The night we've been waiting for is finally here. Some of the polls have closed and some of the returns are in. Share your thoughts on the results and the media coverage after the jump.
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truman commented
2018-11-07 12:56:32 -0500
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I wish I could be optimistic about the Democrats taking the House. Yes, it will halt Orange Dumbo’s further gutting of health care…..ACA, Medicare and Medicaid as well as Social Security. And Democrat investigations into Orange Dumbo’s many misfeasances (Russian collusion and obstruction of justice) will be juicy reading. Can’t wait for his tax returns to be leaked.
However on the other side, Snapping Turtle Mitch now has a comfortable working majority in the Senate. Orange Dumbo’s federal judge appointments will sail through the Senate. Imagine a federal judiciary composed of Clarence Thomas-types.
Orange Dumbo won’t change his ways. If anything, he thinks he won the Senate. He will now be more emboldened with his white nationalism, racism and sexism. Anyone other than old white guy will be dismissed and demonized.
The Democrats have two years to figure out how to run this guy out of office.
However on the other side, Snapping Turtle Mitch now has a comfortable working majority in the Senate. Orange Dumbo’s federal judge appointments will sail through the Senate. Imagine a federal judiciary composed of Clarence Thomas-types.
Orange Dumbo won’t change his ways. If anything, he thinks he won the Senate. He will now be more emboldened with his white nationalism, racism and sexism. Anyone other than old white guy will be dismissed and demonized.
The Democrats have two years to figure out how to run this guy out of office.
John McKee commented
2018-11-07 06:23:28 -0500
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Eyes On Fox commented
2018-11-07 05:51:47 -0500
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What this election shows is what we already know: There are 2 Americas. It’s the more educated suburban and urban America versus the less uneducated rural America.
My theory is rural areas have always had it tougher economically with far less diverse economies and opportunity. The Great Recession, as bad as it it cities and suburbs, must have really scared folks in rural areas. So it’s easy to find scapegoats. And it’s easy to scapegoat minorities when you’re in an area which isn’t typically demographically diverse and has little exposure to those you actually fear and hate. The stereotypical angry white (uneducated) male who is easily distracted by right-wing demagogues like Rush Limbaugh who air their grievances are thick in rural America.
It’s unclear how Democrats can turn these folks around. Because this isn’t about issues as much as it is about culture. But the Democrats need to find a way to address their fear and prejudices.
My theory is rural areas have always had it tougher economically with far less diverse economies and opportunity. The Great Recession, as bad as it it cities and suburbs, must have really scared folks in rural areas. So it’s easy to find scapegoats. And it’s easy to scapegoat minorities when you’re in an area which isn’t typically demographically diverse and has little exposure to those you actually fear and hate. The stereotypical angry white (uneducated) male who is easily distracted by right-wing demagogues like Rush Limbaugh who air their grievances are thick in rural America.
It’s unclear how Democrats can turn these folks around. Because this isn’t about issues as much as it is about culture. But the Democrats need to find a way to address their fear and prejudices.
Kevin Koster commented
2018-11-07 03:42:10 -0500
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Greg Palast has occasionally found useful tidbits but usually dolls them up into ridiculous conspiracy theories. He’s very similar to Michael Moore in that he constantly beats the same drum and then acts as if he was prescient when some part of his rant turns out to be true. I do appreciate that he confronted Kemp this year, but he accomplished nothing by doing so other than catching his stunt on camera.
As for this evening’s returns, we should take a few lessons from them. The turnout throughout the country was closer to a presidential election than a midterm, because more Dems chose to come out. But at the same time, plenty of GOP voters also came out, as they always do. Watch how most of the house races wound up going – particularly the toss-ups. They were mostly within a point or two – that’s the power of gerrymandering and even incumbency in many cases. Were many of those seats not gerrymandered, the Dem candidates would have easily been several points ahead. At the same time, I take heart from the fact that so many seats around the country flipped in different states, including surprising turnarounds in Florida and Iowa. This was not a coastal turnout by the Dems, so the Pence White House won’t be able to play that card tomorrow. I also take heart that the Dems were able to win several governorships and turn various state legislatures – which will be crucial for the 2020 census and the 2021 redistricting corrections.
The Dems’ performance in the Senate was unfortunate – McCaskill and Donnelly were mostly undone by their own failures to reach out to their own base, and by their voters’ failure to recognize that those seats really needed their support. In the case of Heitkamp, a strong case can be made that the disenfranchised Native Americans were the key that she was denied this year – which was precisely why the Right Wing changed the voting rules in that state. In the case of Beto O’Roarke and Bill Nelson, we are looking at situations of states that have not completely moved toward sanity yet. But the strong showing of O’Roarke in Texas tells me that in another cycle or two, Texas will be a lot more purple than red. Cruz will gloat his head off about surviving this challenge, but he’s going to miss the bigger lesson – Texas is rapidly becoming a different state than the one people think it is.
I was saddened to see what happened in Florida, both to Nelson and to Gillum. Hatred won on both counts there. One can only hope that DeSantis’ open corruption will catch up to him before long. On the other hand, I was heartened to finally see Wisconsin Dem voters finally show up in just enough numbers to say goodbye to Scott Walker. We’ll just have to see how the Nevada, Montana and Arizona races turn out – with any luck those will hold and the Right Wing increase in the Senate will be minimized.
On the positive end, I strongly doubt the GOP will be able to raise our taxes any further, and I doubt they’ll be able to do anything further to the ACA or to Medicare and Social Security. And no, there won’t be any wall funding. On the other hand, the DACA group’s case will be going to the current Supreme Court, which is guaranteed to tell them that the Pence White House was completely correct to terminate that program. Just as this SC will also be getting to work overturning lots of cases the Right Wing has bristled over for the past 60 years, including immigrant rights, union workers and of course Roe v Wade.
The biggest consequence of Dem voters not showing up in enough numbers for the Senate contests in multiple states is that we are now almost certain to see Clarence Thomas step down next year – to be replaced by a much younger gargoyle, and there is not a thing the Dems can do about it because they were once again not putting their emphasis where it needed to be.
We can only hope the Dems learn from the comparison between 2016 and 2018 and actually show up in greater numbers in 2020 if we are to have any sanity in our government.
As for this evening’s returns, we should take a few lessons from them. The turnout throughout the country was closer to a presidential election than a midterm, because more Dems chose to come out. But at the same time, plenty of GOP voters also came out, as they always do. Watch how most of the house races wound up going – particularly the toss-ups. They were mostly within a point or two – that’s the power of gerrymandering and even incumbency in many cases. Were many of those seats not gerrymandered, the Dem candidates would have easily been several points ahead. At the same time, I take heart from the fact that so many seats around the country flipped in different states, including surprising turnarounds in Florida and Iowa. This was not a coastal turnout by the Dems, so the Pence White House won’t be able to play that card tomorrow. I also take heart that the Dems were able to win several governorships and turn various state legislatures – which will be crucial for the 2020 census and the 2021 redistricting corrections.
The Dems’ performance in the Senate was unfortunate – McCaskill and Donnelly were mostly undone by their own failures to reach out to their own base, and by their voters’ failure to recognize that those seats really needed their support. In the case of Heitkamp, a strong case can be made that the disenfranchised Native Americans were the key that she was denied this year – which was precisely why the Right Wing changed the voting rules in that state. In the case of Beto O’Roarke and Bill Nelson, we are looking at situations of states that have not completely moved toward sanity yet. But the strong showing of O’Roarke in Texas tells me that in another cycle or two, Texas will be a lot more purple than red. Cruz will gloat his head off about surviving this challenge, but he’s going to miss the bigger lesson – Texas is rapidly becoming a different state than the one people think it is.
I was saddened to see what happened in Florida, both to Nelson and to Gillum. Hatred won on both counts there. One can only hope that DeSantis’ open corruption will catch up to him before long. On the other hand, I was heartened to finally see Wisconsin Dem voters finally show up in just enough numbers to say goodbye to Scott Walker. We’ll just have to see how the Nevada, Montana and Arizona races turn out – with any luck those will hold and the Right Wing increase in the Senate will be minimized.
On the positive end, I strongly doubt the GOP will be able to raise our taxes any further, and I doubt they’ll be able to do anything further to the ACA or to Medicare and Social Security. And no, there won’t be any wall funding. On the other hand, the DACA group’s case will be going to the current Supreme Court, which is guaranteed to tell them that the Pence White House was completely correct to terminate that program. Just as this SC will also be getting to work overturning lots of cases the Right Wing has bristled over for the past 60 years, including immigrant rights, union workers and of course Roe v Wade.
The biggest consequence of Dem voters not showing up in enough numbers for the Senate contests in multiple states is that we are now almost certain to see Clarence Thomas step down next year – to be replaced by a much younger gargoyle, and there is not a thing the Dems can do about it because they were once again not putting their emphasis where it needed to be.
We can only hope the Dems learn from the comparison between 2016 and 2018 and actually show up in greater numbers in 2020 if we are to have any sanity in our government.
Willy Grooters commented
2018-11-07 01:58:06 -0500
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- And how have the Republicans won by rigging the elections this time ?
- Investigative journalist Greg Palast has discovered that the Republicans have won the 2016 presidential elections by rigging the elections. See his website:
https://www.gregpalast.com/
- Investigative journalist Greg Palast has discovered that the Republicans have won the 2016 presidential elections by rigging the elections. See his website:
https://www.gregpalast.com/
Ellen commented
2018-11-07 01:37:02 -0500
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Trump will have to go back to trying to get Mexico to pay for the wall.
Eyes On Fox commented
2018-11-06 23:59:40 -0500
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I’m going to bed. The blue wave we hoped for started to look doubtful following the Kavanaugh hearings. So I’m just grateful the Democrats took the House at all. Especially when the pundits kept pounding home the talking point Democrats don’t turn out in mid-terms but Republicans do.
The Senate looks ugly but the map was ridiculously in favor of the Republicans. The Democrats had a lot of at-risk seats and had to run the table. Obviously they didn’t. Trump, knowing this, campaigned hard only for the Senate. Fox News will be focus on this and be insufferable. Ditto Trump.
At least there’s a strong change Congress will finally see Trump’s tax returns. Nancy Pelosi has already granted permission to get them from the IRS. The House, by law, has a right to anyone’s tax returns. Corrupt scumbag Trump will probably try to fight it in court but I don’t see him having a leg to stand on.
The Senate looks ugly but the map was ridiculously in favor of the Republicans. The Democrats had a lot of at-risk seats and had to run the table. Obviously they didn’t. Trump, knowing this, campaigned hard only for the Senate. Fox News will be focus on this and be insufferable. Ditto Trump.
At least there’s a strong change Congress will finally see Trump’s tax returns. Nancy Pelosi has already granted permission to get them from the IRS. The House, by law, has a right to anyone’s tax returns. Corrupt scumbag Trump will probably try to fight it in court but I don’t see him having a leg to stand on.
Eyes On Fox commented
2018-11-06 23:08:10 -0500
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Abigail Spanberger narrowly beat Tea Party Dave Brat in the Virginia 7th!!! Yee-haw!!! My district flipped blue for the first time in more years than I can remember.
Daniel Celmer commented
2018-11-06 20:36:00 -0500
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Bob menendez won. I am so happy he is keeping is seat.
Ellen commented
2018-11-06 20:08:03 -0500
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I’m watching MSNBC. Nobody is smarter than Steve Kornacki.
Ellen commented
2018-11-06 20:01:22 -0500
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The Fox News anchors, Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum, are looking and sounding way too chipper for my comfort.
Ellen commented
2018-11-06 20:00:39 -0500
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If Spannberger wins, that will be a big deal and point to other good news.
Eyes On Fox commented
2018-11-06 19:46:04 -0500
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It’s early but I’m encouraged my home state of Virginia will come through. MSNBC just called the first flip of the night for the 10th district. Barbara Comstock won. Also, Tim Kaine is reelected in the Senate beating Trump racist Corey Stewart.
In my district, the 7th, it’s very tight but encouraging. Abigail Spanberger is beating Tea Party darling Dave Brat by about a point. Henrico, the highest population county (suburbs) in the area, is going pretty big for Spanberger.
In my district, the 7th, it’s very tight but encouraging. Abigail Spanberger is beating Tea Party darling Dave Brat by about a point. Henrico, the highest population county (suburbs) in the area, is going pretty big for Spanberger.