Well, it wasn’t quite the blue tidal wave we were hoping for, but it will have to do for now. For once the prognosticators got it right.
- Voting participation was way up.
- The Dems took back the House.
- The Dems are picking up a lot of Governorships.
- The GOP is going to gain a few seats in the Senate.
On the Senate side the math was so bad for the Dems, it would have taken a miracle to take it back. And miracles are in short supply these days. But as bad as it was for the Dems this time around, it’s going to be equally bad for the GOP in 2020. That one could be a tidal wave.
The bad news is that for the next few years the GOP will be able to confirm whatever judges they want, including any additional Supreme Court openings, should they arise.
On the other hand, the House now gains control of the congressional investigatory process, and they now get to investigate Trump and his administration in detail. They don’t even have to go the impeachment route. The impeachment route is silly so long as the GOP controls the Senate.[1]
But now we will get to see the full extent of the Trump administration’s corruption. We’ll get to see his tax returns (and how rich he isn’t). We’ll get to see all the ways in which Trump violated the Emolumentw Clause. And his legislative agenda grinds to a halt.
Along the way there were some losses last night that were painful to watch.
- Beto O’Rourke coming close, but not succeeding in ousting Ted Cruz. Oh what sweet redemption that would have been.
- Both Bill Nelson and Ron Gillum losing in Florida, in hard fought and narrowly lost campaigns.
- Seeing Stacey Abrams lose to the cheater and vote suppressor Brian Kemp.
- Watching the inevitable happen to Heidi Heitkamp and Claire McKaskill.
On the other hand, it was so sweet to see Scott Walker go down in flames.
The one thing that is just about guaranteed is that things will only get more partisan and more vicious in Washington over the next few years. It can’t be any other way so long as President Obergropenführer remains in the White House. But his day is coming, and it’s a lot closer now that the Dems will be back in control of the House.
If you didn’t like the Mueller investigations you big orange Cheeto, you’re definitely not going to like what’s coming next.
[1] But God forbid that Trump should be re-elected in 2020, the Dems would then have the House and Senate and impeachment now becomes a real possibility. See Nixon, Richard, if you’re looking for the historical analogy.