Midterm elections: Four important lessons we learned . . .

[Mr.Mystery]

Last edited Fri Nov 11, 2022, 12:56 PM - Edit history (2)

I. "Democrats steal elections" is not a winning strategy for Trumpublicans.

Except for blood-red counties in blood-red states where Dick Cheney is considered "too moderate," all the election-deniers went down to ignominious defeat.

Consider just three supposedly "competitive" Governor's races: “Douchebag” Doug Mastriano for Gov. in PA, "Krazy" Kari Lake in AZ, and Tudor "Rhymes with Nixon" Dixon in MI. Only Lake managed to keep it close, but she's on her way down.

Meanwhile, one of the notorious howler monkey pair--Rep. Lauren Boebert in CO--is predicted to be sedated with a tranquilizer dart and returned to the wild very soon.

II. A Trump endorsement is more of a kiss of death than a motivator for voter turn out.

What the Republican leadership, the same people who willingly planted wet kisses on Trump's majestic ass, forgot in their calculations is that the American voter is easily bored by the same old schtick. Trump's allure was always "he's so OUTRAGEOUS! Just look at the OUTRAGEOUS way he owned the Libs today!"

But even outrageous becomes old hat. One can watch only so many skateboard videos where a kid tries to slide down a stair rail at a public park, loses his board, and straddles the iron railing crushing his scrotal sac while his friends howl with laughter . . . until it becomes passe.

Remember John Anderson and Jill Stein and Ross Perot who ran influential third-party Presidential campaigns and sucked down all kinds of media attention for many a long month before the election? Yeah, nobody else does either, which is exactly my point.

The surprise is not that Trump will run again for President: selling his name and notoriety is his sole business model. His "brand" is his only marketable asset.

The surprise is that Republican leadership doesn't understand that this ship has sailed . . . and sunk. Trump is soooo 2015, and the American people are soooo over all that.

Trump is the dial-up Netscape of American politics, and the Cons don't even know it yet.

III. Republicans campaign on no real issues.


Inflation? Really, they're going with inflation? Joe Biden is apparently responsible for inflation in Germany according to Republicans.

How about gas prices? Gas prices are no higher vs wages than they were ten years ago, and guess what, a lot of folks weren't driving when they quarantined at home during peak Covid pandemic months.

Crime? The murder rate--but no other types of crime--has ticked up in a few places, but that's only because it was so low compared to its peak in early '90's. Oh, and did I mention the pandemic?

They got nuthin'. And even if these problems were as serious as the Republicans tried to portray them, what would they, of all people, do about it? Give everybody a free gun? More subsidies for Exxon-Mobile?

IV. Repealing Roe v Wade is a losing issue for Team Red.

While the Pro Choice backlash may not have been as decisive nation-wide as we might have wished or predicted, it definitely had a significant impact in this midterm cycle. The Kaiser Foundation found in their study that more than 35 percent of respondents said it makes them more likely to vote. It's hard to quantify what this meant for Democratic candidates on November 8, but despite Biden's low poll numbers, we Dems didn't lose anywhere close to the four Senate seats and 28 House seats, the average loss for the power in power during the midterms.

At the very least, the "enthusiasm gap" between the opposition party and party in power was seriously blunted in this election cycle.

Dear Conservative Supreme Court Justices, it sucks to be you right now, doesn't it.

[wiggs]

1. Hate, fear, lies and polarization are wearing thin. Worked well for 30 years and still works to

some degree because those who are manipulated by it have always voted in numbers...it's just that those who know better are now voting too.

[Coventina]

2. Please don't return Boebert to the wild. The wild doesn't deserve that punishment.

I loved the bruised scrotum analogy, though!

[Bev54]

3. Number one lesson for dems is they need a strong ground game in every state

and should be working on it full time not just at election time.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

4. V. Inflation is not always what it appears to be.

Headline seen this morning: Prices falling faster than expected.

[BumRushDaShow]

5. ""Goofy" Greg Mastriano for Gov. in PA,"

"Doug". "Doug Mastriano". As in Douchbag insurrectionist Doug Mastriano.

And as I was typing this, I literally just got a robocall that dialed my landline from the "NRSC" meaning I expect they are fundraising after their losses. I have their entire &quot 202) 9xx-xxxx" exchange blocked with my Digitone call blocker.

[Mr.Mystery]

6. You are correct, sir or madam.

I noticed I got his name wrong when I was watching TV last night, but didn’t get back here to change it until this AM.

[gratuitous]

7. Another thing to keep in mind

Democratic policies and platforms are popular: Raising the minimum wage; shoring up Social Security and Medicare; a real live infrastructure bill (even if it was severely trimmed down to suit Sen. Manchin); recognizing women as full citizens capable of making their own health care decisions without interference by ignorant knuckleheads in some state legislature somewhere; and so on.