Please Remember This: We Do NOT Have to Win EVERY Seat in Congress.

[MineralMan]

We won't. Ever. What we need to do is go after the seats that are possible to win. We need to put maximum pressure on those districts where Republicans won with a reasonably small margin. We need to scare those legislators into pulling back from support for Trump. Then, we need to elect Democrats in those districts in 2018, using Trump as leverage.

There are red districts and gerrymandered districts we cannot win. But, we only need a net gain of about 26 in the House and 5 in the Senate. For pete's sake. We should be able to do that, with Trump as ammunition.

Forget the right-wing districts. They're not going to flip. Go after the districts where the Republican won by a slimmer margin and we'll be home free.

Pressure, folks. Keep the pressure on. Don't let up! Let's take the hard lesson we learned in 2016 and use what we learned to win in 2018. In the meantime, let's force Trump to resign in frustration by scaring those Republicans we can scare into backing away from The Donald on specific issues like ACA.

[PoliticAverse]

1. There are 23 Democratic Senate seats up for election in 2018 and only 9 Republican. n/t

[Demsrule86]

11. The House is the target...and the 23 Dem figure is not

as meaningful with Trump who could produce a wave election with his low approval ratings. And consider his base is not spread out much.

[Else You Are Mad]

2. I agree in part.

The Senate races are statewide and, therefore, cannot be influenced by gerrymandering. Thus, we should fight as hard as we can in red states to get as many senators elected. No one ever wins by giving up.

[MineralMan]

6. Yes. We can't win every Senate seat, but we shouldn't settle

for narrow losses. We should fight like crazy in every state where we have a chance to win. The same is true in House districts. If there's one nearby that has the potential to flip, go there and fight to win. If there's a district near you where a Democrat won only by a slim margin, help that candidate win with a larger margin.

In districts where it is impossible to win, move on to another district where it is possible to win and fight there.

[Wounded Bear]

3. True...

But we need to run in more districts than we expect to win. We definitely need to expand into "soft" red districts.

I think 30 seats might be a conservative estimate on how many seats we can flip in the House. The Senate, of course, is more problematic.

[yortsed snacilbuper]

4. You need to plant seeds in red states,

and water them constantly.

[MineralMan]

7. Yes, of course. In most red states, there are districts than can be won, too.

We must win all of those. We can't let up.

[yuiyoshida]

5. I have to tell you I am scared.

Trump using the military to deal with Immigrants in this country. It had me scrambling to find my birth Certificate, and then I wonder if that's enough... or am I going to need some fucking long form.

every NON WHITE person, every Hispanic and Asian Person will be questioned about whether or not we belong here.. FUCK THAT! I was born in this country and I will not be escorted to the FUCKING BORDER and kicked out.

[Rex]

8. Me too. I have friends from other countries that are scared to come here for a visit.

And I am not sure I want to tell them they are going to be a-okay if they come here. Just for a week visit!

Trump will NEVER be normal - business as usual - not until he is GONE from office. There will be nothing normal about the next 4 years!

[MineralMan]

9. I don't blame you for being scared.

Protect yourself. You're a native-born US citizen. They're not going to send you away. If you feel more comfortable by having your birth certificate, then by all means carry it. But, you are not the target, and Trump has NOT used the military for immigration enforcement. He cannot, by law.

[yuiyoshida]

12. He is using the military

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10141710946

[MineralMan]

14. No, he is not. He is treating it like a military operation,

but he cannot use the US military to do that work. That is against the law. He could talk to Governors and ask them to deploy their National Guard personnel, but they've already abandoned that idea. Governors don't like doing that, and expect the federal government to pay if they allow it.

Trump is using the words "military operation" loosely. The military cannot be used for that purpose in this country.

[yuiyoshida]

17. I don't know, I am sure there are some Generals

that are Right wing Republicans, who would probably go along with EL Presidente, and do his bidding.

[MineralMan]

18. There are laws that prohibit that.

If such a thing were to occur, the federal courts would put a stop to it immediately. And that's the actual fact.

Trump cannot use the US military for immigration enforcement. He has ICE and the Border Patrol to do those things. Generals have to obey the laws, too.

[Initech]

15. I am too.

I am from California and I know lots of people who weren't born in this country. Shit I have neighbors from Brazil who I consider to be good friends, and I'm worried that ICE may be coming for them. This is some seriously scary shit we're treading into.

[sarisataka]

10. No not every seat but

if we write off 25% of seats as unwinnable and don't even compete, then we must win 2/3 of the remaining races to get a simple majority.

[MineralMan]

13. First, we have to win all of the seats held by Democrats.

Then, we have to win enough more to gain a majority. We don't have to win 2/3 of the seats currently held by Republicans. Not even close.

I recommend looking at the districts in your own state. Look at the margins from the last election. In Democratic districts, a strong effort to keep it in Democratic hands is needed. Then, look for districts where a Republican won, but by a smaller margin. Work those districts. We need a gain of less than 30 seats in the house. If we won just one new district in every state, we'd have that victory.

Every House seat, though, is a local election. We each need to work within our own and neighboring districts to win seats. By work, I mean actual work. None of us has enough money to make a difference through donations. What we have is time and energy. In your own district, local GOTV in your own and neighboring precincts is a great opportunity to help as a volunteer. In neighboring districts, as well, you can do phone banking and other GOTV work.

But everything you do is most effective if you work locally. Being concerned with house seats in other states is fine, but there's little you can do outside of your own state. In fact, you will be most effective working close to home, where you understand the issues, the voters and the situation best.

We have to hold our current seats and gain two or three dozen seats. That's all. We can do that, if we focus on the goal. If we scatter our focus, we won't be effective.

[Initech]

16. I want to unseat Mitch McConnell.

If we can't get rid of that fucking asshole from the senate, the most we can do is make him a minority leader. And make sure he's a minority leader.

[yeoman6987]

19. Mcconnell is up in 2020. We can make him minority leader in the senate in 2018 though

[Initech]

20. We need to get to work flipping his seat.

We need to make sure that asshole pays for what he did. Firing him in 2020 would be the ultimate message to the GOP.