delusional rant.” “Stacey and Lauren seemed to be consumed with the approval from the Manhattan cocktail circuit. Sen. Warnock’s campaign was focused on Georgians. Georgia Democrats have turned the page from Stacey. https://t.co/q7o52wNo5N
— Greg Bluestein (@bluestein) December 8, 2022
The lengthy Twitter thread by Lauren Groh-Wargo came Wednesday as Democrats celebrated the runoff victory of U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, the party’s only statewide winner in Georgia. She framed Abrams as a political martyr whose work set the stage for Warnock’s victory.
“What @staceyabrams created to lift up voters of color, defend democracy & help other leaders became a launching pad for some & her millstone- weighing down her numbers & costing her the election of 2022,” Groh-Wargo wrote in the first tweet.
Lauren Groh-Wargo’s gaslighting would make Ronna McDaniel blush. Abrams had absolutely nothing to do with Warnock’s success, and to pretend that Abrams lost because she was just so darn awesome at defending democracy and helping others is hilarious. Someone’s own mother wouldn’t be shameless enough to offer that kind of excuse because Abrams didn’t just lose. She got obliterated.
Surprisingly, several Democrats actually went on record to rebuke Abrams’ blame-shifting, calling the 52-part Twitter thread delusional.
“The race for governor was a winnable race. They spectacularly failed,” said David Brand, a Democratic consultant who worked for President Joe Biden. “These delusional rants don’t help anything, and they take away from Sen. Warnock’s win and the work of his amazing team.”
Democratic state Rep. Derrick Jackson, who ran for lieutenant governor, said the timing of Groh-Wargo’s message was “disheartening” because it stepped on Warnock’s victory lap. He also said it lacked a sense of self-awareness.
“This 52-part tweet is trying to give Stacey Abrams credit for Warnock’s victory without being accountable for her own defeat,” Jackson said. “This should have been discussed at the state party level so we can learn from this opportunity.”
I don’t actually agree that the gubernatorial race was that winnable for Abrams. She’s a terrible candidate masked by the fawning praise of a national media that doesn’t know itself from its own shadow. Just because CNN likes someone, that does not make them formidable. 2018 was the best environment Democrats could have hoped for. 2022 was far worse, and it showed as Kemp stretched his winning margin over Abrams dramatically.
Regardless, I can understand the angst here. Groh-Wargo is attempting to make it seem like Abrams was let down by everyone else, having sacrificed herself on the alter to ensure other Democrats would win. But that’s not what happened at all. Outside of Warnock, who faced a uniquely awful candidate, Republicans dominated up and down the ballot in November. Abrams vaunted “machine” was nowhere to be found, and Warnock was left to do his own thing, being more lucky than good in the end.
Still, despite her record of failure, I’ve actually seen some on the left suggesting that Abrams should be made DNC chair. Apparently, losing multiple times while running for the same office is a good resume builder for the Democratic Party.
Abrams’ rise and fall is a cautionary tale. Just because someone checks the boxes for the diehards, that doesn’t mean they are actually the best person to win an election and enact change. Abrams was all smoke and mirrors. An unimpressive, boilerplate Democrat who got credit for the 2020 election while not actually having much effect on it at all. Now, she’s going under the bus, and deservedly so.
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