Are Democrats laying the groundwork to explain 2014 losses?

In a development that might not bode well for their electoral prospects, Democrats appear to be pushing news stories selectively framing their 2014 losses — some seven months out from Election Day.

On Saturday, The New York Times ran an article strongly implying Republicans are attempting to disenfranchise African-American voters in "pivotal swing states." Two days later, the AP ran a story suggesting that gerrymandering explains the Republican advantage.

Two thoughts on this one:

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First, pace Touré gerrymanding couldn't explain why Republicans are poised to take the Senate. Second, there's reason to believe people are self-segregating along ideological lines. None of this matters, of course — not when there's an imminent loss to be pre-emptively explained. And that's just what's happening. According to a press release, later today, the the DNC "will hold a press conference call on the Sunday New York Times story detailing the Republican Party's attempts to limit voting rights in specific states."

Call it a coincidence — or call it a coordinated attempt to lay the groundwork for explaining why projected Republican victories would be illegitimate (or, at least, tainted). Either way, it doesn't bode well for Democrats in the near term. But hey — at least they will be able to explain how Republicans stole the election.