MSNBC Contributor: Dems Need To Stop ‘Wringing Hands’ And ‘Start Ringing Doorbells’

 MSNBC contributor Jonathan Atler  on Thursday urged Democrats to step up their ground game ahead of Tuesday’s midterm elections.

Atler predicted doom for Democrats in the midterms unless Democratic leaders change tactics in order to gain the advantage on Election Day. The “only hope for Democrats,” he argued, lies in connecting with voters one-on-one.

“There is this potential silver lining, if we can get Democrats to stop wringing their hands and start ringing doorbells and to pull those reluctant voters who are Democrats to the polls on Election Day, maybe they can cut the Republicans’ margins on Election Day,” he said on “Katy Tur Reports.”

“Remember, the Republicans don’t really believe in mail-in voting and early voting. They are going to win on Election Day itself. The only hope for the Democrats, in various contests, is that they can get enough Democrats who have not voted early to vote later.”

Forecasters expect a red wave in Tuesday’s elections, as Republicans maintain a firm lead in several polls. The party currently holds a near 3% lead in the generic ballot for Congress, according to a RealClearPolitics average. 

Another recent poll, conducted by Rasmussen, found that 48% of voters would vote Republican if the election were held that day. The poll was conducted on Oct. 9 through Oct. 13 with an error margin of 2%.

Economic issues have remained paramount for voters, who have indicated that they trust Republicans far more than Democrats to tackle the economy. A USA Today/Suffolk University poll found that 40% percent of Hispanic and 21% of black voters said they would vote for a Republican based on the current economic situation.