Blog Credo

The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary.

H.L. Mencken

Wednesday, November 9, 2022

Disaster Averted, Opportunity Missed

 Looks like I may have been right yesterday. On the one hand, there was no Red Wave. America remains an intensely divided country and that was demonstrated in the midterm. If - and at this point it's still unclear - Democrats can hold on to their Senate seats in Georgia, Nevada and Arizona then they will have a one seat majority. Even losing one of those seats will mean Biden can appoint judges and executive branch officials. However, losing an opportunity to flip Wisconsin (still possible, but...yeah) and North Carolina means that you are stuck with two execrable Senators from states that could, theoretically, elect a Democrat. In fact, I think Democrats need to give up on Florida and work on North Carolina as the next "purple" state.

The House looks like it will tilt to the GOP, but it will not be the wipe out many feared. In some ways it doesn't matter, as the difference between a 4 seat and 40 seat GOP majority isn't especially relevant. With a small majority, the House might not force a debt default, which would be, ya know, a good thing.

The Red Wave that was going to sweep out people like NY governor Kathy Hochul never appeared. In fact, Democrats may do pretty decently in gubernatorial races, especially if Katie Hobbs can hold on to beat the frightening Kari Lake.

In August, I saw a potential to add 3-4 Senate seats and hold the House. The GOP has offered no plan to deal with the very real issues of inflation, crime and energy prices. They shouldn't even be competitive. However, we will take our wins where we can. Plus, Lauren Boebert might lose! 

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