Midterm Reckoning, Political Realignment Against Trumpism
“I’m very worried about Don Jr.,” said another former West Wing official who testified before the Senate Intelligence Committee. The possible exposure would be that Mueller would demonstrate that Don Jr. perjured himself to investigators when he said he didn’t tell his father beforehand about the June 2016 Trump Tower meeting to gather “dirt” on Hillary Clinton. – Gabriel Sherman [Vanity Fair]
WATCH VIRGINIA’s 7th congressional district, which will come in early. If Spanberger beats Brat, Democrats may be headed toward a political realignment. Something that happens once in a generation.
It will also mean the Senate is in play for Democrats to tie Republicans in numbers, even if Captain Extreme (aka Mike Pence) remains the tiebreaker. Update: Several red state Dems fell to Trump giving Republicans the Senate this time around. It will be different in 2020 when the map is less friendly to them.
Democrats only need 23 seats in the House to capture the majority in this chamber and begin to hold the accidental occupant of the White House responsible and accountable.
Elijah Cummings takes over oversight…
Adam Schiff takes over for Nunes on intelligence… Schiff has also said he’ll use congressional muscle to demand Trump’s tax returns. It’s one thing that could keep The Donald from running for reelection in 2020.
…and Jerry Nadler becomes boss of the House judiciary.
Beto O’Rourke has changed Texas politics forever. If he wins, he’ll be the first name on everyone’s lips for 2020.
Claire McCaskill is not a progressive favorite, but if she pulls a win out of Missouri again… McCaskill should be considered for a slot in the 2020 POTUS lottery.
Stacey Abrams has shown Georgia and the south what it means to be an African American in the Trump era.
Andrew Gillum reminds Democrats that our bench is wide and strong.
President Obama didn’t sit this midterm out. He even claimed credit for getting the economy going again, something a lot of us wished he’d done in 2010. Obama was fired up and ready to go across Democratic states.
Michael Bloomberg re-registered as a Democrat and unloaded millions in the midterms to help progressive candidates win.
Women will be the story of tonight if Democrats prevail.
One leg of our long national nightmare is almost over.
And then comes Mueller.
Buckle up, kids.
If it’s a bloodbath — which it could be — Trump will be on the warpath and no one is safe.
#Iowa, show the world you reject racism and bigotry. Vote for the candidate that is NOT a white supremacist, Nazi sympathizer.
Vote J.D. Scholten, @Scholten4iowa: pic.twitter.com/01BWzcSKgp
— Mark Ruffalo (@MarkRuffalo) November 6, 2018
UPDATE: Democratic victory in suburb after suburb across the nation. The definition of a realignment. Democrats control the House which will make the accidental occupant in the White House nuts. The mood of the country remains in the throes of Trumpism. It will be interesting to see what candidates emerge for 2020.
History will call 2018 a realignment election as it sure does appear geography was destiny. Worth noting, true wave elections only happen when one party is demoralized from turning out. That did NOT happen this year. Both parties did their GOTV homework.
— Chuck Todd (@chucktodd) November 7, 2018
The results confirm what I have been advocating. Those Dems that preach “puppies and daisies” are losing and the fighters are winning. There is only one path to success in 2020, and it’s not turning the other cheek. When they go low, we hit harder. #FireWithFire #BuckleUp
— Michael Avenatti (@MichaelAvenatti) November 7, 2018
It's all about the chairmanships. If it took the sacrificing of moderate suburban GOPers who couldn't get far enough away from Trump, so be it, but John's right: HPSCI alone is going to give the WH the sweats. https://t.co/DlRDSCH6cz
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) November 7, 2018
. @HouseGOP pic.twitter.com/FrnhxOl023
— Kathy Griffin (@kathygriffin) November 7, 2018
Taylor, it was amazing!!! My hubby and I went to vote around 10:30. I wish NYS had early voting. It was a torrential storm outside, no parking to be had (you had to wait until someone left to find a spot) and I wish you could have seen the people at our polling place – but it was the young faces I saw. A few of them live in the same apartment complex I live in. I was amazed. I’ve been voting since 1957, the voting age was still 21 then, and I’ve never seen this many people out for… Read more »
AMEN, sister.
#BringItHome
It was definitely an amazing night. The senate did not turn out the way I would have liked but the landscape really was not that good and certainly all the talk the GOP put out there last year about winning every red seat has not come true. The landscape is supposedly bad for the GOP in 2020 and 2022. Some real surprises out there like SC 01. We can continue to ream the GOP out about supporting a Nazi in Iowa. Here in GA while Abrams did not win we probably have flipped the 6th district this time with the… Read more »
Hey Caroline. The Abrams race needs an asterisk due to voter suppression, imo. Senate races were in deep red territory. We’ll return the nightmare in 2020, which may lead Mitch McConnel not to run for re-election, because he won’t be majority leader after Dems take the Senate back. Women won HISTORIC victories. AND the accidental occupant of the White House will be hobbled by a woman named Pelosi. #lockHIMup GOP got smaller, all rural, with Democrats expanding. Dems had more indies vote their way for the first time in decades. Great night because the DCCC recruited & backed great candidates.… Read more »
This election was a LOT of fun!!! Listening to limpwithnoballs and the other morons of hate radio gurgling about how the Dems didn’t really win NUTTIN! My own personal favorite moments of the night where when I got to call the Sheriffs to remove a drunk belligerent trumpanzir from the polling place…they actually had to ask me not to laugh out loud so much as it was getting him more worked up!!
In Colorado, we vote by mail so I had already voted when we left to come to MA for 6 weeks. Unfortunately, since we’ve been here for two weeks my hubby has been in the hospital in Springfield with a very small internal bleed. But he did get to watch from his hospital bed, LOL. I’m over 30 miles away with 2 dogs in the middle of the woods so I can’t get to see him much. Anyway, I am so thrilled how this turned out. My daughter moved to Aurora, CO and voted against Mike Coffman was thrilled when… Read more »
She hasn’t conceded because she’s hoping after all the votes are counted that there will be a runoff. I think this is a longshot but it’s worth a try. If Kemp finally takes office I don’t see how he governs GA. He’s like a 1965 Lester Maddox character trying to govern a 21st century diverse Georgia. I imagine the entire country will be laughing at the clown running GA much as they are laughing at the clown POTUS we have.