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With the latest polls showing a Republican takeover of the House and the Senate in the upcoming Midterm elections, it's quite funny to have just read Dylan Loewe's new book Permanently Blue. The book describes how the Democrats will have the ability to hold both the Presidency and Congress for the next 24 years, based on a variety of factors. 

If only Loewe had had a time machine, he could've seen how quickly his book would be proven wrong, and avoided writing the thing altogether.


Permanently Blue was difficult to read and believe, primarily for the self-indulgence that runs as a thread throughout it. What makes it self-indulgent? The entire premise, being that one election, even one as glamorous and hyped as Obama's, can turn the tide of the entire political landscape, is at its essence naive. Each time an election rolls around, the winners write their story of it (Republicans included), and how this election has "changed everything."

The evidence that Loewe provides behind his assertion that Democrats can hold every aspect of the government within their grasp for the next few generations is less than convincing, however.

One of Loewe's main arguments behind the book's thesis is that the Democrats have better strategies for attracting younger and minority voters than their counterparts. Okay, I'll give him this one; Obama's viral marketing and social media campaigns certainly bested McCain in 2008. But, the Democrat's reliance on the left-leaning younger crowd isn't going to help them in the short-term.

It's not a secret: younger voters don't turn out for Midterm elections. And, they're the least likely of any demographic to vote at all. If the Dems aren't lucky enough to have a candidate with as much youth appeal as Obama in whatever election is happening, their younger voter constituency isn't likely to turn out in full force.

Another thing that Loewe counts on for the Democrats to keep such a death grip on the government is the idea that values and ideological issues are becoming less important in elections. Even the polls he cites in his favor aren't that compelling. Sure, he says, maybe the number of pro-life constituents has remained constant over the past 25 years, but the number who list it as their number one concern has dropped! "With abortion off the table," Loewe concludes, "the Republicans lose yet another wedge issue."

Such an analysis of the polls clearly shows that Loewe only sees what he wants to see; just because another issue has come on someone's political radar, that doesn't mean abortion isn't still important to them and that they won't factor that issue into their vote. He's got his blue magic marker out, and he's painting all of America with some extremely broad strokes.

So, is Permanently Blue worth picking up at all? If you read it with a critical eye. Loewe does cover some things the Dems do well, like appealing to younger voters, and Republicans can learn from their success. On the many other topics he briefly discusses where Democrats don't realize their own vulnerability (like forming weak supermajorities to win elections), Republicans can recognize the opportunity and step in to capitalize on this weakness.

Joy Paley is a guest blogger for My Dog Ate My Blog and writes on accredited online colleges for Guide to Online Schools.