A Post-Mortem On The Mid-Term Election------The Reality That Trump Must Face
Perception often becomes truth. No one had been more successful at molding misguided perceptions into perceived truths during the past two and a half years than President Donald Trump. This man was a reality show star who learned to how to manipulate, deceive, and redirect disasters better than almost any individual ever to inhabit the White House. That ability to mold lies into "truth" fell apart on November 6, 2018.
The Republican Party and President Trump suffered a monumental defeat last week. All the spin in the world cannot change the bottom line realities of the midterm elections. The nation rejected
"Trumpism" and the direction of the Republican Party by overwhelming numbers. Yes, the Republicans won senate seats in Indiana, Missouri, North Dakota, Texas, and possibly Florida, but the first four are deep red states, and Florida is the most purple state in the nation. In the senate, however, they lost senate seats in Arizona, Nevada and possibly Florida. There certainly was no red wave in the senate, especially since the Republicans had the massive structural advantage in this year's senate races. Even some of the seats they won have to be of concern to Republicans. They had to fight tooth and nail in supposedly blood red states like Texas, Mississippi, Tennessee, etc. None of this gives the Republicans much hope in 2020 when the senate map is favoring Democrats as much as the map favored Republicans this year.
That was the "good" news for Republicans. Everything else that happened on election day was horrible news. The Democrats gained between 35-40 seats in the House of Representatives. They flipped six governors, 6 state legislatures, and elected approximately 375 Democrats at the state representative level that were formally held by Republicans. Combined with 2017 elections, the Republicans lost more than half the flips that they gained during eight years of the Obama administration. This in two years of a Trump administration. That is a major concern for Republicans in 2020.
Much of this is the fault of the head of the party. President Trump made the election a referendum on his Presidency. That proved to be a disastrous move. Of the 72 endorsements that Trump actually made during the election cycle, only 21 of those candidates won. Political pundits on both sides of the aisle are now determining that the President is toxic to the vast majority of the American voting public.
The signs for the Republican Party ore ominous at best. After 10 years of a bull market, most economists are calling for a deep recession during the next two years. Red states are turning purple, and purple states are turning blue. The nation has spoken and the verdict is in. The ACA and most of it's provisions {coverage for pre-existing conditions, having children stay on parent's policies until age 26) are not only popular, but widely accepted and expected. By an overwhelming majority, the Trump administration foreign policy {including immigration exclusion and child separation} are more than unpopular, they are despised as being anti-American. When the President floated the idea of ending birthright citizenship, it was met with almost universal disdain.
Now the President is facing even more problems with his attempted reshuffling of the news. The firing of Jeff Sessions, the hiring of Matt Whitaker have gone over like a lead balloon. He had another botched foreign trip that has been almost universally derided for his behavior. Extended voting results are coming back favoring Democrats at all levels of government. Banning a credentialed reporter from CNN was a strategic and moral mistake, and is not being bought by the American public.
Worst of all, the people of the United States are starting to realized that the fake news is the real news and that Trump's and Sarah Sanders' versions of the truth are really the fake news. As that happens, all the spin that the White House puts out is going to laughed at by the American people. That bodes badly for the 2020 elections for both the President and the political party that has embraced and run on his personality and "policies". This is analogous to "palace intrigue". That hardly ever works with the Presidency. You can fool some of the people some of the time, some of the people all of the time, but you can't fool all of the people either some of the time or all of the time. It seems that the President's time is almost up. That is the legacy of the election of 2018.
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Facts are facts-----This election was a disaster for the Republican Party and the President. There is no spin that could change this result. The only question is whether sitting Republicans are going to change their tune and jump off the sinking ship and leave their Captain, President Trump behind to go down when the ship sinks.
Hardly facts.
Its more like pure partisan rhetoric but if thinking that helps you sleep at night by all means keep doing it.
A good nights rest is very important to ones health
Dems took the House--as expected. Not a disaster, but not good for the GOP.
GOP gained seats in the Senate--not expected. Good thing for the GOP and bad for Democrats.
I wouldn't be so quick as to write the GOP off just yet--I remember when some Dems did that after Obama's big win in 2008.
And then the GOP took over 1000 seats from elected Dems.
And the GOP just lost over 300 seats. Keep bleating the good old days though because it's now all you have left. In almost literally every demographic, dems won.
Yea, it's 2018 now.
Fools who refuse to acknowledge history are doomed to repeat it.
Show me all of the Republicans who have jumped on the ship in the first place.
Facts are facts.
Funny that you downplay the Republicans gaining seats in the Senate- where judicial confirmations are decided. What does that say about the nation's feelings about Dems blocking and harassing judicial confirmations? It is more than nothing.
The Party that does not hold the Presidency and congress gains during the mid terms. It is a natural backlash to reign in the power of the party in charge. Americans love grid lock.
The "Massive Blue Wave" that the "experts" predicted never hit. But the Dems are acting like they won anyways.
Not calling this a disaster for the Republicans is simply ludicrous. Two additional senate seats changes nothing, especially when you look at the seats that were up for election. 23 democrat vs. 11 republican. Most of the democratic seats were in massively red states.....It was known that democrats taking the senate was beyond a long shot. What is surprising is that senators such as Mansion and Testa won is bad for republicans. The fact that Cruz squeaked it out in Texas is bad for republicans. Losing house seats in Utah, South Carolina, Florida, as well as throughout the rust belt is a disaster for republicans. 6.1 million more democratic votes than republican votes is a statistical nightmare for the republicans.
You can try to spin this any way you want......this was a blue wave and a massive rebuke of Trumpian philosophy.
And what did you call the influx of Republicans when Obama ruled the roost? The influx of Democrats when Bush was in charge?
As for 6.1 million more votes- thankfully California and New York are restricted from having their votes count in any other state's elections.
Spin it any way that you want- the fact that the Dems couldn't retake the Senate has to be a rude wake up call for them. Don't worry I am sure they will regain it during the next presidential elections- when you will predict the Republicans and conservatives are done forever- until mid terms roll around and the backlash starts all over.
His philosophy is "It is all about me and the money I can get."
Obama isn't president anymore.
By picking up NV and AZ and keeping MT and WV which were also at risk, even if Nelson loses in FL it will only be a net loss of 2 seats rather than the potential gain of 6 by Repubs otherwise. Not bad when they had to defend 26 seats and Repubs only 11 or 12. In 2020 it's going to be the other way round: 22 for Rs, 12 for Dems.
Private life Trump was always able to manipulate and create his own reality with little recompense.
Public life Trump will not be able to do so.
Trump's realities are varied. From Playboy Bunnies to Putin and a whole lot in-between.
re is no spin that could change this result. The only question is whether sitting Republicans are going to change their tune and jump off the sinking ship and leave their Captain, President Trump behind to go down when the ship sink
The Democrats lost 63 House Seats and 6 Seats in the Senate in 2010.
Remind me how much that mattered in 2012?
You'd think, by now, people would understand this happens pretty much every midterm. The President's party loses seats in midterm elections, especially if the President's party is in control of both branches of government. If Hillary Clinton had won, Republicans would have picked up seats in the House and won probably three more Senate seats, at least. It doesn't mean anything more than that.
nge their tune and jump off the sinking ship
It's almost like history books don't exist. Despite the hysterical yammerings of the media, the Republicans were in their strongest position in almost 100 years following the 2016 election. OF course there's going to be some regression. It's insane that if Republicans don't continue to gain seats at historically unprecedented rates, they are somehow "sinking."
If the midterms are a snapshot of the next presidential election, trump is screwed.
So when does the middle class get that 10% tax cut trump promised just before the midterms?
Answer?
Never. But that didn't stop trumps base for, once again, completely buying that BS lie.
More demonstrations of just how insufferable they are going to be....
WE are better off with them in a small portion of government so we can have more Kavanaugh action than we are with both houses....
Despite how insufferable they are. (despite their feelings of justification)
It is going to be fun to watch.....
Sarah Sanders is leaving after Christmas and has gotten very little press coverage over her departure. She lies daily and has finally thrown in the towel.
There is no justification for the level of lies being directed at the American people from this administration.
Forget fake news, just look at the convictions, the ethics violations that were brought and won in court and many are still ongoing, look at the indictments, look at the reality of what is truly happening.
They cannot say that Trump's associates are not criminals when many have pled out or are found guilty. You know a person by the company they keep and Trump appointed a bag of crooks and traitors.