I was wrong about the Red Wave.
Dead wrong.
I, and many odds makers, expected Republicans to do much better than they actually did in the midterm elections.
Normally, in a midterm, the party that doesn’t have the white house gets the lion’s share of seats in the House of Representatives; much more than what the Republicans actually got, that’s for damn sure.
Not to mention that many odds makers gave Republicans a 70 percent chance of winning the Senate. That didn’t happen either. It was like a double black eye for the party.
What went wrong? Was it overconfidence? Arrogance?
Misjudging the electorate?
Something about pride before … you finish the rest.
I think it might have had something to do with these three key issues; issues that reveal a lot for the 2024 election and the future of America.
Abortion
Abortion is more of an issue for younger voters than everyone thinks.
There will never be a RED WAVE if they start banning abortions in every state. It goes against the Republican credo of a smaller government anyway. So why do it?
Evidently, someone like Democratic candidate Stacey Abrams, who believes abortions should be allowed up to ten months and says fetal heartbeats are “manufactured sound,” are the other extreme. But most Americans, regardless of party affiliation, are somewhere in the middle.
“It is a manufactured sound designed to convince people that men have the right to take control of a woman’s body.” — Stacey Abrams
The abortion issue reminds me of the Leonard Cohen line: “There is no decent place to stand. In a massacre.”
Abortion is clearly something bad. I wouldn’t wish it on a friend or family member of mine. I even know a close friend that had one and was miserable. All of this, however, does not reduce the complexity of the issue or the multitude of perspectives.
We need adults in office who can find middle ground here and govern with compassion for both sides.
Trump Derangement Syndrome
EVERY SINGLE CANDIDATE Trump endorsed lost (with the exception of Ted Budd and J.D. Vance; the latter of which snubbed him). Trump lost in all the areas where there was a real fight. And now the Republican Party is firmly against him, openly hostile towards him.
Why? Why oh-why?
It’s because Trump is feuding with Florida Gov. Ron De Santis, a man who won his state in a landslide:
“Now that the Election in Florida is over, and everything went quite well, shouldn’t it be said that in 2020, I got 1.1 Million more votes in Florida than Ron D got this year, 5.7 Million to 4.6 Million? Just asking?”
— Donald Trump
“Feud” is the wrong term. It implies that DeSantis is fighting back against Trump, where in reality DeSantis is just quietly winning while Trump is swinging wildly into the air.
Trump wouldn’t have taken shots against De Santis if he wasn’t scared that he would beat him in the primaries.
Meanwhile, all of this has the GOP split like a wishbone.
Even day1 Trump supporter Candace Owens is questioning her loyalty after an interview where the former president spiraled into name-calling and insults.
Owens went on to say that in past elections, Trump was “having fun,” and “the energy was electric;” and after 2022, he is in “an angry space” and is not showing any humility.
“That is not being a leader, that is not owning things that you did wrong, that is not owning that you misunderstood something about your base,” she said. “That’s not growing, that’s not developing.”
— Candace Owens
I recently heard someone say Trump would throw all of his MAGA supporters into a fiery pit of hell if it meant he could get elected in 2024.
His only loyalty is to himself, not America.
I don’t know, what do you think?
My advice is don’t be a fanboy of ANY politician. Hold them all accountable to the TRUTH.
I Admit, I Simply Don’t Know
This midterm was crazy.
And while I’m sure there will be many hot takes in the coming days and weeks convincing you exactly where the nation’s heading, I simply don’t know.
I didn’t know that the crime rate and the economy wouldn’t be the deciding factor in the election.
I didn’t know that the youth vote would come out in such high numbers.
I didn’t know Trump or the Trump cosign would be so unpopular within his own party.
I do know this, however; can Arizona and New Jersey fix their voting machines? Reported glitches happened in Trenton, Mercer County, and Maricopa County forcing voters to use provisional ballots.
If we’re indeed a first-world country can we get this shit squared away?
Voting machines have ONE job: Work on election day. It shouldn’t be that in every election we have to hold our breath and hope that they don’t break. Nor should it take one week to tally up said votes! All of this makes American democracy look dumb.
Regardless of political affiliation, this should concern you and I hope more states follow the examples set by states like Colorado, New York, Oregon, and Florida post-2022.
Anyway, that’s all I got. I’m out.
Love your neighbor today, even if they don’t love you back. Especially if they don’t love you back.
Yes the Trump endorsed candidates did not do well except those few. I really don't want Trump to run again and is this saying that he should not? And I don't like his attitude either right now. I live in Nevada and I am just not sure about why we got a Republican governor elected but not the senator running. Then again we have mail-in ballots for all - so like if I get 4 at my house what is to stop me from filling in all four? And what happens when a pile of ballots end up on the floor of a big apartment building. I hope this new legislature and governor can fix this. I voted in person no ID needed. COME ON - don't tell me minorities can't get ID's - they do to drive, to drink and to buy weed.
Seriously, how in the hell did this happen yet again in Maricopa County!? Regardless of how you vote, this should be a concern and unacceptable to all.
This is a friggin clown show! It’s embarrassing.
Btw, I love how you haven’t drunk the kool-aid on either side and call it how you see it. We need more critical thinking and a bit less emotional thinking imo.