Jon Ossoff ran as a Democrat in Georgia's Sixth, Newt Gingrich's old district. A Democrat has not won its Congressional seat since 1977. However, Trump had won the district by only one point. Trump being Trump, it looked as though Democrats had their best shot at the seat in forty years--with the right candidate and campaign, of course.

Ordinarily, I would not follow a special election to fill a seat in Georgia Sixth. However, Democratic politicians and MSNBC talking heads were claiming that the election was a litmus test: If Ossoff won, Democrats would win big in 2018. (Huh?) Turned out, a non-partisan primary that had escaped my attention had been held in April, 2017 and the talking heads were referring to a runoff election to be held in June.

For the primary, Ossoff had quickly raised $8.5 million; received endorsements from prominent Democrats; and easily beat out the other Democratic candidates--three red flags (no pun intended), each redolent of DNC/DCCC insider. Ossoff emerged from the primary with a startlingly high 48%, with his closest competitor, Republican Karen Handel, at a startlingly low 19%. Lacking 50%, Ossoff faced a runoff against Handel. Ossoff's amazing showing in the non-partisan primary probably explained the MSNBC claims. 48% (D) to 19% (R) in a red district. What could possibly go wrong? Off I went to Ossoff's campaign website.

Abounding on the site were references and names that would captivate a neoliberal Northeasterner. And Ossoff's CV screamed elite, Washington insider and "liberal" media. Strike One (at the very least). In fairness, a number of things on the website may well have appealed to voters in a red district, like his company's anti-terrorism work. However, that's only if you had managed to get to his website, electjon.com. If you had typed jonossoff.com into your search bar-a good guess--you were likelier to get a virulently anti-ossoff website. Strike Two, at the very least.

But, here's "the big one, Elizabeth:" As best I could tell, Ossoff had not lived in the Sixth District since high school graduation or earlier. A reporter who walked from the Sixth District to Ossoff's current residence clocked the trip at two hours. Strike Three, at the very least. When asked about living so far (relatively) outside the district, Ossoff dismissed it as a non-issue. After all, he was only living so far outside the district he sought to represent so that his fiancée, a med student, could walk to school.

Can you say self-absorbed and tone deaf? His constituents want him to "better understand a district" and maybe even like it and them enough to want to live there. Why should they be okay with foregoing all that so his that fiancée need not drive to med school or call uber? Strike Four, at the very least. (Yes, I know you're out after three strikes. Did Ossoff, though?) The ads of Handel, who had been Georgia's Secretary of State, stressed that Ossoff was not "from here" and "does not share our values." Guess who won?

Was there no other Democrat available to run? Maybe one who had served in the state legislature? Anyone who might have had any kind of fan base and cred--and a residence--within the Sixth District? Or did the Party back Ossoff solely because he was a neoliberal Washington insider?

Combining the election and the runoff, this was the the most expensive election for the House in US history, over fifty million bucks. Well, it was It was in only 1 seat out of 435, and a red district to boot. So the loss was no biggie for Democrats, right? Nooooo. Thanks to all hype between the primary and the runoff, Democrat Ossoff's loss in a single red district came off as a major disaster for Democrats and a sure sign of many more losses in 2018. Self-inflicted wound.

But ignore all the above. Turns out, Ossoff's loss was all Pelosi's fault! Much as I'd love to see Mrs. Paul Pelosi retire on her California vineyard ASAP, blaming Ossoff's loss on Nance so persistently is, IMO, spurious and specious phony.

House Democrats have been chafing every two years after 2008. Some of them first made the media rounds in 2014, mildly suggesting a change of direction. Well before June 2017,a movement to replace Pelosi as leader had formed. I would not be at all surprised if some of her own flock was responsible for the stories that Ossoff lost because of her--and I would not be surprised if Pelosi suspects the same.