The Democrats appeard dead in 2004, after a weak crop of candidates let George Bush, a verifiable disaster, win re-election.
There were editorials written about Democrats being a permanent minority party, about needing to take a harsher stance against Republicans and the need to develop a strong identity as a minority party.
2 years later they took congress. 2 years later they elected the first black President, who won with the biggest margin in 20 years.
Parties fortunes can change quickly based on their Presidential candidates, and how the party in power behaves. Parties in power always up, leaving room for opposition. And Presidential elections have always been very much personal competitions. A good Presidential candidate cna win even if the national mood is against his party.
Name one time when a Presidential candidate won when the mood was against his party?
1996, 1988, 1984, 1980, 1972 (assuming inability to win Congress is a sign of the mood being against the President's party).
