Redistricting and low morale could be trouble for Democrats

A growing sense of gloom is developing among Democrats in Congress with less than a year before the 2022 midterm elections. With every Democrat that announces they’re not seeking reelection, the mood worsens.

Morale in Congress is already low among Democrats. As they look ahead to 2022 and what could be a trying election cycle, the belief is that the retirement wave has yet to crash.

23 members of the House Democratic Caucus have already announced they will not seek reelection in 2022. While high profile retirements by the party in power are not uncommon before a difficult midterm election cycle, the sentiment now is that more departures are coming. A combination of political winds tilting to the Republicans that has carved up what were once easy races for Democrats and low morale among House members could spell disaster before the 2022 elections.

“We have a problem here,” Representative Cherri Bustos said. “There are way too many people serving as members of Congress that I not only don’t look up to, but also have no respect for. I hate to even have to say that.”

First elected in 2012, and representing Western Illinois, Bustos announced earlier this year that she was retiring. “I’m looking for a new chapter in my life,” she told CNN. It’s clear though the current standing of Congress loomed over the decision. “While there are some Democrats who aren’t team players, the bulk of them are Republicans who refuse to raise the deficit in order to help put people back to work. At the same time, they ballooned the deficit when they passed former President Trump’s tax cuts.”

“When you only have a three-or-four-vote majority and you see people in tough districts announcing they will not seek another term, everybody worries about what’s ahead,” Bustos stated.

Republicans have also seen some powerful members announce they will not seek reelection. Kevin Brady, the top Republican on the House Ways and Means Committee, announced he will retire and become CEO of the Trump Media and Technology Group.

Retirements are a problem for Democrats, as the party in power, simply cannot afford. With a very slim majority in the House and polls showing a potential Republican swing, any slight change can prove disastrous.

What’s even more worrisome is retirements are stacking up. Representative Peter DeFazio of Oregon, and chair of the House Infrastructure and Transportation Committee, announced he will not seek reelection. Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas, and chair of the House Space, Science, and Technology Committee, announced she will not run for reelection as well. Kentucky Representative John Yarmouth, who chairs the House Budget Committee, also will not seek reelection.

It’s not just committee chairs that worry Democrats. It’s also districts that will be difficult to keep in 2022. Wisconsin Representative Ron Kind, who represents a district that voted for Donald Trump in 2016 and 2020, announced he will not seek reelection. Republicans are confident they can flip the seat in 2022. Arizona Representative Ann Kirkpatrick, who represents the state’s Second District, announced she will retire as well. Before her 2018 victory, the district was held by a Republican. New York Representative Tom Suozzi announced his intent to run for governor and will vacate his Long Island District. The seat could become competitive if Democrats face a difficult cycle.

All of the retirements have been hailed by Republicans. “Every retirement demoralizes Democrats further and forces them to spend more on defending competitive seats,” Michael McAdams, who is a spokesperson for the National Republican Congressional Committee, said. “No one wants to run as a Democrat this cycle.”

So far though, Democratic leaders – at least publicly – are rejecting the idea Democrats have a retirement problem.

“It’s pretty standard stuff. Anybody who serves in this Congress knows these are personal decisions. I’m not that worried about it. I think Republicans are going to have at least one good idea for America. They can’t do it with tricks and stacking the deck,” Senator Patrick Maloney, who chairs the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, told CNN’s Manu Raju.

There is a sense inside the caucus that things are not what Maloney and others want the public to believe.

Representative Filemòn Vela, a Texas Democrat who announced earlier this year he will not seek reelection, believes Democrats will do fine if they can get control of inflation and COVID by the summer. “I won’t say we keep the majority because it is such a tough cycle. If by November, we are still in the middle of the COVID crisis and inflation is sky high, we have a problem.”

Vela also added that if those issues continue to pester Democrats, you have the same problem you did in 2010 when Democrats lost 63 seats and control of the House. “It’s a valid concern. If we had been in the middle of midterms earlier this year, I think seats like mine would have been lost. I don’t think that will happen next year.”

Major League Soccer to diversify hiring process

 Major League Soccer announced that effective immediately, teams will be required to advance at least two non-White candidates to the final round of interviews. The league previously required teams looking for new coaches or staff members to interview at least one “diverse candidate,” similar to the National Football League’s “Rooney Rule.” The policy has been updated to require teams to keep at least two non-White candidates in every round of the interview process. Teams that fail to follow the guidelines will be fined. The league will also update the hiring requirements every year.

New England Revolution goalkeeper Earl Edwards was one of the players who helped develop the new policy. He commended the decision as a step towards a real culture shift of working together openly and transparently. Colorado Rapids Coach Robin Fraser, who also helped develop the policy, said that it would give more exposure to Black candidates and create more opportunities within the black community.

Here are the notable updates to the MLS policy:

• Teams will be required to advance at least two non-White candidates to the final round of job interviews, and one of the candidates must be Black or African American.

• Teams must provide proof that they have created an equal interview process for all candidates.

• The league will expand its definition of underrepresented groups to include "Black or African American, Hispanic/Latino(a), American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian, Hawaiian/Pacific Islanders, Canadian Indigenous, Canadian First Nations, Women, and members of the LGBTQ+ community."

• Teams must publicize vacant positions to a league-wide diversity portal.

MLS Commissioner Don Garber stated that when the league was founded in December 1993 as part of the United States’ bid to host the 1994 World Cup, a clear and purposeful focus on diverse hiring practices is necessary for any organization to succeed. He believes the changes made today and to the work began before the inaugural season in 1996 will continue to diversify the league at every level. The new policy will ensure more Black candidates will be interviewed for technical positions and will result in tangible changes to the racial makeup of technical staffs across the league.

The updated policy is one of several initiatives designed to combat a growing problem of racism throughout professional soccer. The league also has a diversity committee made up of staff, head coaches, club executives, current, and former players to help ensure MLS is open to all players.

Dash miss playoffs; look ahead to 2022 season

The Houston Dash fell to the Washington Spirit on Halloween and missed the playoffs. Needing a win or draw, the Dash lost 1-0 to the eventual NWSL champions.

When asked about the season, head coach James Clarkson told The Striker Texas he does not know where to start.

“It’s for sure been a rough time. You’ve had the pandemic and the Olympics. That’s made it difficult for everybody to stay completely focused on soccer.”

When asked why players tend to stay in Houston, Clarkson said that it begins with treating the players as humans. “They're just regular people that happen to be good at soccer. I don't look at them as just soccer players. I think it's important that there’s a balance there. Everybody has an opinion. Everybody wants to express their opinion. And I think it's important that we create an environment where people feel comfortable doing that and knowing that they have the support of the staff and the organization.”

Since becoming the head coach prior to the 2019 season, Clarkson has made it clear that the organization will not tolerate harassment or bad behavior. “This is a place where you can express yourself. Regardless of race, religion or whatever it is. This is an environment that we're trying to create where everybody's in. It's an inclusive environment and in their day to day, we want to make sure that it's a place that they really want to come to work.”

What started out as a promising season turned out to be the opposite. The Dash have yet to win the NWSL Cup since joining the league in 2014.

“It's obviously disappointing. There's a lot of reflection going on.”

I said this to the players, as we got into that final quarter of the season. If we don't achieve what we'd set out to do this year, we'll have missed a really big opportunity. And we missed a really big opportunity. It's the last time that that team is going to be together. It's been a good run, but we will look back on this, not just now or next season, but over time, and it will be really tough to deal with because we've really missed a massive, massive opportunity,” Clarkson said.

“I look at the performances all over the season. We've been inconsistent. There's been some outstanding performances. And then there haven't necessarily been too many horrific ones. Reign away was obviously the worst. There’s been too many individual errors this year that have cost us goals, that have cost us points,” Clarkson said about missing the playoffs.

Clarkson's next step is figuring out who he will protect between Jane Campbell and Kristie Mewis, who are both on the U.S. Women's National Team. Only one can be protected. 

When asked about the changes he would like to see, Clarkson said that he wants to see higher standards in facilities. “We also need more fans. I'd love for us to have 10,000, 12,000 in the building. The atmosphere some days when there's been 4,000 has been great. The support of the fans this year has been terrific. That would be one of the highlights of the year, is the support of the fans at home. But how do we double that? That's where we need to get to. I was down in Mexico City the other week. I went to watch Club America against Tigres and there were 10,000 people. It feels important when it's full. That's a proper atmosphere. It's a proper game of football. That's what we need throughout the league. Hopefully, we can get there,” Clarkson said. 

Another thing that Clarkson said needs to change is how the media covers the NWSL. “I think there needs to be better media coverage, there needs to be better TV coverage. There needs to be much more coverage of the teams. Not just locally, but nationally, there needs to be much more attention put on it. We only get reported on when there's bad things, and then everybody jumps on the bandwagon. They're missing the fact the product on the field is outstanding.”

Will any of Clarkson's wishes come true? Can the Dash finally hoist the NWSL Cup? We won't know until the 2022 season gets underway.