You read it right.
Despite consistently incorrect polling and pontificating by Nate Silver and his Five-Thirty-Eight polls, CNN and MSNBC talking heads, and by your least favorite neighbor, the Democratic Party kicked ass in President Biden’s and Vice President Kamala Harris’ first midterms.
It is looking to be one of the most progressive and successful midterms for Democrats in generations, and it solidifies the dynamic duo as good for Democrats, good for the nation, and good for international allies.
They did better than every democratic president since maybe the 1930’s or so. The Blue wave overwhelmed the red wave that barely reared its ugly head.
Of course there were seemingly winnable races that were lost — Cheri Beasley comes to mind — and there are other races that got national attention but were not competitive — Stacey Abrams, Val Demings, Charli Crist, and Beto O’Rourke comes to mind, and that will always be the case when there are swing states and targeted states.
But those losses, as much as they hurt today, should not be what defines this midterm election.
What can be used to define the 2022 midterm election is this:
Candidates who embraced President Biden and Vice President Harris won, and those who shunned them, lost. It was just that simple.
John Fetterman, Maggie Hassan, and Mark Kelley embraced them and won. Tony Evers, Jared Polis, Michelle Lujan, Josh Shapiro, Kathy Hochul, Ned lamont, Maura Healey, Wes Moore, Tim Waltz, and Gretchen Whitmer each embraced the President and Vice President and won. And dozens of House candidates loudly embraced the successes and Biden/Harris and also find themselves celebrating today.
Tim Ryan shunned them and lost. And others who seemed to be lukewarm to the team lost as well.
Running away from the Biden administration and its two years of success was a dumb move and proved fatal to those candidates. They learned a lesson but selfishly did so at the expense of democratic voters in those states who stand to lose rights, voting access, additional healthcare, and more.
We are looking at two more years of progressive policies, strengthened protections for women, children, elder, workers, unions, immigrants, students, and small businesses. We are looking at dozens more judges, more focus on energy, jobs, and the economy.
We are looking at two years of growing successes that will lead to the President and Vice President heading into reelection stronger than any prior democratic president in generations.
There will be plenty of time to interrogate all the results, losses, and missed opportunities so that the party can re-tool for 2024.
But for now, it is a moment to celebrate and embrace the fact that democrats have what many consider the best team, the most progressive team, and now the most successful midterm team that it has ever had.
Mass media will try to spin democratic wins into losses and tell you why winning is bad for democrats and President Biden, but good for republicans.
But ignore them just like voters ignored them telling us for months how republicans would win.. everything. They promoted republican talking points ad nauseam, and then expressed shock as results started coming in favorably for democrats.
The republican-owned network and cable news companies, and the republican-owned mass media, newspapers, and social media sites tried so hard to effect (infect?) the election by elevating republicans and downplaying democrats look like the fools they are now. Had they all listened to Christopher Bouzy and his Bot Sentinel https://botsentinel.com/ they would have known what we all knew — Democrats were poised to win.
Bloop.
Again and louder for those who believe polls that overwhelmingly favor older white voters while ignoring, well, everyone else: President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are successful, respected, celebrated and, based on midterm results — continue to be the most successful president and vice president ever.
Celebrate it today, and get to work tomorrow, democrats. You earned it, and your candidates earned it.
© 2022 by Myron J. Clifton and Dear Dean Publishing. All Rights Reserved.
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Myron J. Clifton is slightly older than fifty, lives in Sacramento, California, and is an avid Bay Area sports fan. He likes comic books, telling stories about his late mom to his beloved daughter Leah, and talking to his friends.
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