The Democratic Party is in a "dismal plight" after Donald Trump's victory last month, MSNBC co-host Joe Scarborough said Thursday.
"Progressive road rage is getting in the way of Democratic leaders pulling themselves out of the ditch," the "Morning Joe" co-host wrote in an op-ed in The Washington Post.
"Despite historical political setbacks, there is little self-reflection from a party that seemed to be on the verge of becoming a permanent majority just eight years ago.
"With the 2018 Senate map stacked dramatically in the Republicans' favor, and with Democrats unwilling to take a realistic look at their dismal plight, [former President Franklin] Roosevelt's party could soon find itself in an overwhelming disadvantage," Scarborough continued. "So the political landscape looks grim for the party of [President Barack] Obama and Roosevelt."
Scarborough, 53, a Republican who represented Florida in the U.S. House from 1995 to 2001, said Democrats have blamed a variety of factors on Hillary Clinton's loss — including FBI Director James Comey to Russian President Vladimir Putin — but the real reason was a failure to win "middle America."
"Since Obama's win in 2008, Democrats have taken a pounding in the polls, losing 68 seats in the House, 12 seats in the Senate and 10 governorships," he said. "And those are not even the most disturbing data points."
Scarborough noted former Democratic Campaign Committee Chairman Steve Israel told him on his Thursday show "local Democratic officeholders lost more than 1,000 elected positions between 2008 and 2012.
"And since 2010, more than 900 state legislators have surrendered their seats to the party of Ted Cruz, Mitch McConnell and Donald Trump," he said.
The Electoral College cast 306 votes for Trump on Monday — and Republicans continued their holds on the House and Senate.
In addition, Scarborough sized up the aging Democrats in the leadership pipeline.
He noted House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., was 76 and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., was 75.
Vice President Joe Biden is 74 — and he would be 78 should he decide on a White House run in 2020.
"He would likely have to run against [Sen.] Elizabeth Warren, [D-Mass.,] who would be 71 in 2020," Scarborough said. "Looking to the states for younger leadership will prove frustrating when Democrats control only 18 of 50 governors' mansions.
"So, the political landscape looks grim for the party of Obama and Roosevelt," Scarborough concluded. "Its path back to the majority can't be drawn up by a former Republican congressman.
"But I do know this: The Democratic Party's demise will continue until it stops blaming others for its collapse, and instead looks inward at a party that not so long ago defined hope and change."
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