Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search
4 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Democrats need not despair: 6 reasons to be hopeful about the 2022 midterms (Original Post) 634-5789 Jan 2022 OP
This is what I've been thinking mcar Jan 2022 #1
Exactly Me. Jan 2022 #2
No. 4 has me scratching my head. Act_of_Reparation Jan 2022 #3
Several More:...Donald Trump, Donald Trump, Donald Trump and 'F**KING ...DONALD TRUMP !! Stuart G Jan 2022 #4

mcar

(42,210 posts)
1. This is what I've been thinking
Mon Jan 3, 2022, 08:42 PM
Jan 2022

The doom and gloom, and pundit glee, seems at least premature.

A few clips:

1. GOP's gerrymandering-pocalypse is a dud

The press pays more attention to voter suppression techniques that make for good imagery, like denying food and water to people to people waiting in line, but actual election experts have been far more worried about the impact of aggressive gerrymandering this election cycle. Packing-and-cracking techniques have recently allowed Republicans to gain seats nationwide, despite their declining popularity. After the 2020 census, the fear was Republicans would be able to redistrict themselves into power that was untouchable by Democratic majorities. And yet, as Paul Waldman of the Washington Post reported last week, "informed redistricting experts now say it appears that this process will look more like a wash, or even that Democrats might gain a few seats."

3. The Senate map looks good for Democrats

If you're sick of Sens. Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema, I've got good news: If Democrats gain Senate seats in 2022, these two's ability to stop all legislation of importance may disappear. Better yet, that may very well happen.

4. Republicans are putting up a vomit-inducing set of candidates this cycle

As Igor Derysh reports, Greitens is actually looking like the Republican norm for candidate choice in today's Trump-controlled GOP. In those crucial gubernatorial elections I mentioned, this could matter a lot. Abrams, for instance, is likely to run against the charisma-free David Perdue, who is an out-and-proud insurrectionist. In Arizona, there's a strong chance the party goes with Kari Lake, a Trump pick who is associated with Mike Lindell and other nutty folks linked to the "vote audit" that Republican diehards love, but everyone else finds embarrassing. Most voters oppose the insurrection, so insurrectionist candidates are going to have a harder time at the polls.

6. The Supreme Court may awake a sleeping giant

People are going to be very angry if the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, as it is widely expected to do. Abortion rights are popular, and so the common wisdom has been that the Supreme Court will find some way to keep restricting access without actually creating the "Roe is overturned" headlines that could lead to an electoral backlash against Republicans. But the arguments before the court earlier this month in a Mississippi abortion case showed that 5 out of the 9 nine justices seem way too invested in ending reproductive rights to worry overmuch about the political impacts. Sure Chief Justice John Roberts still wants to preserve the court's unearned reputation for prudence and moderation, but he's simply outvoted by the slobbering misogynists on the bench.

Me.

(35,454 posts)
2. Exactly
Mon Jan 3, 2022, 09:31 PM
Jan 2022

and yet every day on DU recently the chicken littles are posting bad news and agreeing with pundits who delight in telling the 'narrative'.

Act_of_Reparation

(9,116 posts)
3. No. 4 has me scratching my head.
Mon Jan 3, 2022, 09:31 PM
Jan 2022
4. Republicans are putting up a vomit-inducing set of candidates this cycle


This has been true of every Republican candidate in recent memory... and by "recent", I mean most of my life. If one thing in this universe is true it is that each and every Republican candidate will be worse than the one who preceded them. Each successive election cycle produces a cavalcade of degenerate assholes depraved enough to make the previous cycle's crop look like the fucking Mickey Mouse Club.

And yet every cycle, it barely seems to matter. But okay, don't worry about it I guess.

Stuart G

(38,363 posts)
4. Several More:...Donald Trump, Donald Trump, Donald Trump and 'F**KING ...DONALD TRUMP !!
Mon Jan 3, 2022, 09:37 PM
Jan 2022

.....Wasn't he the head of the PUKE PARTY?.......also known as the former republican party..
.....LIAR, CHEAT, CRIMINAL..............................AND KILLER??....(those 4 say it all)...

Latest Discussions»General Discussion»Democrats need not despai...