A (partial) win for Dems. But no Blue Wave.
AP Photo/Evan Vucci
So much for the blue wave. Yes, control of the House of Representatives passed from the Republicans to the Democrats on Tuesday. But not by nearly as much as was being trumpeted by the Left and to no one’s real surprise.
Only twice in nearly a century has a president not seen his party lose seats in his first midterm election: FDR in 1934 during the depths of the Great Depression; and George W. Bush in 2002 in the wake of 9/11. All other presidents have lost seats in their first midterms. Such is the way of American politics. (And therein lies the answer to my post of October 18.)
Given that history, President Trump can be justifiably proud of this midterm and Democrats should be greatly concerned. Bucking historical trends, Republicans actually expanded their majority in the Senate. That would never happen in any election that would bill itself as a repudiation of a sitting Republican president. And though a win is a win and control is control, Democrats nevertheless managed to eke out only a very slim majority in the House.
All of this adds up to an outcome very different from what the Democrats and their elite media enablers were predicting. Almost from the very minute that Donald Trump was declared the winner of the 2016 presidential election, pols and pundits on the left began braying about a “blue wave” in 2018 — a blue wave that would serve as a major step toward setting things right following the aberration of Donald Trump’s election.
Liberal media spin and post-election Democratic talking points notwithstanding, that “blue wave” didn’t happen. By any objective analysis, as compared to historical norms, Democrats significantly underperformed Tuesday. Democratic fantasies prior to election day abounded. They included things such as Beto O’Roark unseating Senator Ted Cruz in Texas, Andrew Gillum taking the governorship of Florida and Stacey Abrams moving into the governor’s mansion of Georgia. None of those fantasies came to pass. Not one bright new liberal face triumphed on Tuesday.
Nor can it be said in any credible way that voters roundly rejected Donald Trump, as was widely hoped for and expected by Democrats and the media. Voters had the chance to repudiate Donald Trump and they did not. Instead, they supported the candidates for whom Donald Trump vigorously campaigned. By every objective measure, the president was a net plus on behalf of Republicans. So much for Donald Trump being a liability for the GOP upon which Democrats may capitalize. The evidence strongly suggests that Donald Trump is the most effective Republican in a generation.
On top of it all is the fact that this midterm served to rid the GOP of a whole raft of squishy establishment types who have proved unsuited to fighting on the Democrats’ terms. The Paul Ryans and the Bob Corkers and others of their ilk are gone. Good riddance. They won’t be missed in 2020.
All in all, Ed Rogers writing in the Washington Post summed it up best Wednesday morning. Democrats won the House. But Trump won the election.
Hold that thought.
As mail ballots are counted, both the Florida Governor and Senate races have triggered recounts.
Arizona Senate race: Dem’ leads after all.
Montana Senate: first called red, ended blue.
Mr. Newt’s old House seat just flipped. Winner is an ex-flight attendant whose son was killed by a gun nut.
When was the last Texas Dem’ to come closer to the Senate than Beto? LLoyd Bentsen?
Those are merely trees.
The forest?
Try not to yawn when I say “demographics.”
Want-what-you-want, but THAT wave is mathematically undeniable.
Dems are growing where and with whom the population is growing.
Meantime, other math: world financial markets heave a sigh of relief, as unpredictable Trump is being perceived as checked by the new House.
Things have a way of working out.
Spot on Paul; even so, it is disappointing to know that voters in so many districts could actually elect someone who represents a party that is so shamefully devoid of ideas that could help our country. The leaders of the Democrat party are no longer trying to participate in the political process to improve the lives of the American people, but have devolved into an elected mob of resistance against President Trump. Evidently, these politicians are elected by constituents who feel the same way, but sadly, many are blindly voting according to family tradition. We also must consider the reality that voters in safe districts, such as that of Maxine Waters, obediently swallow the con game. Even now, the mob is trying to overturn the results of critical races, and steal more seats; but the Republicans must stay strong and not let this happen! When you allow these tactics to succeed, it only encourages more of this lawless behavior. I hope and pray that our new A.G. will aggressively pursue and prosecute the lawbreakers, including some of the most prominent of the Democrat party who tried to steal the 2016 presidential election.
PPS: RE “The evidence strongly suggests that Donald Trump is the most effective Republican in a generation.”
Dubious as ex-Democrat New York limousine Liberal Trump’s claim to being-a-Republican may be, HE DOES outshine lots of GOP-ers, if only in his uncanny ability to attract attention.
As for “evidence,” meaning that-which-is-measurable, he sure is the best fundraiser the Dems have had in recent memory.