It was not a rewarding night. The Democrats did the bare minimum necessary
to stave off disastrous defeat, but not much more. All three rising stars – Gillum, O’Rourke,
Abrams – fell short, although the book is not yet closed on Abrams. The Republicans lost control of the House,
but actually expanded their razor thin margin in the Senate. The candidate I worked for in the NC 6th
CD lost, narrowing Mark Walker’s margin slightly. There is no doubt in my mind that Trump’s
frenetic campaigning helped the Republicans overall. I got five hours of sleep, which is three
less than I need.
The next move belongs to Mueller.
4 comments:
I remember in an interview a little while back, Steve Bannon said, "If we make the midterms a referendum on Trump, we'll win." Wasn't far off.
To be sure, there are all sorts of anti-democratic mechanisms working against the Dems here (I read on Vox that had Dems won the national popular vote by only 4-5 percentage points, they would have been the *minority* in the House, and that's the most democratic federal institution we've got!).
Still, I can't help but think that the left is underestimating the extent to which this country likes Trump and what he has to say; it's natural to do so because we, ourselves, can't stand the guy, and so it's hard to imagine someone outright liking him. But Trump country came out for the guy last night, and Trump country is big.
I don't think we've really reckoned with that. Moral opprobrium and disdain have been our MO, and that doesn't change hearts and minds.
It was certainly less good than I hoped for, but not too far off from what I expected. This is hopeful and, I think, completely sober analysis from a person who is, by nature, very analytical, somewhat pessimistic, and generally quite careful. It does give some hope:
https://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2018/11/tonight-was-one-of-the-great-political-blowouts-of-modern-history/
I am pleased to say that progressives in Michigan had a good night. We elected women as Governor, Secretary of State, Attorney General, a U.S. Senator, my Congressional District, my state Senate District, and a male African-American as Lieutenant Governor. All four progressive proposals passed, including a proposal allowing recreational marijuana and creating a commission to reduce gerrymandering. For the two open seats on the state Supreme Court, an incumbent female Republican who was appointed by the Governor, is in the lead, but she is progressive – she was booed at the Republican state convention because she voted in favor of allowing the gerrymandering proposal to make it on the ballot, and has angered gun lovers by her support for gun control; with respect to the second seat, the lead is held by a liberal female Democrat.
Nationwide, the election results demonstrated that there is a sharp ideological divide between the urban/suburban areas and the rural areas. The national map displays pockets of blue surrounded by a sea of red. That is not a divide which I believe will be narrowed in the foreseeable future. I agree with Anonymous, above. Progressives have to accept the fact that support for Trump is deep and formidable. This country is not going to become a socialist nation any time soon. There is a bedrock belief in rugged individualism and conservative values in the DNA of most Americans that is not amenable to education or proselytizing. I believe that is the truth and progressives have to acknowledge it. The consequences if we do not? Insistent support for ideologically progressive candidates against conventional moderate candidates could make things worse.
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