Did Dems Throw the Game-- Again?

As we all know, this is a Census year, and next year is redistricting to divvy up the House districts for another ten years.

Most of the divvying is done in state legislatures with the connivance -- or rather cooperation -- of state governors, so it matters which party controls state legislatures and governors' offices, because they will determine, in all likelihood, which party will have the greatest number of seats in the House of Representatives for the next ten years. At least.

Consequently, in a Census year, you'd think the party in power would concentrate significant effort on holding state houses and governorships in order to perpetuate their dominance, but this year, strangely, the nominally in-power Democrats didn't do that. In fact, they lost state houses and governorships by the dozen, and according to the New York Times, Republicans picked up 690 state legislative seats nationwide, giving them the highest number in 80 years, they picked up 5 governorships, and Republicans now have across the board power in 20 states.

In California, the situation is somewhat different. Democrats will control the legislature and the governorship (first time for that since Gray Davis), but here redistricting will be done by an independent commission. Congressional districts have been long cast in amber in California, and even in this "wave" election, so far none of them have changed parties (though two might go from D to R -- they had been R previously) in this election.

But nationally, the Dems' losses at the state level are enormous, and it appears that the Party did nothing -- maybe less than nothing -- to prevent such a hemorrhage. Did they throw the game?

Sorry to say, it wouldn't surprise me.