"3,435 provisional ballots that have yet to be counted." I'm not willing to write off this special election for O'Connor yet. Meanwhile, this Wisconsinite is sending her money where her mouth is - to Democratic and Progressive candidates all around the country whom I think have a decent chance of winning. I'm by no means a rich person but if enough people similar to me do the same thing, we can counter the money from the fat cats and dark money flooding into with outright lies and garbage in ads you see on television about anyone who isn't a Trump fanatic. Now is not the time to sit on ones hands.
5
You reap what you sow. And boy does anyone deserve to reap the whirlwind more then the G.O.P. these days. Devin Nunes admitted he has used his position at the head of a committee ;who was supposed (?) to be investigating Trump`s many damning connections to Putin; to do all he could to cover Trump`s behind. Not only was this an obvious breach of responsibility; but like so many other examples rock solid proof it is all about keeping power no matter how many lies, schemes, and outright fraud to win in November no matter what it takes. They better pray their billionaire friends can buy as many votes as possible.
3
The worst thing anyone can do now is say the Democrats have it in the bag. Did you learn nothing from 2016. Thousands of apathetic voters sitting on their butts giving the world Donald Trump. Gee; Thanks. Take nothing for granted; work your tails off supporting your local nominee; and drag every person you know to the polls in November. Do not dare to blow it again!
6
Politics has always been a dirty corrupted business propagated by wealthy power hungry greed mongers and the entourage of minions they employ. So why is the Trump occupancy the most hated enemy to these factions of shameless oligarchs? He's not one of them. He may have his own battles to fight and plenty of trash in the closet, but he's not a Washington elite. This battle about to ensue in the house, if controlled by the left, only has one intention; to obstruct all forwarded legislation from the right... legislation that might by necessary, qualified, beneficial to Americans. If the left succeed in any branch of the Washington beltway, they will spend their time, (rather, our time), on how to impeach this POTUS. Having a Republican in office, or as President, is not the end of the world. Thank goodness for term limits, which by the way, should be exercised by all governing offices in Washington. The Democrats won't lose their position. They won't be considered a weaker party. It's just not their time. Trump is what the nation wanted. Got it? They'll be back in charge soon enough and America can begin to deteriorate all over again. Can't wait to watch our nation's sovereignty dissolve once the Democrats are back in charge, after all, isn't that what liberals want? Give away the store and enrich themselves? 60% of the wealthiest Americans are Democrat. Our election process has become a game, a joke. It's more a like a game show. What more can I get behind door number 3?
Once again, the Dems shot their own feet off.
As reported elsewhere (and not in the NYT), only 2 of 6 candidates that their new super hero cheered for won. Or you can say 4 of 6 candidates she supported lost. And she took credit for Rashida Tlaib's win, but that was all Mrs Tlaib working for years to achieve her win; this carpetbagger just showed up to the party at the end.
The 'Blue Wave' Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez supposedly was ridding, looks more like a pebble's ripple in an ocean storm.
Funny how she got elected to lead a district, and all she has done is fundraise and pose for pictures.
Her view of taking from the 'wealthy' (without defining what that means to her), to give their money to the poor are all she talks about.
How long before some other wannabe politico decides to call her out on that, showing that she has not worked a day for her district, and unseats her?
If she carries on like this, she will become the biggest burden for the Dems in 2020. Yet the Dems keep showing her around in fundraisers, even today.
Try better. This one will be the reason Trump 2020 becomes a reality.
Democrats: Get rid of Nancy Pelosi if you want to win.
I'm not questioning her credentials or her salvation. I'm saying she is old and out of touch and comes across as very entitled and smug. Don't you have a younger, vigorous person who didn't inherit or marry money to lead you - some one more like your constituents? Nancy: do the right thing and announce that you will retire from the Speakership in January and that you look forward to nurturing the next generation of leaders.
4
Trump has turned the GOP into a party that eschews inclusiveness. It belongs to a narrowing slice of the nation. They have become a backward looking party bent on advancing racist and misogynistic agendas. They are great at making enemies but today they find themselves needing friends. How can a party continue down this path and expect to win? And when they have won, it has been by slim margins, margins that over time will shrink. Trump is the toxic brew that they continue to drink. Corruption and scandal continue an the voters are taking note. With 90 days left to November it looks like the GOP is in serious trouble.
3
@Garin, you almost had me convinced you had experienced the #GreatAwakeming, had joined the #Anons, and were actively looking for the Mockingbird killer. You’re on the way, keep seeking ... you have more than you know.
One thing to remember - the current pollsters are using the same common core math that said hillary was winning. The only "blue wave" we're going to see will be the one composed of the liberals tears and fluids as they drown in the sweat of their own nervous breakdowns.
2
Hillary won the popular vote. The pundits were wrong not the polls.
2
It always amazes me that "Republicans Gird for Battle". Democrats never seem to have to have to battle for any election in the NY Times, WashPo or LA Times. For Democrats an election is always reported as a walk in the park they are entitled win.
Democrats only lose when voters don't understand the issues or are bitter clingers.
I have every confidence that even though the GOP has a narrow path to victory in the mid-terms, the Russians will do what they have to do to make it happen.
2
Great Blue Wave... What a joke. Now its "oh we didn't lose, by much". Primary is no way to judge the midterms. Scared people will grasp at anything that makes them feel safe. And from this point on everytime a democrat loses it will be blamed on the Russians. This country is back on its feet again. Let's just pray that we can do a replay in 2024.
1
Many of these seats are the Democrats to lose.
If the left bothers to show up to vote AND they get behind the nominee instead of having hissy fits that the nominee is not their preferred candidate, then the left can take the House and block much of the damage Trump is inflicting on real Americans.
Lindsay Graham's advice is perhaps the worst he could have given. To get on the phone and raise money is exactly the opposite of what many voters want in this election. How about getting off the phone and speaking directly to voters? Instead of pleading for money, how about speaking honestly to the public?
In any potential swing district this year, impressionable voters need to hear Republican candidates speak honestly and openly about corruption, trade wars, health care, out-of-this universe spending, more about Vladimir Putin and less about Nancy Pelosi et al.
2
The real problem Democrats have is that too many poor-quality reporters are looking for a “narrative”, a tale of The Party ...
...A game the Big Tent party doesn’t play - in too many underfunded newsrooms, especially on the TV/metamedia side, run, it would seem by unsuccessful scriptwriters, they’ve contributed to the reshaping of the GOP by making it what it wanted to be - The Party of Trump.
Unfortunately for the Republicans, the Trump Test is worse than the Nixon Test was in ‘72, because we do not yet know what the Special Prosecutor’s team will uncover beyond a massive amount of swamp draining they’ve already accomplished with guilty pleas and a prima facia case of charity fraud against the President.
The problem is there are few reporters who understand, let alone can present 501(c)3 violations, and won’t say what the NY State civil action and Federal District Court filings prove on their face: Donald Trump took a million dollars of his own, plus cash from gullible people looking to help veterans, and made it a slush fund helping Trump deal with personal/political problems and aiding his campaign.
Almost as public is Trump’s love affair with Russia and Putin - but the why is still missing. Trump likes Putin more than our closest allies because: ...
Meanwhile, Democrats are letting candidates run their own campaigns, without Loyalty Test.
There is no narrative, the candidates from dead-center to Socialism, are looking to help their districts and states - what a concept!
1
What are Republicans thinking? They are losing moderates in the suburbs and yet intend "vicious," slash-and-burn campaigns. Since there are only so many members of their base--and, if Ohio is any indication, they are losing appeal in rural areas--, to whom will such a campaign appeal and win them votes?
@Michael L Hays
your question points to a factoid we rarely see when it comes to election results.
We are always shown the X candidate got ### of votes, but what we don't see is In Y Race there are N Republican registered voters, M Democrat registered voters, L Green registered voters and O Independent registered voters.
Those numbers answer your question.
In polarized partisan politics like today, there is little room to "flip" the oppositions voter base. Yes many R woman are fleeing Trump but that does not directly translate to a D Congressional or State candidate getting a new supporter.
I suspect that there will be a tremendous increase in "Dark Money" expenditures.
1
Trump supporters at the Lewis Center, Ohio rally wearing tee shirts that read, "I'd rather be Russian than a Democrat."
This is the mindset of a Trump supporters in the dead red rural areas of this country.
The closeness of the OH race is encouraging. There is a desperate need to turn out the vote in urban and suburban areas to flip these winnable areas.
If you want to end this interminable nightmare of the Trump presidency....VOTE!
Encourage friends, family, neighbors, etc. The heavy Democrat turnout in Franklin County, OH is proof that O'Connor can get a measure of revenge in November.
The resistance was energized. We need to carry the momentum into November.
81
@Howard Levine
Unfortunately, Lewis Center is no longer rural, it has grown immensely, just like the rest of Delaware County, over the past several years. People moving in, are coming from places like Columbus, which is diffusing the GOP vote. Effectively Delaware County is not densely suburban. Every time I vist Columbus, each year, I am surprised of how dense things have gotten between SR 315 and I71.
The southern part of the 12th district, in Franklin County went solidly for the Democrat. Delaware County, while voting republican, Democrats made deep inroads.
The people you speak of, are a minority.
Finally, I know a number of people, back in the Columbus area who regret now voting fr Trump and GOP, in the 12th CD. Their tax bit went up, with local property and income tax increases (local and school district), coupled with the $10,000 limitation on deductions. And, their state income tax went up, because it is tied to federal adjusted gross income. And, throw in some very mad farmers who are getting hit with tariffs.
While the GOP may hold it for now, it may not, if there is a large turn out of Democrats and independents.
11
@Howard Levine
What exactly do democrats have to offer Working Class Americans??
More HATE and division?
9
@Cntrlfrk Please outline the hate and division...real examples, not platitudes or general political rhetoric (which you should expect in an election). Respectfully, thank you.
6
Will those candidates really want to be supported by a president who is surrounded by tax evaders, inside traders, and crooks- not just surrounded but his "trusted" campaign manager, lawyer, and biggest supporter.
where there's smoke...
if it walks like a duck...
Mr. President, show us YOUR TAXES.
117
@waitwhat ... Have absolutely no interest in someone else's tax return - a ridiculous precedent set by (I'm sure one of your favorite Presidents) Richard Nixon.
5
What if his tax returns show debt to Russians? What if those tax returns show shell companies where he hid money? What if he broke the law and evaded taxes like nearly everyone he associates with? What is he hiding?
17
This corrupt swamp that is thriving in Washington at the expense of American tax payers has to be voted out ASAP. Every single one. We want healthcare. We want jobs. We want clean water, air and food. We want education and freedom for our kids. We want a union that is color blind and accepts all religious freedoms. Just like the Constitution states.
We don't want our officials to partake in tax evasion, bank fraud, prejudices in cultures and religions, international collusion with adversaries, sex abuse, destruction of national institutions, weakening of alliances, increasing debt, threatening of our free press, demeaning of the justice system and law enforcement, lying and corruption in our government. This Trump administration has to be held accountable for these actions. Because the GOP has elected to not have checks and balances on this man, the only thing to do is vote out every Republican. The GOP has turned into a non American banana Republican Party. Time to take America back.
Vote straight Democrat to get your rights back.
69
What a joke! The democrats are the enemy of Working Class Americans, the democrats are the definition of The Culture of Corruption.
For the first time ever in my Life , I will Vote straight Democratic with my ballot, Trump and the Repubican Congressional Rep's are just too Corrupt and unpatriotic.
141
“Republicans say they can keep a thin grip on the House by propping up incumbent lawmakers in red-tinged districts and branding the Democrats as wildly left-wing” “Lindsey Graham..We’re bleeding among women and the enthusiasm factor for Democrats is worth 7 or 8 points, and sometimes more,”
It’s not about democracy, the people, country, environment, healthcare, education, middle class, elderly, poor, veterans, tariffs, workers, relations with allies, etc. It’s all about the GOP and winning that matters and never mind strategies for governing the country…..they have none. What matters to them is taking care of Wall Street, corporate big wigs, the rich and their constituents.
On the other hand, where there is light at the end of the tunnel, there is hope. Ohio and Kansas are primed examples….this is just a prelude of things to come. We will see how much credit Trump takes in November when the GOP loses the house and the senate. America has had enough of this Presidential aberration and GOP. It’s time for a 180 degree turn and reverse the hate, chaos and destruction this President and his constituents have unleashed in the country and the world.
November mid-term elections can’t come fast enough…….vote in November to make America a great country for all people and friend to our allies.
8
Republicans are "pinning their hopes on well-funded outside groups and a slashing negative message about Democrats", says the article. Well, yes. They have two years of a record of control of the Congress to run away from.
And yet, the media will continue to conclude that the Democrats have no message for the people and no policy prescriptions. Sad.
3
@Yeah
you miss the meaning of what you complaining about.
The "media" that you sneer at is stating as fact the D's need to run on a POSITIVE and COHERENT message instead of on negatives and trying to blame Trump for every evil in the country (though he is stupid & greedy, that does not mean evil) as that will just turn off moderate R's already disgusted with Trump. It will also fuel the whines of the far-far-Left that D's are the same as R's.
Anyone paying attentions is aware of all the Trump badness, so there is no reason to run a campaign on that situation knowing it will drive away the few potential party flippers there are.
If you want to see evidence of that reality look at the Connor Lamb race and see how effective NOT being a mud slinging jerk can be.
The Times and other democrats are reading way to much into special election results.
There is no doubt that democrats are motivated by their hatred of Trump, but in a general election, Trump supporters will overwhelm them.
In the Ohio 12th, 87% of the democrats voted, only 40% of the Republicans voted. The democrats STILL lost.
As someone said, "That's all you got"?
4
@Sparky Jones you're wrong. The 12th has been a solid Republican district for the last 30 years. You say the Democrats lost and I laughed. Did you even read the article? There are 3.435 provisional ballots uncounted. There is no official winner. It's disingenuous to say a big deal is being made when for the last 30 years the Republican candidate would have won the primary handily.
6
The House Is Burning
Express your voice, it's not just a matter of chance
The men on the ballot are masters of the song and dance
While we drown in their partisanship and acrimony
The men on the ballot are masters of the Dog & Pony.
Make your choice, it's time to take some action
Everybody must hear your dissatisfaction
Time to yell, raise hell, cut through all their yammer
The men in the house must hear your cry and clamor.
Pyromaniacs in the kitchen
Playing with fire and never discerning.
Getting hot and sweaty with ambition
While The House Is Burning.
While The House Is Burning.
It’s time to sweep the house clean.
It’s time to take out the trash.
It’s time to change that scene,
Shine a light on all the cold cash.
It’s time to use a really big shovel
It’s time to wash out those gutters
It’s time to pop that bubble
Shine a light through open shutters.
Pyromaniacs in the kitchen
Playing with fire and never discerning.
Getting hot and sweaty with ambition
While The House Is Burning.
While The House Is Burning.
The House Is Burning, but they don’t seem to care
They grab power and money while we despair
They occupy stagnating and stalemating
While The House Is Burning from the fire they’re creating
Pyromaniacs in the kitchen
Playing with fire and never discerning.
Getting hot and sweaty with ambition
While The House Is Burning.
While The House Is Burning.
2
Not two months before the mid-terms we hear only yesterday that Russians are entrenched in Florida's electorate and that it's only a matter of time before the entire country is corrupted. And yet no mention is made by any Republican to curtail it. In fact as an admission of guilt, McConnell just blocked funding to stop it. Republicans have sided with the enemy to win control of the nation, not for the well being of our country but for the opportunity to rob what's left of the SS trust, cut Medicare and Medicaid, demolish CHIPS and end ACA...to attack and mass murder 99% of Americans by bringing back pre-existing conditions. Women's right to control her own reproductive system as well as her health are under continual fire. They are no longer loyal to this nation. Campaign dark money laundered by the NRA from Russia has corrupted the entire GOP. Before they plunge us into another war, a financial depression, and rob the last cent from the public coffers to give the 1% yet another tax cut, it's time for all good men and women to speak up and step forward; we have reached the precipice and there is no one to save us from the monsters but ourselves.
15
Gee another squeaker in Ohio where Republicans have been stealing elections for 20 years. (Ask President Kerry). Wonder how much Moscow Money (the Green Party!) phony Facebook trolls, and voter tampering it took.
7
@Ignatz Farquad
Hmm, so how did Obama win OH twice? Did the Republicans just decide not to steal those years?
Or were the Russians asleep?
I am betting those darn Russians wanted Obama to win and with their magical powers helped him!
@Ignatz Farquad, the Fat Lady hasn't sung yet - not with more than 3,000 votes yet to be counted.
2
Kris Kobach should be prosecuted for election fraud, not elected governor.
4
Trump happily meets: Vladimir Putin (Russia); Xi Jinping (China); Hassan Rouhani (Iran); Kim Jong-in (North Korea)---yet, denigrates and fears meeting Robert Mueller. Not hard to figure out my friends---Trump is afraid of the truth and being held accountable. There's a term for this isn't there...
9
Will collective reality defeat the Grand Ol' Propaganda machine?
Will representative government defeat monied interests, lobbyists, and crooked politicians?
Vote in every election!
7
@james
Poor, old GOP. They have to do their own dirty work now and figure out how to have Russian money for their campaigns since they can't rely on the NRA anymore.
Poor, old NRA can't even afford insurance anymore.
Way to go Gov. Cuomo!!!
Is everyone watching? How to starve a beast: deprive said beast money. VOILA! As if by wizardry.
Well ALL I have to ask is if any of this supposed Dem advantage is really REAL?! At the end of the day it's still a loss in OH-12, for one. One can feel good about ones supposed advantages but converting them to true winners is a whole other matter (to borrow from tennis). At the end of the day, HRC may have won the popular vote but that did not translate to the actual presidency. Alas, at the end of the day, the media certainly contributed to many of us feeling the other side was a joke, only to be shown how, time and again, you can never count out the "underdog".
@Sam
well in this case the D's are the underdog so take your own advice.
Not according to the polls they're not the underdog. In the end the only poll that matters is the one on Election Day.
42 percent of Democrats vote in Tuesday's special Congressional election. In other words 68 percent of
Democrats voted for the Republican by not voting.
2
@Richard Mclaughlin, you're ignoring the fact that the election was scheduled in August when a lot of people are on vacation and may be out of state. Not everybody thinks in time "oh, there's going to be a SPECIAL ELECTION IN AUGUST, I'm going to be at the lake for a week and I'd better get a mail-in ballot so I can vote early!" We also do not know what the percentage of Republican voters was - unless you know and you just didn't want to report the number? All those Rs who stayed home "voted" for the Democrat by not voting...
2
@Richard Mclaughlin
And then there's the fact that 42+68=110...
2
"And in a sign that they are already preparing for substantial losses, Republican officials are contemplating political triage, weighing which districts may be beyond hope and determining where money can be saved."
The best you can do is mount a rearguard action. Two-fisted Democrats are coming. Run. Run while you can!
1
Anyone who thinks any Democrats will win any elections in Kansas are living in an alternate reality. The 2016 elections proved that the pollsters and alleged political pundits have no clue what the result of an election is going to be - the people who are going to vote for hard right candidates are do not respond to pollsters, and those voters who will vote for Republican candidates because of Trump will vote for them no matter what, and also could care less about pollsters or exit polls. This and similar articles ignore that that Democratic and the left do not show up for the mid-terms despite all of the rhetoric about voter registration drives, the need to vote, etc. - in contrast the conservatives and the right will be showing up in force at the polls and via absentee ballot. The Democrats need to get out of their bi-coastal progressive bubbles and actually go talk to and understand the people who live in the rest of America.
2
They say . "The other party says: ‘We will raise taxes, we will abolish ICE and we will put Nancy Pelosi in charge of it all.’”
Maybe they would do better if they stopped lying. It has become an epidemic, this Republican lying Tourette's, where they bleat out any silly thing that they would wish to be true. 53% of America is saying 'We are not that stupid," and the rest are waking up one-by-one. For every Fox-hypnotee they re-convince, another wakes up. They are bailing out a boat with a hole in it. A big hole. And, increasingly, people know what kind of hole (as they say, we all have one). Meanwhile, hardly a week passes without one of Trump's "best people" putting on a swamp show. Collins, Ross, Gates, Pruitt, Manafort, Flynn, Papadapoulus, Jr., Stone, Porter, and no doubt more to come (Zinke and De Vos have the stink). Yelling "Nancy Pelosi!!" to people, most of whom don't know why they are supposed to hate her beyond the fact that Trump does, is like scaring children with the boogie-man. Children grow up, and most Americans are not stupid, even if they don't always employ their intelligence when fear and prejudice are stoked.
11
@appleseed That is exactly what the Democrats say in addition to impeaching the President and bankrupting the country with socialism. The only people voting Democrat either have TDS or they want free stuff. Your party has completely forgotten the working class and abandoned Kennedy's great vision of "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country."
I certainly wish that the Republicans were better and would end the big Government spending, but at least the party isn't out to destroy my way of life.
2
Graham says things swing from good to bad with Trump.
Things only swing from bad to worse with Trump.
The only time they have been good was before Trump touched them the first time. Maybe that is what Graham is talking about.
11
What will the country look like once all these old white people are dead, and you know the demographics are changing. The US will be 4% of the world population with a debt that can never be resolved. Trump is providing short term wealth to 1% but adding more debt and the likelihood of insolvency. The US will be an Empire imploding caused by it's own hubris. We have a lot of consumer materialism but look at the symptoms of our demise: drug addiction, alcoholism, the highest rates of incarceration, a corrupt political process only interested in helping the rich become richer, collapse of public education, a shrinking middle class, a health care system on the verge of financial collapse. The US is it's own worst enemy with a completely fractured society. What are we really trying to protect?
21
Kansans who remember the Kassabaums should vote non Republican.
For the rest of the country, if you let a couple of steel companies dictate the U.S. trade policy, fighting with Canada, our closest ally, in ways more than one, and even Aloca has to lobby on its behalf, then go ahead and vote Republican. Remember, the GOP has many chances to fix ACA, but Trump opts to bankrupt it out of spite, just as he bankrupted his casinos.
History will remember his words "trade wars are good and easy to win." This is no longer negotiation tactics. This is real. Showing up in home prices, the next refrigerator you buy, the incidentals you get from either Walmart or Amazon. There is no escape
10
The Democrats have a message problem in 2018. We hate Trump is not a good message especially with Trump's approval hovering between 45-50%. The Democratic platform of open border anarchy, taking back the tax cut, hating on cops etc. is not a good message either.
6
Good thing that most of what you said is not the Democratic message. It’s helpful to listen to what a party says about itself, rather than how the opposition paints it.
31
@P McGrath - but not one thing you cite is actually a Democratic position. Recognizing that separating children from their asylum seeking parents at the border is an abominable practice does not create anarchy (the asylum seekers by the way are acting legally); even Republicans aren't touting the tax cut and it certainly hasn't delivered as promised; I have no idea why you think Democrats are running on hating cops - this makes no sense.
32
@P McGrath Senator Bob Casey (D) in Pa. is running on saving social security, medicare/medicaid, improving access to education and healthcare, and fixing our infrastructure. He has the endorsement of the miners, steelworkers, teachers and police. No message problem here- he leads in the polls by double digits against his Republican challenger.
18
"Volcanic resistance." Yes.
It is the only way.
1
What is striking is the apparent lack of reflection on the part of the Republicans quoted in the article about why they are in electoral trouble. Presumably they are caught between the rock of Trump’s base and the hard place of knowing in their hearts that everything he does and stands for is ethically and morally reprehensible.
The party has no-one but itself to blame. Please let it suffer the electoral consequences. In Trumps.
23
Chris Collins is just the tip of the iceberg of insider trading by people whose self-interest is never conflicted.
27
@Steve Bolger
Insider trading is just a euphemism for steeling from the people who have invested in companies legally and pay taxes legally, while crooks try and cheat the system by using illegal ways to make a buck.
Greed, lies and manipulation is the psychology of such individuals - where were they socialized into the norms and values of society?
11
@PropagandandTreason
The Republicans call it capitalism and claim that is what built America.
"What built America is labor.
Labor is prior to, and independent of, capital. Capital is only the fruit of labor, and could never have existed if labor had not first existed. Labor is the superior of capital, and deserves much the higher consideration." - Abe Lincoln
Republicans claim to revive Lincoln yet hated all he stood for. Musch like they do Jesus.
@M Layton, The US has always sought to maintain a labor surplus for the benefit of its wealthy. In its colonial stages, many paid for their passage with indentured servitude.
Is there going to be another GOP "fix" like 2000? Is that why they are appointing all of these new federal judges at lightning speed?
Bet you that hanging chads makes a sudden comeback.
13
The general tone of the coverage in the Republican districts where the GOP candidate barely won is that the tightening of the race spells danger for the GOP in the midterms. Maybe so, but we can not discount the fact that at the end of the day more people are still voting for the party of Trump then the opposition. What makes us think that those voters are going to change sides in 12 weeks and why assume the DNC will increase voter turnout.
I get it. You can read into the narrow margins and pull silver linings out of the fact that the GOP continues to defend their territory. The DNC has proven to be utterly incapable of stealing close elections dating back to the end of the Clinton years. The liberal electorate remains frustratingly finicky, easily distracted and arguably too self-righteous to appreciate the zero sum war of a two party system. I will not all of a sudden put faith in purple or red districts turning blue.
Good candidates and good policy win elections. Voting against trump rather than for a democratic platform will result in disappointment for liberals in November. Nothing from last night alters my views. Check the hubris, don’t mention blue waves. Go out and take what’s ours and win over the millions of people looking for an alternative to Trump who won’t vote for an east coast liberal. Not as easy as it seems.
26
@Eric
The power of women is changing the face of politics, as they get involved in local issues and are organizing by the millions to defeat Trump and the Republicans, who are silent and conspiring with Trump to destroy American democracy.
Women are exposing the enemies within.
It's called the Vote.
14
@Eric
If “good candidates and good policy win elections” then the GOP is flat-out doomed. I would like to believe you. But let’s not forget that the most awful presidential candidate in living memory is now the most awful president in living memory, casting yuge doubt on your thesis.
5
@Eric
Please be careful with your use of "liberals". A small l would imply classic liberalism, which would be more equivalent to libertarian ideology, on the other hand a capital L would be consistent with today's Progressive socialists....
I hate articles like this. The real story is that Dems are so weak, they can't beat the party of treason and child torture. The weakness of Dems is how we got a Trump in the first place. The party has got to step up and stand for something besides being not evil. The party lacks discipline, leadership, and vision. If Republicans were working with .001% of what we have to work with in terms of why you shouldn't vote for them, every race would be a landslide in their favor. Those guys made a huge deal out of a tan suit. They convinced millions that their president was literally not an American and that Hillary Clinton is a killer. Meanwhile, Dems are "working on messaging" even as their base is voting like mad for anything and anyone that addresses the actual issues before us: education, health care, and rejection of fascism. I hope the party gets its act together before it's too late.
21
@anita
It strikes me that the assertion that the Dems “can’t beat the party of treason and torture” speaks far more to the fact that a significant fraction of American voters have lost their mind or their moral compass. Probably both.
4
The so called "Green Party" may have tipped the balance in Ohio to the anti science, anti earth Republican.
They keep on doing what they do best!
The "Green" Party hates the planet and everything on it. (Who funds them? Hint...GOP donors and Russian security services).
Vote smart.
18
Collins: Republicans trying to make America safe for corruption
6
I know the Ohio race was close and the results are not yet final. --Who knows, maybe it still possible for the democrat to win- However, I now believe that for the democrats to be successful in claiming the House in 2018, they need to stop focusing on districts that have a large majority of republicans. Rather, the democrats need to concentrate on realistic "flippable" districts and in those districts, just focus on increasing democratic turnout (Obama coalition).
That is, when it comes down to it for many republicans, they may not like Trump. Yet, in the end, those republicans will either vote republican or stay home. They won't vote for democrats.
24
@Ken
Your recipe for Democratic success was already tried when the party brass threw Howard Dean and his 50-state strategy under the bus. That's why there are so many districts with large majorities of Republicans. If you ignore a district for years, don't be surprised when it ignores you.
17
@Ken Democrats should go for broke. Look at Alabama Senate and Pennsylvania congressional district that flipped. The Democrats jumped in after seeing the polls. They need to go after as many Republicans as possible. Send money to help. I have.
11
All five of the candidates that President Trump endorsed won. If the Democrats want to take some joy in how close the elections were that is fine by the GOP.
10
@Jonathan Actually, as of this morning, it's still not clear if Trump's candidate won in Ohio. There was a 1,500 vote margin, with approximately 8,500 votes still to be counted...could go either way. But of course, little details like that don't bother Trump...he just claims victory and moves on.
1
@Jonathan And 2 of 6 that Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez endorsed, lost. Yet she is the rising Democratic star.
Seems like the Dems are content with loosing this race.
"Republicans are steeling for a 90-day campaign of trench warfare as they fight to keep control of the House..." Really?
Using the language of war to describe a political process – a peaceful political process – is an irresponsible and unnecessary habit of political journalists that I hope the Times will consider abolishing or at least reigning in.
The language used in the lede and headline of this story are hyperbolic. They fan the flames of hyper-partisanship in the US by casting the stakes of partisan political activity as life-and-death. It may be good fodder for getting additional shares on Facebook and Twitter, but it does a disservice to the people who make the decision to participate in our democracy – not to mention the people who fight in literal wars – to caste our political process in such a light. Today's political climate is dramatic enough without political writers cranking it up.
I don't mean to pick on this story or these writers in particular. This trend can be found in stories across the spectrum of political journalism. I just hope that the Times will consider its responsibility to avoid embellishment as it continues to do the vital work of telling the story of our times.
7
@Nick Heynen the term "campaign" for politics derives from the military term.
1
@Nick Heynen Similarly, the Times story on Rep. Collins insider trading talks about him "frantically" calling his son "apparently in a state of panic" to orchestrate an illegal stock trade...I don't know why I feel so fastidious about such trivial excesses in the Age of Trump, but I do. Mr Heynen and I will be led quietly to the slaughter when the Trumpsters storm the Bastille, but at least we will take our high journalistic standards with us...
2
What’s sad is that turnout is low even amongst democrats. If all the chaos of these times is not enough to convince you to vote - what will?
9
The walls are closing in on the republicans. Now they face new revelations re cabinet position Sec of VA. This stinks and should be enough to spark a major investigation of all cabinet positions. This in itself would normally cause an impeachment of the president.
5
I know there is no evidence for persistent election fraud; yet, it is statistically unlikely that almost every time there is a close election, the Republicans win. Are the Russians hacking the U.S. voting system? Even Trump is hinting at it when he predicts a "Red wave" at the midterm elections. I guess Red really could be the new Red.
17
Thank goodness the Green Party is on hand to throw close races to the Republicans. Where would we be without them?
24
@gnowell
Right. 1,127 votes were cast for the Green Party candidate in the Ohio 12th Congressional District. I voted for John Anderson in 1980, but I will never waste my vote like that again when our nation is at risk like it is now.
It is going to get ugly. I fear for Sharice Davids who will run against Kevin Yoder in the Kansas 3rd District. Trump and others will make it really ugly, and really personal, and Yoder will have no problem getting comfy in the mud if it means an election victory. He should already feel ashamed because he knows the direction it's going.
15
Over the past ten years, it has become common knowledge that healthcare comprises 18% of the American economy. But I would love to see an economic analysis of the place of political activity in the economy, because not only is most of it unproductive, but it also increasingly damages our social cohesion. Every day, I receive dozens of emails asking me to sign this or that petition, or “chip in” $5 to flip this or that seat. As soon as one election is over, the campaign for the next begins. Whole armies of political consultants have permanent positions rather than seasonal ones because the campaigns never end. I am convinced that most of these consultants and the political figures they serve have lost sight of why they are running for office. It’s now just about winning or losing, not formulating good public policy that makes society a better place.
13
Even the Husband, a long term independent, is voting a straight Democratic ticket in November. Get to work with your family, friends, co-workers and neighbors. Every vote counts, do YOUR part. PLEASE.
100
@Phyliss Dalmatian You have no idea how your words have encouraged me. Thank you!
5
The fear monger-in-chief and his minions will wield their immigration cudgel to fight the so-called "blue wave." Unless the Dems get an effective, sound-bite-size response that addresses the fear, the nightmare of 2016 will continue.
13
Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina:
“If I was a House guy in an R+10 or less seat I’d be getting on the phone and raising money and putting a sign on my dog.”
How about if those House guys had represented Americans with good public policy proposals and provided actual Congressional oversight of a corrupt President instead of attacking American healthcare, gilding the rich and flushing the nation down a treasonous Trump Toilet for a living, Senator Graham ?
So many floating Republican logs in the Trump Toilet has created quite a nationwide stench, Senator, and the voters are ready to flush the wretched Republican Party good and hard on November 6 2018.
87
The GOP culture of corruption is reeking more each day. Wealthy civilians at Mar-a-Lago give advice on the VA system that impact 9 million vets. Wilber Ross's background is startlingly larcenous. Manafort and Gates may be on opposite sides now, but did very well for themselves for years representing dictators and oligarchs before working for Trump. Chris Collins makes insider phone calls from the White House lawn. The Trump hotels host foreign dignitaries and GOP sycophants who are happy toss money Trump's way to be better positioned for favors.
How long can ads such as that in Ohio this week be effective? Showing Nancy Pelosi as an evil villainess along with a sinister immigrant manages to remind most people that women's rights are being attacked by Republicans, and that family separations at the border caged children with hundreds still temporarily orphaned.
House Minority leader Pelosi can step down at any time (and probably will), and there goes one target. Who is left? The "fake news"? Hillary? Obamacare?
Health care, civility, the infrastructure, environment, trade, minority rights -- popular Democratic policies abound.
72
Franklin County just posted another 190 votes for O'Connor, so the margin it getting even tighter-and provisional/absentee ballots, when counted, may trigger an automatic recount. Democratic turnout is on the rise in every state-so a wave may be on the way. And the defeat of "Right to Work " in Missouri was marvelous: my father would be so pleased!
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@beth reese
I want to know who did the more than 170 registered “voters” in that district that are more than 116 years old voted for.
2
@KBronson
Come on! If you are genuinely interested in vote count irregularities, why don't you ask what is behind the approximately 3.5K "provisional ballots" that are so far uncounted, and may never be?
I would ask the same question of the mainstream media, including the NYT, that accept provisional ballots as a fact of election life. They seem to be a common feature in Republican-governed states where voter suppression has been developed to a fine art.
Mysteriously, most of the provisional ballots in Ohio 11 were cast in poor and minority parts of mostly Democratic Franklin County. Coincidence? I don't think so.
9
@mancuroc
I think that the election officials should ensure that every vote counted was cast by a legally qualified vote. You can call it “voter suppression”, fuddepuckle, or any other label you want to use. It is still the right thing to do.
Until Trump visited Ohio on behalf of Mr Balderson, he was trailing in the polls. So there was a TrumpBump. Where’s the headline about the progressive socialists taking a hit last night in the elections??
12
@DanielMarcMD I would love to know how much money was paid out to undecided voters......
3
@ultimateliberal: In Ohio, what they do is move voting booths around- more to the rich areas and fewer to the poor areas. Read about 2004 and what Ken Blackwell, then the S-O-S of Ohio, pulled to get GWB re-elected. Having lived in SE Ohio for 7 years, I trust the voting in Ohio as much I trust the voting in Zimbabwe or Iraq.
A look at the vote totals of many razor-thin elections reveals a critical truth: The presence of a third candidate on the ballot does democracy no favors, insofar as the winner represents the desired policies of the majority. Rather, it can scramble and dilute votes so that the will of the people is foiled.
You would think this would be obvious to the nation after the Bush-Gore-Nader debacle in Florida (or the presence of Jill Stein in the last), but it seems to be a factor that is oddly ignored in analyses of the vote.
In close elections, the votes garnered by even a very minor third candidate can overwhelm the vote difference between the top two candidates. This makes hay out of the entire system.
This (not original) observation does not intend to disparage the importance of the views of sincere third candidates. Rather, I am simply saying that the mathematics of the algorithm used in many elections in the U.S. works horribly in the presence of more than two candidates.
It is such a flaw that it is easy to imagine that an important strategy for winning an election could be for a well-funded supporter of candidate A to convince a dupe with views that overlap B's to run as a third candidate. That this is even conceivable reveals a significant flaw with the algorithm.
Prioritized votes and instant runoff would go a long way to improving things and would give third-party candidates a fair chance to collect votes without the voters having to game the algorithm.
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@Tom M This is why we wish all real Americans of voting age realize that their own decisions matter a great deal.
I always told my students that every vote matters; it is as important for a winning candidate to know how many votes were for the "other" so that there is a measure of support or non-support from the voting population. Imagine winning with 50.1% of the vote. It means 49.9% don't want you in office. I would not be comfortable as an elected leader who draws only 50.1%. My students learned that it's OK to vote for a minor candidate if you can't make up your mind. Such a decision tells the leading candidates that, during campaigning, they really didn't provide a message you like. That's important for them to know.
Just vote! Be informed, but you can always vote for an unknown (or a write-in, if allowed) if the messages from the major candidates don't suit you.
4
I have a strange idea: Why don't the Democrats nominate compelling candidates, with an agenda, so we don't get these razor-thin margins. Too-close-to-call races seem to be a recent phenomena, at least in their frequency and that's because it ultimately becomes money versus money, cancelling out all other effects. Look at the Clinton/Trump margin; for all those people who continue to trumpet her popular vote victory, it was 3 million out of 130 million cast - against that pinhead!. As a famous President once said, "Sad".
9
I’m not sure you are teaching your students the right thing. If someone wins with 50.1 and knows the other 49.9 are against him - it doesn’t teach them to try and do what’s right for the 100pct.
Case in point Trump. He didn’t even win a majority. Over 50pct of the country didn’t (and still don’t) want him. And what does he do - try to make the 50pct plus population mad by systematically destroying everything they care about. And his base revels in it.
7
Tax cuts for the wealthy on a middle-class credit card, hacking away at healthcare, white spite, climate change denialism, a juvenile delinquent Presidency and a Russian-Republican Congress will not Make America Great Again in any shape or form.
Most voters with even a flimsy connection to reality know this.
Here's to the death of the Russian-Republican hijacking of America and their tyranny of the minority and a return to democracy and representative government.
November 6 2018
D for democracy; R for Russian-Republicanism.
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@Socrates
When Soviet Russia was thought by Americans to be trying to export its governing model to the US, the Republicans were really hawkish about it - though I have to hand it to Ronald that he acknowledged and acted on Gorbachev's overtures.
I find it ironic, then, that now Fascist, oligarchic Russia makes more mischief in the US more successfully than the Soviets ever dreamed of, the Republican Party welcomes it with open arms. Birds of a feather, I guess.
19
It was my impression that owing entirely to Mr Trump’s visit to Ohio on the eve of the election Mr Balderson had won by the largest majority in the history of the country. Was I wrong?
58
@KS Uh...assuming you are not being facetious, yes, you were wrong. In fact, that district had only been won by a Democrat once since 1938, and has been safely GOP - largely through gerrymandering - for over three decades. So Balderson should not have had any trouble at all. Instead, O'Connor actually had a 1-point LEAD going into the election. This, despite being outspent by 5:1, and despite the visit by Lord Cheeto the Daft and his endorsement. And Balderson still hasn't actually won yet: the provisional and absentee ballots may swing the election to O'Connor. As for "largest majority" etc., this was a district that Lord Cheeto won by 11 points - and was won by the last GOP candidate by over 30 points.
38
@Maani Rantel
Maani - KS was obviously being facetious, as you rightly suspected. Copying the hyperbolic boasts of the President. "The biggest inaugural crowds" "The largest Electoral College victory" . The Ohio 12 GOP win was manifestly razor thin and may not even hold up when all ballots eventually are counted. So, your first instinct was correct: KS was joking.
@Maani Rantel Maani-Lighten up my friend. Even in the age of Trump it's very occasionally OK to crack a joke, especially if you live in security in Canada.