I hope Trump just does everything by executive order. Judges can be handled by the Senate.
I am very excited about this. We can finally look towards a better next couple years. There have been too manny problems and especially shootings for us not to make a change. However, people only wanted their voice to be heard after we had to go through so many shootings. Im glad, although, that we finally want our voice to be heard.
I ma also very excited about how diverse our house is now. More than 100 women! As well as a more diverse culture. We can finally be looking for a better future, a step in the right direction.
Not clear:
"The Blue Wave did not materialize."
The election went pretty much as expected. Not quite, but close. The Democratic Party was expected to take control of the House, which it did. A 23-seat change was required, and they got 27. Some predicted 40-50, but others predicted 0-10.
The Republicans increased their Senate margin, but that too was expected. They netted 2 or 3 more than expected, but I don't think it matters. The Republicans have a comfortable margin to confirm anyone they want, while each party can block legislation proposed by the other party.
All as expected. True, Abrams and Gillum both lost close races, but so did Scott Walker and Dean Heller. About even. As expected.
I was a bit surprised at some of the margins -- Hawley's, for example, and Braun's (especially since Donnelley had been ahead in the final polls, only to lose by 8.4 points). But by and large, the election went pretty much as expected.
1
Good point, but I don't think anyone has any illusions about getting legislation passed:
"It's up to the leaders of both sides to compromise if they want any legislation passed."
Chances are, the next two years are going to be taken up with confirmation hearings, not legislation. Word to the wise: If you're a judge appointed by a Democratic President, don't die! Or resign.
1
You are amazing journalists. Trump won. Republicans lost.
Trump finally got control of the Republican Party and his opponents within the Party are silenced and 2020 will have one voice. Trump will make the Democrats look like kids. Pelosi is already backing of one major promise: Impeaching Trump which is a waste of Congress time without a 2/3rd majority.
2
Memories are short:
"I’m sure many people of Montana feel it is right and just that each Montanan counts for about 60 Californians in the Senate. But it is contrary to the modern democratic principle of 'one person one vote.'"
In the summer of 2000, when Bush and Gore were duking it out, polls showed that Bush probably would win the popular vote but Gore would win the electoral vote. It turned out just the opposite, of course, but when Bush supporters complained that summer (often making the very same "one person, one vote" argument), the almost universal response was:
"Suck it up, George. That's the way we do it here in the US of A."
In other words, the Electoral College was the bee's knees then, the best thing since sliced bread. It only fell from grace after it reared its ugly head against Al Gore and Hillary Clinton.
1
Both parties are "spinning" the outcome:
"Trump will lose far fewer midterm House seats than Obama or Clinton did. How is that 'voter fury?'"
It probably surprises many GOP fans that the Democratic Party is touting the midterm election as a Democratic victory. But that's true vice-versa: the Republicans are exaggerating too. Except for the few candidates who lost close races (Stacey Abrams, Andrew Gillum, Scott Walker, Dean Heller), the election went pretty much as expected. The Democrats won the House, with a few seats to spare (27, I gather -- some predicted a much higher number, but others predicted a lower number). The Republicans may have picked up more Senate seats than anticipated, but they were expected at least to hold on to their Senate majority. There's no question that the Republicans increased the likelihood that they'll confirm any nominee that Trump picks, but there's also no question that the Democratic-controlled House can block any further legislation by Trump.
All as expected. Both parties are "spinning" the outcome, but it was pretty much as expected.
My family members have voted for the mid-term elections, and I feel as if they made this good decision because by their vote being counted, they know that they are at least making a change in what they see for the future of this country. When I grow up, and become eligible to vote, I will definitely take the opportunity to do so because by voting, I am choosing what I believe is right for the country and may possibly cause a great outcome for many. Every vote counts, so although my vote may seem small, I could be making a huge difference for our future!
“Forceful rebuke”...roll eyes...26 Seats in the House? While increasing the number of senators? If you call that a forceful rebuke, then we can call 2010 a tsunami-earthquake-category 10 twister!
That said congrats to the democrats for barely making it. To the Reps for expanding their hold of the senate. Some balance of power is a good thing, but please don’t call it a rebuke. Considering how Trump is hated by like 90% of the media and history traditionally favoring the opposition party in the midterms, that’s not bad at all.
My advice to republicans is next time to send trump to campaign for the house too. All the senate candidates that he campaigned with did quite well.
Cheers!
2
The question of the future of the Senate is a serious one. Americans get indoctrinated early on that the American system is the best system in the world, and we don’t realize just how bizarre and antiquared our political statem is among modern democracies. Very few countries have a bicameral legislature where the non-majoritarian upper house has any power, let alone so much power. Consider the House of Lords in the UK or the House of Councillors in Japan. They are advisory bodies at best.
And people should remember we already had to fix the non-majoritarian nature of the Senate once already. Initially, Senators were appointed by state governments. In 1913, the Seventeenth Amendment to the Constitution made Senate seats popularly elected offices. That’s right, 105 years ago we couldn’t even vote for Senators.
So it may time again to revisit the system. I’m sure many people of Montana feel it is right and just that each Montanan counts for about 60 Californians in the Senate. But it is contrary to the modern democratic principle of “one person one vote.”
I love politics, people are the king & also mean. Love Democracy. It'll be all fun from here on.
Yet, the democrats massively underperformed. As much as the media had the foot on the scales for the democrats and they had a massive money advantage (again as in 2016), fear mongering on healthcare (no elimination of pre-existing conditions was ever on the table), combine that with grating behavior of the President and the everlasting Russia investigation, the democrats should have wiped out the Republicans. But that did not. So what does that tell us, the democrats are not that popular. This should have been a wipeout - certainly 2010 was a wipeout - a decimation on all government levels. Why did this happen, Trump supporters were angered by the name calling? the bizarre behavior by democrats? Then end of the myth that the major news networks were unbiased. Trump's behavior is not presidential, but it is nor is it fascist or nazism. If you believe that, then it time for you to spend time with history books.
1
If Democrats play the cards they were just dealt right, they will tie the government in knots so that nothing gets done, which is the best thing Americans can hope for from politicians driven by their own self-interest rather than the nation's.
1
Predictions:
The Democratic-controlled House will investigate, investigate and investigate; Trump and other Republicans will claim they're being harassed. The House will recognize that Americans also expect legislative bodies to legislate, not just investigate, and so they'll pass gobs of legislation that won't get approved in the Senate (much less end up on Trump's desk for signature). The DP will thereupon accuse Republicans of being obstructionist, and the Republicans will reply that the House isn't passing laws that Americans really want. And so on.
In the meantime, the RP will nominate and get confirmed all sorts of Executive Branch officials and judges/justices, exploiting its now-comfortable margin in the Senate. The judges, of course, will remain in their positions long after Trump is gone, which will warm the hearts of most Republicans -- especially those who don't really like Trump (i.e. most of them) but like the idea that conservative judges will fill the federal courts.
Voters will ignore all of this and pay attention to whom the DP nominates to run against Trump in 2020. The usual suspects (Booker, Harris, Warren, Biden, Sanders) will be shoved aside early, and a "dark horse" DP candidate will get the nod (O'Rourke or Bloomberg, with Andrew Gillum as VP candidate). Trump will beat the DP candidate and limp along to 2024, at which point the DP candidate in 2024 will win.
Fairly predictable.
3
@MyThreeCents
Trump will get to run against the media and impeachment obsessed democrats in 2020. Right in his wheelhouse.
1
Well finally with a new democratically elected congress we now have a desperately needed check on this president, a so-called “successful businessman” in the oval office who is proving daily to be terribly unfit for the job. Now we can get serious about this guy and really come to grips in holding him to account for doing everything from obstructing investigations to enriching himself by refusing to divest interests. His henchmen keep trying to normalize the abnormality of his behavior. Nothing about his time in office has been normal and nothing about him has changed. He is grossly incompetent and proves it daily. He is using the office to enrich himself and his spawn, and proves it daily.
3
@John Townsend
No, it won't.
Congress is made up of the Senate (a/o last night still GOP) and the House (a/o last night now Democrat). The Senate is the important high school kids and the House is the uncontrollable kindergarten.
1
I very much regret to predict that Ted Cruz will be Trump's next appointment to the Supreme Court.
"Tinker to Evers to Chance" is the 1910 baseball poem that celebrated the great Chicago Cub double play combination of shortstop Joe Tinker, second baseman Johnny Evers, and first baseman Frank Chance.
Gorsuch to Kavanaugh to Cruz will become known as the Supreme Court team that turned Fundamentalist Christian beliefs into the law of the land.
3
@A. Stanton
Best not to assume an outcome only to criticize it. The list has been prepared. Next one is a female.
3
This election was a decided referendum against this very arrogant, racist president. I think I can speak for people of color, women, the physically challenged and the transgender community when I say we would have preferred that more of our Republican neighbors had demonstrated with their votes how much they disagree with Trump's cruel, misogynistic, perverse behavior. What woman can sleep at night knowing she's voted for a candidate endorsed by a president who brags about grabbing a woman's private parts and who has been accused by numerous women of sexual perversion? But I'll take this Democratic win of the House of Representatives and look forward to veteran representatives like Congresswoman Maxine Waters taking over key committees and spearheading investigations of this president. I hope the next election sends an even stronger message that the ugly behavior of this president is not acceptable no matter what party you identify with.
4
Nancy Pelosi sounds really weak. She needs to be replaced. The speeches she has been giving in the past 24 hours are terrible. "Not the lowest common denominator but the boldest common denominator." Ugh--if I could spell a sour piano note, I would. She is also acting like she just figured out what "e pluribus unum" means. There is just something stilted and weird about her delivery. Time for new leadership. And aggressive investigation of any and all crimes and misdemeanors committed against the American people. All of these politicians, blue or red, govern at the consent of the governed, that is "we the people." Jerry Nadler, time to hold them all accountable.
1
Sorry but as long you (Americans) won't change the way that red states are overweighted you will have a ploutocatie (taylor made BY and only FOR billionaire people)
As an European ally I'm sad and disappointed in USA.
Stop bargaining and considering an half-failure as an half-victory : senate is stronger than before !
Your country is NOT a democracy : during the president election or this one, ONE person doesn't mean an equal vote and that's a shame for you the people in 2018!
Change this political gerrymandering, it can't be allowed to continue !
2
@Karine The United States is not a democracy and never has been.The United States is a Constitutional Republic. The US Constitution is a compromise in which our founders tried to keep the larger states from always dominating the legislative process. In the US Senate each state has equal power as each state has two US Senators. The US House of Representative is where the larger states have more power as the representatives are apportioned in accordance with the number of people living within the state. The bottom line is the US election system is working exactly as the founders designed.
As far as gerrymandering goes, each state draws up its election districts. The final map of election districts is subject to review by the courts. Electoral maps are often revised by the courts.
Who didn’t vote that voted in 2016 and why? That’s the question pollsters should be researching.
It is very important to vote in the mid term elections I do believe that every vote counts. it was interesting to watch the coverage on Tuesday night. It appears PA is a democratic state again. It was interesting that we went republican last year hence it went democratic for Trump. i guess i am ok with what happened this mid term. lets hope we get a better president in 2020 who actually supports the fact that GLOBAL WARMING EXSTS and we have to stop it.
1
A first order of business for a Democratic House is to curb President Trump at the very roots of our democracy. A democracy can't thrive on a diet that confuses news with fake news. House committees should have public hearings to get the facts straight on health care, immigration and taxes. Policy differences will make more sense -- and lead to more mutual respect -- if the factual foundation is stronger. We don't need a distracting side show exposing misconduct and corruption of public officials. As Martin Luther King, Jr., is reported to have said, "you can't fight evil directly; you have to crowd it out by doing good."
2
The story says there was an unusually high voter turnout, but cited not one statistic. Is going this to be more fake news just like the story that voter turnout swelled at an unprecedented number for Obama in 2008 when it actually was half of the increase for Bush in 2004? That story in 2008 still hasn’t been corrected.
2
As I predicted, the Democrats underperformed last night because the Democratic Party establishment refuses to embrace the economic justice movement. By failing to do so, they have inadvertently and unwisely conceded the strong economy narrative to President Trump and the Republicans at a time when we have the worst wealth and income inequality gap since the Roaring Twenties, just prior to the Great Depression.
Previously, I advised that salvation for the Democratic Party lies in targeting workers in the middle and lower classes and advocating for living wages, guaranteed income, shared corporate governance rights, and worker stock ownership, which would give workers a stake in this unequal, pro-shareholder, capitalist economy.
Unfortunately, the stubborn Democratic Party leadership has refused to strongly commit to this economic agenda because they themselves are elites who have grown wealthy in this gilded 1% economy. Their personal comfort level has so far precluded the necessary shift in issue emphasis needed to meet or exceed electoral expectations. The Democrats desperately need new, more fiscally progressive and frankly, more sincere party leadership at the Democratic National Committee and in the U.S. Congress if they are ever going to reach their electoral potential and regain majority party status.
We have taken a big step for Democracy yesterday. We the people have been engaged for the last two years, we know the issues and going forward we will take the American people with us ensuring change. Trump and his little band of followers are on the ropes, Ted Cruz may have won this time but his days are limited as are the days of the red states. Health Care is the major issue and people living in the red states better wake up and smell the coffee before they are pushing up daisies. Its just a matter of time before they realize that the lie Trump has been selling is destroying their lives.
1
Yes, but the US Senate voted to confirm judge Brett Kavanaugh to the supreme court, handing Donald Trump a major victory and America a bench expected to tilt to the right for the next generation.
1
Well let’s see if anything of substance gets done. If this Democratic triumph is all about investigating and impeaching President Trump then so be it. But Democrats are eventually going to have to come up with a plan that benefits all Americans, not just those who constitute their constituency of political identities. Also they may want to refrain from calling those who don’t agree with them “deplorable,” chiding rural Americans for pride in their guns, and marginalizing those who profess a belief in God.
1
@Southern Boy
Problem is some of those who take pride in their guns and profess a belief in God want to hurt those people based on entitled and irrational fear. I think it's time you (SouthernBoy) took a good hard look at yourself and what you are thinking and saying. You are not the only one marginalized. Some other people have very valid reasons for being afraid of guns. Far too many people just trying to live their lives have been lost to guns in your country. Your own people.
Last night was not a good night for Democrats in the Senate, and two things are now abundantly clear:
1. In an "evil genius" sort of way, Senator McConnell has run rings around the Democratic Senate leadership ever since the night Justice Scalia died. His stonewalling of the Garland nomination went a long way toward convincing hesitant Republicans to get behind Trump in 2016. His role in the timing of the Kennedy retirement and the Kavanaugh nomination maximized Republican energy in this year's Senate elections at just the right time. The results give the Republicans a very good chance to keep their Senate majority past 2020.
2. It now looks like Senator Tester will survive, but the other 3 red-state Democratic Senators to oppose the Kavanaugh nomination (Donnelly, McCaskill and Heitkamp) all lost. Other races, such as Texas, Florida (if Scott holds on) and Arizona (if McSally holds on) may have been lost because of the Kavanaugh nomination as well. Given that, there will likely be some reconsideration and second-guessing as to whether the Democrats could have handled the Kavanaugh nomination in a way that made them less susceptible to accusations of engaging in a "partisan lynching" with no concern for hard evidence or for due process, and also whether they needlessly committed political suicide just for a few PR points.
3
"Mr. Trump had appeared sensitive in recent days to the possibility that losing the House might be seen as a repudiation of his presidency ... And Mr. Trump insisted that he would not take the election results as a reflection on his performance ... 'I don’t view this as for myself,' Mr. Trump said on Sunday, adding that he believed he had made a 'big difference' in a handful of Senate elections." True to form, take any credit and deny any blame, none of this "Buck Stops Here" silliness. Truly a "sad, embarrassing wreck of a man". (George Will)
1
The Democratic Party, maddeningly, cannot break its "look a squirrel" tendency wherein since 1968, it comes to life every 2 to 4 years, throws money and energy at unfocused or un-winnable elections, then drifts back into slumber.
The goal of this election ought have been to take the Senate and, if not, to at least KEEP the Democrats seated who already were there. Instead, the GOP gained and it is stronger. And no, a new collections of candy high toddlers in the House doesn't make up for that Senate result that ought've been 48-49, at the very least.
1
I feel kind of confused about the Midterms I went into the voting booth like every year but to be honest I just feed off of my dad's knowledge. I know that I will definitely vote when I get older but don't know How much interest I'll have have when it comes down to doing research.
One thing that I think s good is that the democrats have the majority of the house.
It looks like a 3rd party candidacy will put someone in office who is ideologically opposed by the majority of the citizenry - McSally in Arizona.
1
Seeing through the number of seats won and focusing on the popular vote behind it is where the blue wave shows its true size. The final numbers aren't in yet on the House, but it's clear that the will of the people will not be accurately converted into political power yet again. That Democrats needed somewhere north of 7% more popular vote just to take the majority is a story so frustratingly missing from political reporting, and I fear that with the House in blue hands the urgency to hi light this problem will only fade.
Republicans know they have a dwindling customer base willing to buy their product. but instead of changing their policies to serve more people, they cling to minority rule through voter suppression. Of course, under Trump this disdain for democracy is on steroids, practiced with flagrant glee.
It's bad enough that the Senate and Electoral College, by design, are not democratic. Let's at least make the House reflect our true identity as a country that in reality holds slightly center-left values.
Maybe they should try a little more governing and a little less challenging? All their futile challenging of the Kavanaugh vote did NOTHING except ensure a better republican turnout this election. Maybe they should try an olive branch, maybe try and reach across the aisle and get SOMETHING done, no matter how small. I think a posture of reconciliation and forward constructive activity would help their cause much more in 2020. They successfully turned a potential wave into barely a ripple this time around.
2
@Jim Frazee
"Resist" was clearly not a winning formula. It backfired on Kavanaugh badly. It's hard to believe all those new democrats are going to be interested in nothing but "resist" or impeachment.
4
Only an expert in obfuscation like Mr.Trump could spin the loss of the House of Representatives as a great victory.He has been used to the House being a group of potted plants led by Paul Ryan who was a yes man.It is going to be a shock to Trump to face a House dedicated to the truth and to loyalty to the Constitution..
2
In California the ballot measures pretty much passed or failed according to the amount of pro or con advertising was shown in the mass media. This is typical and only changes when a lot of new voters vote. This is because they are new to the game and have no fixed opinions. They will do some research separate from the ads.
The proposition 10 was endorsed by the most respected centrist groups and newspapers in the state. Only right leaning ones opposed it. But the ads were terrifying. Vote for 10 and you’ll lose all your rights over your own property. Totally deceptive but financed by the greatest exploiters of renters across the U.S. they were brilliantly made.
I honestly think that Trump was more successful in bringing out the vote than were everyone else, even in California.
Although the election in 2016 was very close between Trump and Hillary, it really did surprise me that SO MANY more Democrats than Republicans were elected for house seats. So much more diversity was created, and for instance, for the first time, a Native American woman was elected (for one of the states).
I thought that the fact that Democrats were elected more was interesting since there ARE a lot of Republican areas/states/regions. Now, apparently, PA is more of a democratic state, rather than Republican.
2
Where I live there were record-breaking amounts of young people voting, even though it was pouring rain so they were forced to stand outside soaking wet. I was impressed with how many people there was speaking out through voting, and it came as no surprise that we won to me.
2
@Lily;D
Do they not know what raincoats and umbrellas are? If not, I fear for this nation.
1
Overall, I am shocked at the results. Usually, I am not as involved, but this year, a different pressure was placed to make sure people vote. Voting is extremely important and this year, there was a large turnout. There was quite a change, with Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin all blue. I am glad the Congress is more divided for more balanced views and perspectives.
2
Even though I'm not old enough to vote yet, I still realize the importance of politics and the midterms especially. Last night, Pennsylvania turned Democratic after being Republican in the 2016 presidential election for the electoral collage. Philadelphia especially is mostly Democratic, and I believe that it should stay that way. After the way President Trump has acted on several of our nation's issues, it seems only right that the Democrats have risen to take back the country. With control of the House, they can begin the impeachment process that might actually succeed.
Honestly, I had my hopes up that the Democrats would take the House, but I didn't really know. Hillary Clinton's defeat in 2016 kind of lessened my faith in Democrats. But with the House under control, that faith is restored.
After all, before this all three branches of government were Republican dominated. Congress was Republican dominated, the Supreme Court is Republican dominated and the Chief Justice is Republican, and the President and Cabinet is obviously Republican. The Constitution was written about the checks and balances that the three branches would have, but if they are all the same party it is as if the checks and balances don't even exist anymore.
All I want to say is that the government has fallen so far, and that it needs the Democrats to help it rise from utter rubble. I am a proud Democrat, and I hope that you can see the problems in our government like I do.
7
@Nicolas Dorazio - I am proud to see people like you speaking up. Thank you.
What's with all the graphics? I read the NYTimes for analysis and interpretation of facts, not this over-the-top supply of charts and maps.
2
After the disappointing season finale, when trump survived the midterms instead of being humiliated, massively, the new season begins with a Democrat House, and focus returning to Robert Mueller and his criminal investigation of the president & co.
Will AG Sessions and Deputy AG Rosenstein survive? Will trump toady extraordinaire, Sen. Graham, become AG and dismiss Special Counsel?
Will the House Intelligence Committee rise from its shameful ashes and resume its oversight duties as required by the Constitution?
Will Jared and Junior be exposed as colluders and grifters and face jail, or do they continued their charmed (and undeserved) existence?
Will democrats have the stuff to stand up to trump, and make him accountable for past actions? Or will they softly tread into the night, leaving the president to indulge his self-gratification at America's expense?
The new season promises to be a blockbuster.
2
Once again we see the results of our defective Constitution in terms of how the Senate is populated. It is simply unsustainable to have only 40% of the population, all ultra right wingers, control 52 seats of the senate and be able to force their antiquated dogma on the vast majority of Americans who want nothing to do with their ultra right wing idiocy.
5
My Dad taught an important lesson with his brief comment: "never kick a sleeping dog." That lesson often served me well in my managerial career--Trump needs to paste that comment the wall of the Oval Office.
2
Two Thoughts:
1) One issue voting has got to stop. It is dangerous and unintelligent for people to vote on one issue alone, meaning pro-lIfe. At the very least, I don't think one can call themselves pro-life if they refuse to extend beyond abortion and include care of veterans, accessible health care and all other situations that involve life and death situations, including climate change.
2) The rural, urban divide must be examined and tackled.
I grew up in very small town Canada. When I left to go to post-secondary school I was afraid of what I considered the "big city." (It was a mere 120,000.) My fear was real to me, but ignorant, because after I moved to big and then bigger cities I learned very quickly that my fears were unfounded and in fact the diverse culture I encountered was pleasant and even enriching.
In small towns there can be unhealthy isolation. Infrastructure often does not coax people out of their homes. People can find their only touchstone to the outside world through networks like Fox news, or a biased pastor who uses fear tactics.
We know that travel can destroy racism. My question is: how can one bring the experience of "travel" to small towns, so people can begin to experience the incredible value of other cultures and lifestyles?
How do we build bridges between urban and rural people?
8
The Dems will rue the failure to put the Senate into purple territory. A markedly stronger GOP position there foreshadows even more facile stacking of the judiciary with staunchly conservative acolytes.
No doubt the Democratic taking of the House is another mater. Have to wonder though just how that will play out — it could portend an even more profound level of obdurate legislative dysfunction.
The major wild card is still the same narcissistic, offensive, and mercurial occupant in the Oval Office.
4
"I want security." Yes and I understand that Mueller's investigation must make you feel insecure, Mr. President.
But why do you refer over and over to polls about the investigation? In the United States we have laws. Investigations are not done by popularity polls.
5
The disappointing results, compared to common midterm results, will, hopefully, convince the Democrats to stop the sharp swing to the left and return to the middle and working classes that were abandoned in favor of the weird "progressive" dogmas and failed socialist ideologies.
2
Unfortunately I think this is what it takes to wake up. We don’t truly appreciate how things should be, we get complacent and all of a sudden we’re looking into an abyss. At least we woke up and took the House. Hopefully we’ll demand the presidency and senate in 2020.
7
Democrats of the United States, congratulations on the not insignificant step you have taken in returning your wonderful country to some sense of normality! The results of Tuesday's midterm elections feel as though they are being met with a (cautiously optimistic) global sigh of relief. Keep up the great work, here's hoping you can fully capitalize on the excellent progress - the world has your back!
8
As I watched this midterm election come to close a thought occurred to me. The President was able to travel all over the country and campaign for his party. Why is this allowed? Shouldn't he be busy running the country? Not to mention the 10's of millions of dollars of taxpayer money spent for him to be able to do this. This isn't about Trump, I don't believe any President should be able to do this.
4
@nb Maintaining a working majority in at least one House of Congress is essential to any President's ability to actually 'run' the country.
2
@Richard Let the candidates and their platforms earn their votes. If they can't win without the President showing up then they don't deserve to be in office. And it would save taxpayers millions of dollars.
1
While the House can certainly block much of the right wing agenda, the Senate is going to spend the next two years confirming hundreds of fanatical ultra-right -wing judges. This will have the effect of stifling progress towards a civilized society for one to two generations. It will also allow total take over of our society by Corporations as this administration continues its dismantling of all regulatroy control of corporations. Look for massive increases in pollution and subsequent illness and death. Increases in deaths due to dismantling all workplace safety standards, massive fraud by the banking and finance industry. And total environmental destruction. By the time Trump and the ultra right wing senate are done America will have been returned to the 1930's. It will take decades to repair the damage of the next two years.
3
Well, the markets like what happened last night. Stocks are rallying.
1
@Truth Is True The markets like as little government interference as possible, so gridlock is a fine outcome for them. Markets are not, I assure you, rejoicing at the prospect of higher taxes and greater regulation (Democratic mainstays), so they are happy that (lacking the Senate or White House) Democrats are in a position to achieve precisely nothing.
3
@Richard. Time will tell, won’t it? If Democrats will achieve nothing, that is. Republicans thought the same thing about Richard Nixon, didn’t they?
@Richard, with any luck the Dems will have woke and will spend the next 2 years putting forward lots of legislation that benefits working men and women, the middle class and the have-nots and that the Republican senate and President Agent Orange will block/veto at every turn. No need for going all lefty; pass reasonable legislation and have the goon squad shooting it down will assist them greatly with getting things done in 2020.
Looking forward to it.
Trump just said if the House investigates him he will have the senate investigate them. Trump does not understand how government works, the House has the job of oversight and like most authoritarian leaders he fears them. Trump is still attacking the free press and seems to want only FOX/Trump State/ TV to be the only source of information besides his tweets despite the facts he lies at 30 per day. Trump will be exposed by the House, Mueller report and New York state agencies dimming his chances in 2020.
4
Nevertheless, so many votes for Republicans and Trumpism, which included the dismantlement of Obamacare. Why not give them what they want? Let it be expunged on their next attempt to kill it, and watch the Republicans and Trump scramble to replace it. Why should we care if Republicans end up without affordable health care, which we offered them and to which they turned up their noses?
We would be the ones that benefit in 2020! With most people now working, the best time to do this is now, not when the next recession hits and our people would be harmed by it.
1
Well finally with a new democratically elected congress we now have a desperately needed check on this president, a so-called “successful businessman” in the oval office who is proving daily to be terribly unfit for the job. On one hand we have had to tolerate for two years a tragically unprepared and dangerously unprincipled leader who is an unabashed leech and an unrepentant liar. On the other hand we have also had a tolerate a spineless and feckless group of cowards McConnell, Ryan and the rest of the GOP who refuse to come to terms with this reality. It’s a shameful national embarrassment on full display for all the world to see.
Now we can get serious about this guy and really come to grips in holding him to account for doing everything from obstructing investigations to enriching himself by refusing to divest interests. His henchmen keep trying to normalize the abnormality of his behavior. Nothing about his time in office has been normal and nothing about him has changed. He is grossly incompetent and proves it. He is using the office to enrich himself and his spawn, and proves it daily.
4
The Urbans won big with securing the House. The clodhoppers still have the Senate and WH until 2020 when we will extricate ourselves from GOP control. Then rural will mean fringes.
3
"Unusually High Turnout Illustrates Intensity of Divisions in Trump Era"?
As, sadly, all-too-usual with the Times election coverage, the reader searches in vain for any mention -- much less discussion -- of the ISSUES people were voting on, or should have been.
You know... gun-control, gun violence, the power of the NRA vs a clear national will, soaring income inequality and "policies" of tax windfalls for the .001%, while the 99% see our earnings stagnate or fall (especially in NY and NJ, after Trump's punitive tax policies for homeowners), willful and irresponsible foreign policy, blatant corruption and conflicts of interest at the highest levels of the administration, blatantly racist utterances and actions, demonizing Jews, non-whites, and immigrants, and a [president who openly scorns democracy.
Why aren't THOSE issues the focus of election coverage and analysis? The press is letting down the nation -- and legitimizing and enabling Trump in the process!
2
The Blue Wave did not materialize. The results reflected the Country's mood though. The popular vote benefits the democrats and the representative vote benefits the republicans. The Framer's had it right all along - this is something to celebrate.
The tyranny of the majority has been tempered. Democrats will issue subpoenas to everybody in the White House. That's their right and they will exercise it with abandon.
The result of the mid-tern elections is that legislation will also be tempered and republicans and democrats have been forced to seek compromise to enact legislation. Or whether or not legislative actions are required at all.
The two items most in need to be compromised are are health care and immigration. It will be an exciting next two years.
About this article, the following section illustrates the bias in journalism. The allegoric tone in favor of the democrats is truly shameful. This article requires serious editing. The "steady demographic change" referred to in the article reduces people to a voting block. This demographic group has no depth, no emotions, no dreams or aspirations.
In two marquee races in the South, progressive African-American candidates for governor captured the imagination of liberals across the country. One fell to defeat at the hands of Trump acolytes, and the other’s future was in doubt — a sign that steady demographic change across the region was proceeding too gradually to lift Democrats definitively to victory
Like Trump, you are putting lipstick on a pig. This article is an example of Trump's dishonest braggadocio bringing out the same disgusting behavior from his opponents among Democrats and their media lapdogs. Talk about being held in thrall by one's enemy! This takes the cake.
Trump remains in a position to put additional nominees on SCOTUS, and the Dems remain unable to stop him. If Dem's pull another Kavanaugh-type character assassination, Trump's nominees will sail through anyway, backlash to the Dem's viciousness will all but ensure his reelection in 2020.
The only way the Dem's minor victory in gaining control of the House will prove any more significance than a mere distraction is, if the new majority exercises its constitutional power over the purse to hobble Mr. Trump. However, that will never happen. Democrat pols like their Republican colleagues are too addicted to spending OPM (re: sounds like opium, is equally addicting, stands for Other People's Money--forcibly extorted) to deny Trump funds, which would require a modicum of self-restraint of their own slavish obsession with spending OPM. Anyone who thinks that will happen doesn't know the strength of addiction nor the turpitude of the members of Congress from both parties.
Please keep this in mind: the Republican Senate is liable to have the opportunity to confirm one or two Trump nominees to SCOTUS, which will surely doom Roe v. Wade, in answer to my ownand many other American's prayers.
2
It's November 7 -- time for the next shoe to drop. Go for Mueller.
1
And NV goes from purple to BLUE!
Now 2 Dem women senators and the 1st Dem governor in 20 years
4
Keep telling yourself it was a blue wave and forceful rebuke. It was actually standard midterm fare, with Republican gains in the Senate. Unlike our coastal elites, most Americans are middle of the road and this election proves it.
5
@David,seriously? Trump and GOP are "middle of the road"?
Almost spit my coffee out through my nose at that one.
@Dash Riprock reread my comment. I said Americans are middle of the road.
The average midterm election has the president's party loose 30 seats in the house and a couple Senate seats. Trump looks to loose 25 seats and GAIN 2-4 senators! More import, he locked the most crucial swing state - Florida.
The Democratic leadership is incompetent. Part of the problem is that the press is sycophantic and hides how awful they are. How does a party of the left keep loosing the working class vote! Define the problem so you can solve it.
I'm Canadian and I can see this.
5
NYT:
would like to see that election map overlaid, district by district with:
1) poverty level / average income
2) public school education ranking
3) cost of health care/insurance
4) % of population covered by insurance
- individual
- corporate benefit
- Medicare
- Medicaid
5) % on Social Security
6) district net contributor or recipient of federal funds
7) unemployment
8) student loan debt per capita
9) personal/corporate recipients of federal relief (welfare, SNAP, corporate welfare)
10) individual tax burden as % of income
....would be interesting...
One of the upsets happened in here in South Carolina. Mark Sandford had been ousted in the Republican primary by Katie Arrington, a true Trumpite. Joe Cunningham (an unknown 3 months ago) is a moderate Democrat who garnered strong support from Republican mayors in our area on the offshore drilling issue. He also campaigned on values and bringing people together. I detest Trump, and also any politics that are either far right or far left. I am sick and tired of the bickering between the parties. I believe we need more moderate candidates in both parties.
1
Trump is limping badly at last. Next is the staggering and fall. 2020.
3
While in thrilled my fellow democrats and I came out in droves and helped swing the house (and so excited for women and minorities!), I'm concerned that the whole process was so difficult to get even this point. It's also a shame we were not able to do anything with the senate and some of the swing state Governor races. So I think we're looking at a 2nd term from Trump come 2020. Lordy I hope not. It shouldn't have been so hard to get people to vote Democrat.
1
Corruption and waste was there before President Trump and it will be there long after he leaves. If you think putting the same old parties back in office will change the systemic problems you are deceiving yourself.
We have a serious problem in this country that has been caused by the two party system. Real, intelligent change is impossible. Instead, we get extremes from the left and right that does no good for the folks in the middle, formerly known as the Middle Class.
1
With Democrats winning (Yes, Donald!) the national vote by over 10 million, it's a good portent for 2020. But, what is still worrisome, is that despite what might be considered a landslide in a presidential year, Democrats still lost Senate seats. The last thing we need is for yet another Electoral College victory for a minority president. If Democrats can get that changed, we'll finally have Lincoln's "government of the people, by the people, and for the people."
2
The 135 million votes cast for clinton or trump represented
a bit more than 60% of eligible voters. The 115 million or
so voters yesterday represent about 50% of eligible voters.
Discounting the released felons who have lost their
eligibility, this tells me that yesterday saw a turnout
where 1 of every 2 eligible voters was motivated
to vote. The only reason this is considered astonishing
is that it's about ten basis points more than usual for off year elections.
I don't really see this as anything to get very excited about.
Half the country (more or less) also has lived through the bizarre orwellian type nightmare we all have been stuck in since late January '17 and
saw absolutely no reason, nor had strong motivation,
to express an opinion about that, one way or the other.
Shouldn't we all be appalled at that level of civic indifference and apparent detachment from civic life? Is it really an
expression of a positive civic spirit when only half the population wanted to express an opinion (pro or con) about being lied to 10-20 times per day (on average) without remorse, without correction, and with no apparent end in sight?
To me this says something fundamental about the state
of our collective soul's tolerance for living with lies that
is antithetical to what is essential for a democratic
state to survive.
6
The American people are worried about their future, as they should be. Ronald Reagan began the deconstruction of America of, by and for the People.
And since that time, life became much more precarious for most of the country.
It will probably get worse as policies serving the rich proceed.
People are scared, and, unfortunately, that is the perfect opportunity for a demagogue like Trump.
Hopefully, people will come to their senses before it’s too late.
10
With each passing election too many races get closer and closer and closer. Winners and losers are separated by 1% or less, run offs, etc, . Meanwhile roughly half the electorate doesn’t vote...
More proof than ever how much we need a 3rd party. Not just “independents” but a true additional party with a clear platform.
1
An ABC commenter had it right last night: The Democratic Party needs to show it can do more than simply "investigate" -- though he predicted (and I agree) that the DP will do a lot of that.
I'm sure the DP understands this, and will do more than just "investigate." They'll pass all sorts of legislation in the House, most of which won't be approved in the Senate. Democrats will then argue that they've done all they can do and that the failure to pass any significant legislation is the fault of the obstructionist Republicans who control the Senate.
1
Will the fraudulent governor election in Georgia be allowed to stand? I hope not. Kemp stole that election right out in the open by using his office as Secretary of State to disenfranchise over 400,000 voters! He should be headed for prison, not the governor's mansion.
4
I could not be happier with last night’s election. My hope for this country is unity, and these results give us a great chance for that.
Major props to Democrats for retaking the House. A loss here would have been catastrophic, and would have likely destroyed their party. Any new bills will now have a blue footprint, and some good bipartisan legislation will go a long way towards healing our nation.
But make no mistake, last night was a victory for Trump. The midterm electorate always punishes the incumbent, and Trump’s losses were quite tame. In 2010 Obama lost 63 seats… in contrast, Trump lost ~30. Also, the House, while blue, is a fractured blue. You have far-left progressives like Ocasio-Cortez, but you also have many in the center that report to swing states.
Trump’s Senate victory, on the other hand, was massive. He’ll have a solid 55 seats - nearly all of them loyal to the MAGA agenda. It will be hard for Dems to take the Senate in 2020, and our judicial system will continue its reformation - confirming constitutionalists at blinding speed.
The electorate has made it very clear that MAGA is here to stay. For the sake of unity, I hope Democrats choose to work with this, not fight it. There are many bipartisan bills that could be wonderful for the American people (infrastructure, immigration, & gun control to name a few). Democrats…. please do not squander this opportunity by pursuing investigations. Put down your sword, and let’s work together to unify this country.
2
It’s impossible to unify the country when the guy at the top is tearing it apart everyday. Your plea is akin to asking the battered wife to work with her husband so that he stops beating her.
2
The Democrats need to remind the Trump base that it was the Democratic Party that gave America social security, medicare, environmental protection (the EPA was formed by President Nixon), consumer protection, financial regulation. warnings on climate change, voting rights, etc. It was the Democrats who inherited the Great Depression and the Great Recession and met those challenges with distinction. Since Barack Obama took office the American economy has been on a largely linear ascendancy and was restored to unprecedented health. Donald Trump inherited President Obama's success and has ridden that wave.
The next two years will be pivotal. The Democrats need to win back the Senate in 2020 when there should more Rs defending their seats. And they have to defeat Donald Trump by cracking his base. To do that they will need to go directly to the base and show it how the Trump Administration is compromising their interests. The actions by every agency under Trump including EPA, Interior, Agriculture, Treasury etc.are implementing policies that not merely assist the Republican donor base and their corporate allies but do so at the expense of the American nation and its people.
Finally, the new House must elect Nancy Pelosi as its Speaker. She is the only House member with the political skill, the will, the experience and gravitas to lead the Democrats through these two important years. She is our most important Stateswoman.
3
@Elliott Jacobson
All passed with statesmen from BOTH parties. Not one.
The biggest and most disappointing takeaway is this: 50% did not vote!
Does the 50% who did not or could not participate have a different voice? A demographic analysis should give us a clue on how the results could have been different if we had full participation.
It is time, State secretaries are mandated to improve both registration and participation.
1
@Phil
There is no mandate that a citizen vote in this country.
2
We should all brace ourselves for the D.C. version of "Mr. Toad's Wild Ride." Mr. "Stable Genius" and "Magic Man" is going to pull out all the rabbits and toads out of his Black Magic hat for purely selfish and evil purposes - which is to cover up for massive corruption, collusion, obstruction of justice, money laundering - you name it. Thank you, Bob Mueller, for handing over jurisdiction on many of the forthcoming lawsuits to the State of New York, Southern District. The road to the 2020 election will be a long, bumpy one, but if we rid of Trump's Black Magic, then we can be assured of his disappearing act on or before January 20, 2021.
3
I wonder how many newly elected representatives actually believe they were elected by their constituents to represent their district in Congress? Maybe they already know and anticipate that they will be there to vote according to how the party leadership tells them to vote, not according to the wishes of the citizens they ostensibly represent.
1
Where were you for the last 8 years with this advice when the GOP held the House?
2
@Angry
Did you see me single out a specific party?
1
This was one of the most extraordinary mid-term elections I have ever experienced, and hopefully will put an end to those who keep saying that the President has authoritarian instincts. In fact, given the turnout, it appears he has stimulated our democracy in bringing out the voters, love him or hate him. He engaged these elections, (once again defying the punditry from earlier this year) at his own personal political risk, instead of hiding from them. For this he deserves a lot of credit, yes, for this contribution to the contest, no matter what one thinks of the substance.
2
@David Godinez
Liberals don't see how he is serving as a foil to motivate the so-called opposition but in reality he is "making America great again". If Hillary had been elected none of this renewed participation in government , especially by women, would have happened.
2
The article was titled "Unusually High Turnout Illustrates Intensity of Divisions in Trump Era". perhaps I missed it, but nowhere in the article did I see the actual turnout. By adding up the vote tally for the House, I came up with about 98 million, which is about 42%; this is a normal turnout for midterms.
1
As I understand it, midterm elections in the US have a low turnout rate, around 32%. So its 10% better than usual, though I would agree that hardly qualifies as "Unusually high turnout"
1
Democrats would have been better off not winning the House.
Then they would have had a united front.
Now there will infighting about leadership and everything else which will never stop.
Also, yes, they can investigate and subpoena.
But what if White House says no.
What are they going to do?
Ask the Justice Department for help.
The Democrats big problem:
With Trump they have someone who doesn't care.
So, if they don't do budget Trump wants, Trump will say no.
Then the Democrats will cave because they won't be able to take the heat from the government workers, their big support group.
2
@True Observer
Possible if the new blood doesn't stiffen their spines.
Dems won 10 million more votes for Senate seats nationally but lost Senate seats to the GOP.
Another lesson: the popular vote isn't what wins elections, but winning in the right places. It seems we can become a country ruled by a political minority based upon the Electoral College, gerrymandering and astute vote suppression.
The Demo House may make life less pleasant for Trump but the GOP will still rule for the next two years. Even if Mueller finds unassailable evidence of Trump betraying the country to Putin, the Senate will do nothing. 2020 will be the make or break year for the country.
3
The last time congress was split during a president's first term was 1995-1996. It was during those two years that a Gingrinch House and a Clinton White House actually managed to cut some deals. So, perhaps we can expect some deal-making these next two years. One can always hope.
Contrast that to George W. Bush's last two years, 2007-2008. He was a "lame duck" president, and he was a very unpopular lame duck at that. The Democrats had just captured the House in a "wave election". No deals were made.
Consider the contrast, also, with Obama's last six years as president. No deals were made. Instead, the president declared that he had "a phone and a pen" and proceeded to rule by executive order -- not the most robust way to yield productive change.
So, friends. Let's put some of the partisan rancor aside and be open to the possibility that both major parties might be able to cut some deals by virtue of the fact that both of them would have to assume some ownership for such deals. We will see.
2
Say what you wish about Trump...he gets credit for record voter turn out for a mid- term election.
2
"Trump will win again in 2020 as he has predicted at this writing! He’s unstoppable..."
"Unstoppable?" Not so, and much can change between now and November 2020. But he's certainly looking strong now.
The Democrats have two separate "routes" to get rid of Trump:
1. Impeachment.
2. 2020 election.
#2 isn't looking good right now, though that could change. That makes #1 look better, by contrast, but #1 doesn't look promising either -- especially since Senate is very unlikely to convict Trump even if House impeaches him.
If I were Dems, I'd focus on #2 and try to come up with a strong candidate for 2020. Not sure who that might be, but he/she probably hasn't appeared yet (O'Rourke, perhaps). The "usual suspects" (e.g. Warren, Booker, Harris, Gellibrand, Biden, Sanders) don't look promising right now; Trump would beat any of them, easily.
The best part of this election is that the sham of the House's Trump investigation can now be righted and Devin Nunes can shrink back into the corner where he belongs.
1
The battle has been joined. Will the GOP unwashed & uninformed be swept from the field in 2020 ? Will Mueller`s report put the Trump-Kushner crime family behind bars by then ?
A good start people but do not put down your tools/weapons. The GOP`s war on women & the middle class has not been won yet.
1
@Duncan Lennox
The GOP voters is not unwashed and uninformed, that is a vanity stoopid democrats like HRC wallow in.
They are fellow citizens just like us who are mostly making $70K or more and are pretty well educated. Look for Sarah Smarch article during the campaign. I think it was in the Gru.
That reference to the Guardian by calling it the Gru is a false trope like the one you are using about how they allegedly misspell words they print often. It is pithy and cool but it just aint so.
1
@magicisnotreal
Sarah Smarsh, my bad. Irony no? :-)
1
Some points to be noted: 1) Red States are getting redder, Blue States bluer. 2) The Founding Fathers ceded out-sized power to the less populous states in exchange for them ratifying the Constitution. That experiment has doomed the nation to deep division. The Democrats won the Executive, Legislative and Gubernatorial popular vote by many millions, but the minority hold almost all of the power. 3) The South is still racist and tribal. Whites vote for Whites and Blacks vote for Blacks. 4) The nation's population is center left, not center right. A majority support the liberal position on most issues. The former Confederacy has a distribution of 21/3 Republican Senators, two Democrats in Virginia which is now a Blue State, and one very temporary accident in Alabama. Without this bloc the US Senate would be a progressive body. 4) A house divided against itself will not stand.
4
The NYT should do an article on Harris County, which forms the majority of Houston.
A big thank you to the 700,000 (57.9%) people of Harris County, Houston, who voted for Beto O’Rourke in a state that largely exemplifies the saying ‘ignorance is bliss’!
4
A giant blue wave hits Nevada.
Also, a Republican dead pimp is elected for a rural state assembly seat in a a two candidates contest. What a state!
2
A weakened Senate is the most distressing outcome of these mid-term elections. Combined with a weak and ineffective Senate Minority Leader, the outlook for the next two years is not good. If you polled Democrats, it is not likely they would praise Chuck Schumer. Senator Schumer needs to resign. We need tough and bold leadership to stand up to Trump and the Republican majority. Any of the following would be good choices to lead: Kamala Harris. Kirsten Gillibrand. Elizabeth Warren. Chris Murphy. Who agrees with me?
3
Trump will lose far fewer midterm House seats than Obama or Clinton did. How is that "voter fury?"
Be careful, your bias is showing... it's right there where your journalistic objectivity should be.
9
Oh you mean like the journalistic objectivity of Hannity and Co?
7
@Chris: Speaking of objectivity, the Democrats are forecast to win the popular vote by more than the Republican 'Tea Party' wave in 2010 and a similar amount to the Newt Gingrich 'Contract with America' wave in 1994. Those elections were considered historic rebukes of the President. If it wasn't for gerrymandered House districts, there would no arguments that this election has the same significance.
2
@Debbie
So to be clear, you're saying the New York Times operates with the same journalistic integrity as Hannity & Co?
Because if you believe otherwise, then you should be demanding the same objectivity of the NYT that I am, whether it favors your preferred party of not.
1
The story of yesterday's election is that more women were elected. Yay. Other than that, meh. However, in the process of the DNC devoting enormous resources to chasing ephemera, two women already serving in Congress lost elections they ought have won. Red state Missouri went further red with the loss of Claire McCaskill and red state North Dakota went further red with the loss of Heidi Heitkamp - who more than proved her ethics by sticking her neck out to oppose the SCOTUS noxious sexual predator Brett Kavanaugh. Texas and Georgia remained red with more money spent there to gain zip; same as in Florida.
1
After winning the governorship of Florida with a razor-thin margin, Ron DeSantis said the midterms was a time "where elites don’t call the shots, don’t craft the narrative or set the agenda."
Elites. Tell that to the elderly African-American church ladies who were driven to the polls, tell that to the hordes of hardworking, struggling families, who voted for Gillum. You would think DeSantis would realize he squeaked out a win and must, therefore, address all Floridians. Nope. His sneering and divisive comments indicate he not only speaks in far right-wing soundbites but thinks in them, too. What an inferior candidate.
Devastated in Florida.
8
I lived in Florida for ten years and I could not wait to get out of there soon enough. Florida is what Republicans would like for the entire country. It is a very corrupt place where corruption and corrupt behavior is good for politicians.
If you want to be in a place that is good for Democrats, Florida is last on my list. They can keep their swamp. You devastation is in vain.
People will eventually come up with their own interpretation as to what happened. I personally wished for a blue tsunami and we only got 10 foot waves.
That is enough me and for Democrats to celebrate with a delicious pig roast at the beach in 2019 and beyond.
2
Who will be the star of the pig roast? Schumer?
1
This is my suggestion. @working stiff
https://medium.com/@allanishac/mueller-tells-staff-this-swine-is-mine-89603734771a
Without the senate they will do noting.. Enjoy the show though.
6
Division? That is such a loaded word. When things go as a person likes, that's called "diversity." When it goes as the other guy likes, that's called "division." And remember, in politics UNITY means: "do it my way."
https://emcphd.wordpress.com
5
@Rev. E. M. Camarena, PhD
Everything about your post which is in its entirety dead wrong, is exactly the reason for the animosity we have in the nation today.
This is a foreign way of seeing politics that he GOP adopted after reagan won using this divide and conquer winning is the only thing that matters method.
Real Americans cooperate and compromise to get the best possible result for the people not the party, any party.
The smallest and poorest local governments should never have to at any time worry that a wealthy business or business owner can come into their locality and take it over by spending money.
They recognize that a business is not a person or a citizen and must be regulated for its exponential power to affect people's lives and must pay enough in tax to support the society it is making its money from and to keep it small enough that it cannot exert its power via money to affect how the government runs or makes decisions.
The only people who see things otherwise are those who do not agree that all men are created equal and that those who can are allowed to take advantage of those who cannot protect themselves by their individual efforts due to circumstance. What does that make them?
If it is legal and right to protect society from drug dealers or any other obvious criminality it is legal and right to protect society from Comcast's or any other corporations depredations.
4
I don't see why all the hullabaloo about gaining seats in the senate. They already use a simple majority vote to confirm justices to the high court. But they still do not have the 60 filibuster proof majority. When Obama was in office they gave him a hard time by constantly filibustering anything he stood for. To pass major legislation they will need 60 votes. It's time for the Democrats to tell the Republicans in the senate to restore the 60 votes for judges and other high level officials otherwise the senate would be simply a small version of the House of Representatives.
1
Trump is defining the political conversation and the mass media, chasing ratings and advertising dollars, has become his vehicle. It’s very unfortunate. We are acting out a morality play instead of seriously addressing reality.
To accomplish anything we must communicate and trust in the good faith of each other. Instead it’s become entirely about who do you trust. We’ve stopped talking about anything else. Trump labels some people heading to gain permission to enter the U.S. as Genghis Khan’s Golden Horde and half the country braces for the onslaught. Just one of the fantasies that this man uses to manipulate which mesmerizes half the people and antagonizes the other half of the country and makes any civil discourse amongst us all extremely problematic.
Now there is a risk that the House may focus on Trump exclusively. If that happens, the country’s other needs will be ignored and only Trump will be the business of our representatives, from then on. That will create a whole lot of problems that Trump has no affect upon.
2
Hooray! Democrats enjoy your victory. But please don't gloat or get cocky. No time to start pointing fingers or placing blame. Roll up your sleeves and get to the hard work: strengthening the health care system, protecting our natural heritage from Trump's anti-environment agenda, and rebuilding trust in everyday Americans -- that you represent their best interests rather than corporations. Let Mueller do his job. The rewards could be astounding.
1
I am glad you used the photograph of very young voters celebrating last night victory.
@Truth Is True
I was once a very young voter - the first group allowed to vote at age 18. Before that, I was from the age of 10 a very involved kid miffed at not being able to vote till age 21. Kudos to my elders for getting that law changed, though it did George McGovern no good.
Every Boomer I knew in the 1960s and 1970s read a newspaper, watched the evening news with their parent, discussed current events in class. Those days are LONG gone, replaced by talking head tv pundits and few bona fide journalists. All the more on the internet. Few youth read a newspaper, and can hold a brief conversation on current events/civic, which is no longer an important public school spoke on the curriculum hub from 5th grade+.
I'm not as jazzed as you are. I had two lanky haired, unimpressive and utterly ignorant youth wander to my door this past week. Clipboard and pen in hand, they wanted my signature and a check for some guy I'd never heard of. I asked them their candidate's policies and they didn't have a clue. So, they listed a couple of the top CNN/MSNBC talking points sans substance: health care, schools, jobs. Oh, and yeh, he's not for voter suppression. I laughed at that one. When I told them these were topics not policies and asked what their candidate actually believed legislatively, it 100% confused them. ::sigh::
They had no more idea what I was talking about than they did the guy they rote, robotically stumped for.
1
@Maggie. It was your job, and opportunity, to educate them; not to look down on them. By the way, I have met countless older adults that are exactly the kind of automaton you implied.
@Truth Is True
I did. Their parents and their school and their candidate are the ones who failed!
1
I find it difficult to understand how Rick Scott could be ahead of Nelson when proposition 4, on allowing felons to vote, passed by more than 4,000,000 votes, giving a victory of over 2,000,000 who voted against it could be in such a close race.
Rick Scott was against this measure and actually had a somewhat kangaroo court having felons appear before him to state their case and then say "no". He made people who had paid their debt to society gravel for years only to dismiss them.
Both Kemp and Scott should be seriously investigated in regards to the voting numbers they attained. We know what Kemp did as far as suppression and other shady moves. I believe Scott's number are also suspicious.
3
I was heartened by last night's many Democratic victories, giving the 99% of the electorate not served by the Republican House a chance for representation under the law.
I anticipate Trump will encourage much stonewalling among Republicans in the House and Senate, and himself will continue as combative Trump--that's his forté. I truly hope that some unhostile bipartisanship comes from this mid-term.
Texas was interesting. It's going bluer. Support for right-wing extremist Ted Cruz won out, by a very slim margin, over the logical, rational and personable Beto O'Rourke.
But Texas' long border district 23 missed going blue by 1 point. Neighbor New Mexico's border district 2 missed going blue by 1 point. Arizona and California border disricts voted blue.
Support for a Wall will be limited, at best. That's a fair acknowledgement of how much migrant workers, particularly in farming, ranching, construction and service industries, help these states' economies.
As for Beto, he got great exposure in this race, spoke positively and convincingly of policies I support -- affordable healthcare, environmental protection, good public education. He has heart and intelligence, and I hope he runs for President in 2020.
2
I just watched Mitch McConnell and had to turn it off. I really find it amazing that the Dems do not demonize him the way the Republicans attack Nancy Pelosi. It is clear all he cares about is the appointment of conservative judges. I have never heard him talk about abortion so I assume he is doing the bidding of big business donors. He was so negative in tone about Democrats. The president of course is declaring victory and war on Democrats.
I was thinking this is exactly what the voters do not want. Usually when you lose in sports, you congratulate the other team, or at least you are supposed to show good sportsmanship. But this doesn’t happen in politics. I hesitate to post this because of the angry replies I have received from Republicans. A friend who worked for Democrats just told me about the foul horrid texts she has received. Yet the voters, like that elderly woman in Texas, are asking for a return to decency.
4
For Democrats, the following two House races, in my opinion, epitomized the highs and lows of Election Night:
1. Oklahoma District 5: I hope Democrats everywhere take a good, hard look at how Kendra Horn parleyed a relentless, laser-like focus on health care and education into one of the most shocking Congressional election upsets of at least recent times. The message should be clear: Run everywhere and don't concede any race, because "bread-and-butter" Democrats can win even in deep-red states.
2. On the other hand, Iowa District 4: I try my best to refrain from blaming voters or saying that they blew it. Generally, when a "bad" electoral outcome occurs, it's the fault of the losing candidate and party, not the voters. Steve King's re-election is forcing me to go against this. He's not even trying to hide anymore that he's an out-and-out racist (and I almost never use that word). His latest re-election, in light of recent controversies which were incendiary even by his standards, can only tar his constituents as the same.
1
Let's not forget that the election made Mitch McConnell, who has been characterized elsewhere as "The man who broke America," "The man who is going to kill the Senate," and "The man who has done grave damage to all three branches of government" stronger than he was before. It is a great relief that the Democrats have regained control of the House, but we are not out of the woods yet. The Senate has many "prerogatives," including ratification of treaties and presidential appointments (federal judges, ambassadors, and cabinet secretaries). According to the U.S. Senate web page,"The framers entrusted 'advice and consent' duties exclusively to the Senate in part because they expected these matters to be handled in a thoughtful and responsible manner."
The framers clearly anticipated wide swings in the nature of our legislators, but I'm not sure that they anticipated a Senate leader so bent on party before country. As McConnell famously told a fellow Republican, "I don't do policy, I do politics." Thoughtful? Responsible? We better look elsewhere and hope that the House can put the brakes on truly egregious behavior in those matters that require both Senate and House approval.
I did my best to follow as much as possible on Election Day, yesterday. For the next 2 years--we will have a split Congress again--that will become very polarized on a multitude of issues beginning in 2019. I do not believe the rhetoric of "cooperation", between the two Parties, because of extremist views on both sides, when it comes to their own agendas. This will not benefit "the average American Citizen in this Country." This will make things more difficult for President Donald Trump to lead the Nation.
3
What does it say about the justice of the system when a Republican Senate holds five more seats than the Democrats, while the Democrats had 12 millions more votes? Doesn't it say that the original relationship between Senate and House, even modified by the 7th Amendment (senators elected by citizens), is ruined by Republican gerrymandering and that 60% of the voting population is being cheated? That this Senate has no legitimacy? That this result cannot be considered a confirmation for Republicans and Trump?
5
@Fliegender I think you mean 17th Amendment, which was ratified in 1913.
1
Democrats are going to have to address the country's rural/urban schism in a fresh way for 2020. The rural areas have a set of concerns that may not be getting directly addressed, or branded correctly by the Democrats. The GOP has the branding right on-and the Democrats may have to firmly address each item in Trump's rhetoric with even more concern, and put his way down just like he does everyone else's, but with a more moderate policy that is backed with numbers. For instance,what if the Democatic candidates present that they are concerned about "the Caravan" too. Democrats have to present a solution that shows that the Caravan won't just be pouring in. Maybe we install immigration outposts cooperatively in Southern Mexico so the caravan is processed down there, and offer change in the bureaucracy so the people are processed quickly and informed that they will or will not be awarded entry( and consequences) before they even make it up to our borders. Or something that really addresses their fears. Make it so they are not "freeloading". The policy should save money and offer a tax cut. Trump supporters hate freeloaders. The needs of the rural GOP voter need to be addressed using the same type of language Trump is using. Issues like Socialism, entitlements, tax cuts, fair trade, immigration are presented in a particular way that appeals to the rural areas-we could present them the same way as concerns-but with different solutions that are proven to cost less to the taxpayer.
2
Republicans (Trumpists) need to be very concerned about 2020. The exit polls from last night showed that the majority of Americans feel this country is on the wrong track. That...despite a very strong economy. It says to me that the majority of Americans aren't going to be judging this country solely on the basis of economic performance. Health care, the environment, gun legislation, women's rights and respect for minorities also figure into their assessment. In those areas, the GOP scores very poorly.
With their leader showing no inclination to even recognize the importance of those issues let alone put forth recommendations, the party of Trump should be very worried about 2020. The problems that are motivating these voters aren't going away under this administration . In fact, they'll likely worsen.
The Republicans have been pretending that blue state voters do not exist. They have completely shut us down. Trump as well.
The Republicans have this tremendous electoral advantage that does not reflect the demographic shifts in this country.
Paristan divisions aside, I would really like to see lawmakers of both parties take major action on climate change, immigration and health care. That will take recognition by the Republicans that blue state voters actually exist and matter. Hopefully, that was the message delivered in this election.
I'd also like to see the Senate Republicans acknowledge that fair-minded people on the judiciary are needed, not partisan hacks. I don't this country comes together unless the Republicans are willing to compromise on these issues.
1
Dems, congratulations, but please put your leadership where you find your demographics.
The Republicans did not get to 60% and several of the Democratic seats that were lost were not always reliable to the Democratic Majority, so they really won no advantage in the Senate. The Democrats on the other hand do have a big victory to celebrate and a list of investigations and oversight responsibilities to take up in the house.
It is unlikely that Mr. Trump will work with the House, and very probable that he will blame them for the dip that will occur in the economy in the next few months.
1
It makes me sick to listen to Pelosi and others (including the NYTimes) to call for MORE divisiveness. Many of the Dems ran on a platform of getting the 'job done' for the middle class, education reform, environment protections. Now all they talk about is more 'resistance' aimed at Trump? Did you think your job in the House was to resist Trump? NO, it's to represent the people that hired you to do a job, not thwart someone else's job. If this is what Dems thought most Americans wanted, the reason we voted for them, then we are totally lost.
9
@Ma
" NO, it's to represent the people that hired you to do a job, not thwart someone else's job. "
Not when "someone else's job" has become one of undermining democracy in one's own country purely for personal and family gains. Has any president in the US history ever:
1) Subverted all US values for selling arms to, and maintaining personal financial relationships with, a backward, criminal, dictatorship such as Saudi Arabia?
(www.counterpunch.org/2018/10/12/the-khashoggi-incident-trumps-special-relationship-with-the-saudi-monarchy/)
2) Appeased a dictator, that is Kim Jong-Un, for the chance of building hotels and condos on "beautiful beaches" of North Korea? (www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/trump-muses-about-condos-on-north-koreas-great-beaches)
3) Has started a tariff war on another country (that is, China) to ensure his daughter receiving special treatment in getting approval for 16 trademarks? (www.cnbc.com/2018/11/06/ivanka-trump-gets-initial-approval-from-china-for-16-trademarks.html)
@Ma
There are quite a few "Never Pelosis". To survive she'll have to help them move legislation through and not just obstruct. Those other committee heads look absolutely crazy, on the other hand.
>But in an indication that the political and cultural divisions that lifted Mr. Trump two years ago may only be deepening, the Democratic gains did not extend to the Senate,
Or perhaps an indication that it was virtually unwinnable with the numbers of Democrats and Republicans up for re-election.
Also, look at the very close percentages in all voting. That's gotta smart.
2
Did Democratic candidates get stabbed in the back by "supporters?"
Turnout was higher than usual, but not THAT high. Many potential Democratic voters stayed home. Andrew Gillum, Bill Nelson and Kyrsten Sinema (and even, arguably, Stacey Abrams) all lost by small margins. Each would have won with just a few thousand more votes.
To be sure, a few close races did go for the Democratic candidate (the Wisconsin governor race and the Nevada Senate race, for example). But the Gillum, Nelson and Sinema races might have gone the other way if just a few more young people had voted for them.
One hopes those Democratic non-voters really enjoyed whatever else they did, besides voting.
To all those millionaire (and beyond) donors supporting democratic (or any other) candidates, whose funds typically go toward advertising, I have a much better idea for the next election cycle, which if implemented this time around would have netted more House seats and saved a couple in the Senate for democrats.
Fund a fleet of VOTEMOBILE coach buses to transport vehicle-less voters to the polls. The buses could simply follow local school bus routes at fixed intervals, possibly using smartphone apps to register/reserve spaces. Win-win both for democrats and democracy. (Apologies to republicans who rely on/hope for low voter turnout.)
3
@MyThreeCents
"But the Gillum, Nelson and Sinema races might have gone the other way if just a few more young people had voted for them."
But had older people voted for those candidates...those votes would not have counted? Just the young people?
1
@AZPurdue True, any vote would have counted, regardless of who might have cast it. But younger voters disproportionately "promised" to be there, and weren't.
1
Look for a 2020 candidate such as Michael Bloomberg to start seriously considering the Presidential election. Still lots of red... ie. Trump Solid Territory so a strong ideological Democrat would appear to have no chance in 2020. If former Mayor Bloomberg is positing a run, then he seriously needs to reconsider what key issues will be winning ones. He has the money and nationwide focus groups could be a valuable way to spend it, if he still is considering tossing his hat in the ring.
@Prairie Rose...Bloomberg was barely able to buy his third term as mayor of New York City. What makes you think Big Gulp would be more popular outside the Big Apple?
3
@Prairie Rose
I liked Bloomberg in NYC, but I do not see his style of speech or big government tendencies winning over the rest of the country.
King Trump did it as he promised! He is much stronger than suspected and the democrats are still in shock because they, again, believed their our dooms-day rhetoric! Trump will win again in 2020 as he has predicted at this writing! He’s unstoppable...
8
@Moe Def I guess Trump was right, we are getting sick of winning so much! MAGA!
3
I moved (with my family) to a district that was flipped last night. Three eligible voters in our house voted for the Democrat who won. It was worth moving here. I'm actually an independent moderate voter - who will vote Democrat until 1)Trump is out of office, and 2) Republicans move away from Trumpism.
Now, imagine if 10,000 voters from really blue states had moved to Arizona - the Democratic Senate candidate would be winning. It might be time to think along those lines, if Trump is to be defeated by elections.
Who wants to read my new children's book? It's called "Beto and Mazie Move Into the White House."
It was a blue wave. The outcomes don't reveal the real story.
Overall 4 million more votes were cast for Democrat House candidates than GOP (52% to 48%)
Overall 12 million more votes were cast for Democrat Senate Candidates than GOP (57% to 43%)
Nationwide vote totals for state governors were fairly evenly split (49% to 48%), but thus far Democrats gained 7 seats.
The counts demonstrate that the Democrats are the majority party in this nation, and how the system has been rigged in favor of the GOP. And the gap is only going to get larger as our urban and suburban communities continue to diversify.
This could be the last vestiges of the GOP as currently comprised, and don't believe they don't know it. That is why their primary goal is to pack the courts. Democracy be damned, that should be the GOP's new slogan.
wow, really Florida? you are one really bad natural disaster away from sinking into the sea and you elect another climate science denier?
I don't think you could have afforded to do that.
5
@JA: If South Florida disappears beneath the waves in a few years, it will only strengthen the Republican grip on power in the Sunshine State.
1
Hardly a blue wave. The House is ready now to abandon the peoples' work entirely in order to indulge in retributive side shows and Soviet-style snipe hunts. At least we won't have another Feinstein ambush over court appointments.
9
What "people's work" were they doing for the last two years? If the answer is anything besides, "Steal from the poor to give to the rich", it's wrong.
A little math lesson for our simple-minded head of state who claims this was a victorious election:
House: Democrats + 27; Republicans - 27
Senate: Democrats -2; Republicans +2
Governors: Democrats +7: Republicans -7
Total: Democrats +32; Republicans - 32
I know arithmetic is difficult....
6
@Conscientious Eater...Here's sum more rithamatick.
Presidency 1 [D]
Senate 1 [D]
SCOTUS 1 [D]
House 1 [R]
[D] = 3
[R] = 1
3 > 1
rithamatick is real easy
@Albert Edmud I think you have your D's and R's confused but I understand literacy is a tough one too.
But you're right, in 2016 ya'll got the Presidency and Senate (and therefore the SCOTUS, which we the people do not vote on I may add) but what happened yesterday is a sign of what may happen in 2020. Stay tuned.
2
I can't see the glass as half full. The presidency is pretty much empty, the supreme court is mostly empty, and then.. then there is Congress, where our buoyant hope now appears to in the hands of the anti-progressive Nancy Pelosi, a thought that simply fills me with despair.
What does that all mean? It means that even when progressives pull out all the stops, money has remained solidly in control. It's just money. Barf.
It is becoming increasingly clear that we have a vast urban v. rural divide in our country. As a result, we have Republicans attempting to force rural policy on urban areas and Democrats often forcing urban perspectives on rural folks.
And then there is Trump who exploits anyone for his own personal gain.
Democrats would do well to avoid national policy statements and run candidates in 2020 who embrace local community perspective(s). For now Republicans seem to be a lost cause having abandoned any attempt at bipartisanship or compromise. Their flagrant embrace of voter suppression and illegal gerrymandering is a sign of desperation so Democrats need to fine tune their message and give disaffected rural voters something to vote for.
1
If it takes deep political divisions to motivate people to go out and vote so be it. Whatever gets them to the polls. Now, having tasted the sweet nectar of voting, hopefully eligible voters will not require divisiveness in order for them to participate in future elections. Voting is the absolute least we can do to fulfill our responsibility as citizens. (Once we eliminate voter apathy we can start working on jury duty).
1
Not that Conservatives have taken back the House perhaps we will get back to reducing the budget deficit.
1
This was not a mixed message to Republicans and Trump. It was unequivocal repudiation of the party of Trump in landslide proportions. To only lose a few Senate seats when three dozen were at play is amazing. It means that about a third of the Senate is guaranteed Democratic for the next six years. Therefore more Republican Senate seats are at risk over the next two election cycles (2020 and 2022). Furthermore, Trumps crowd size has dwindled since his election, even if he has made the remainers angrier. This midterm election about Trump doubled his losing margin in the popular vote since 2016. Democrats have a clear and undeniable mandate from the people of the Ubited States of America, maybe the biggest in our history.
4
Now the real battle begins once Adam Schiff and the investigation committees in the House put Trump under an electron microscope. I hope they realize that the human body is mostly made of water and Trump is like a jellyfish when it comes to subtly and disguise, so to spend so much on such an expensive overly powerful lens could be seen by some as pure self-indulgence and as wasteful a use of taxpayer's dollar as Zinke's cone of silence. But who cares, it's their party now. Adam no doubt will be given his own private dressing room and chair on Rachel's studio set. Too bad he supposedly has his day job so he can't get his own show, even if it never seems to stop so many others who write all day and then talk all night on TV. As if the last two years weren't bad enough, these next two will be intolerable. My wife was sad that Beto lost, but now she's talking about him like he'll be the next president. Politics.
After the Superbowl I can hardly wait until Tuesday, when a day has passed, so I can stop hearing about.
Now, I can hardly wait until Thursday.
2
The NYT needs finally to study and report on the Dark Money that is constantly breathing life into the left-behind people supporting Trump. As is said below, I feel that it is the corporate takeover of America and the constant feeding of the wealthy that have put us where we are. We are seeing reduced employee hours, wages kept low in spite of record profits, unsafe work environments, constantly endangered healthcare, and "the middle class forced to shoulder trillions of new dollars of debt, just so the rich could be made richer." Corporations and their mostly secret control of most elections are playing on the fear and resentments of the left-behind voters keeping the Trump terror in place. May the Dark Money become known for what it is, and some day reap the whirlwind -- of the money storms they are inflicting on us.
4
@Martha Stephens No "dark money" supporting deadwood on the left, eh?
3
@AZPurdue Democratic Dark Money didn't buy a dozen think tanks and several entire college economic programs to push tailed ideology 30 years ago. It's a problem on both sides, but the Republicans are literally trying to distort reality with their money
Can somebody explain the totals for Senate when you include Bernie Sanders and Angus King, who typically vote with Democrats? Plus there are races too close to call at this moment in Florida and Arizona. Could the total be 49, still short, but not so much of a gain for Republicans?
My take away from this mid-term election is the fact there now seems to be a semblance of balance in Congress. So the check and balance structure will be in place.
The other take away is that with the Democrats in control of the House the wild crazy destruction of common sense policy policies will be slowed down and more carefully considered.
Third, the daily onslaught of trump distractions...invasion of immigrants on our borders, the media is the enemy of the people, abolishing of trans-gender rights, attacks on Obamacare, good people on both sides...will be slowed down or stopped.
And finally, the hard work of women (specifically women of color) in this mid term election who fought for, ran for, and won electoral positions across the country. The successes in this election are directly related to their hard work and effort.
1
Sad about O'Rourke. Thought for much of the night that he could pull it off. Though it was not to be, he will be a force in American politics for decades to come. Congratulations to everyone who ran on the issues and on hope for the future. We will get there.
I note that this article says that voter polls said that only 39 percent of Trump voters were sending a message that they support Trump. Yeah, right. As we know already, Trump voters are so afraid of acknowledging their immorality in public, that they never own-up to supporting Trump.
The really good news is that in 2020, many Republican Senators are up for election, including Mitch McConnell and Susan Collins. The 2020 map favors Democrats, given the number of Republican Senators facing re-election. The bad news is that the Supreme Court has been lost already, so a Democratic Senate in 2020 will not be able to push back the tide of very conservative federal judges, including the Supreme Court, that Trump-McConnell have been able to put into the court system - these are lifetime appointments with the potential to reject any progressive initiative that a Democratic House and Senate may be able to pass after 2020.
2
Here’s the real takeaway from 2018: about half of America is so amoral and hypocritical (religiosity meaning, as we all knew, absolutely nothing), so brainwashed and placated, so selfish and mean-spirited that they will literally tolerate anything EXCEPT World War 2 or full scale depression/recession before they elect the left.
Obama’s Congress was eviscerated after two years for his apparently intolerable behavior of, what?, saving the economy, reforming healthcare and being black. Trump meanwhile has run a list too long for anybody to keep track of, but it includes things like 0 governing accomplishments and baby concentration camps.
The cognitive dissonance in places like Florida, Missouri, Texas and Arizona are stunning. Do Democrats really only stand a chance if they demographically outbreed the locals? When does the desire for “checks and balances” play on a senate voter if not now? What can possibly damage the Republican brand?
Mueller is not going to save you. It’s hard to imagine anything he finds flipping the new base. Pray for a war or 10% unemployment by 2020 or else Trump is getting a second term.
15
Oh my god! Surely suburban women will not let the country slip into depression or embrace anarchy at our borders over a few course tweets.
Oprah, Swift, Obama, and HRC need to stay home...they are completely useless.
5
My takeaways:
Im very glad Democrats are going to control the house. The understatement of the day.
I can't believe Texas would re-elect a human being like Ted Cruz; a man that no elected official within his own party can even stand.
Kansas may now get back to that common sense they had during the Civil War and for a time after. Thanks!
Scott Walker going into the dust bin is nothing short of AWESOME!
And Fox News has done more to create the polarization within this country through their incessant juggernaut of support and propagation of the myths and lies of the white, monied, race-baiting dark forces within this country and the like minded in the growingly authoritarian world.
Now, let the light in.
9
A forceful rebuke? Really NYT? Did you forget that two women senators lost their seats and the Georgia governorship was easily lost. Some of the women that won were republicans and the democrats barely took the house. Women won in democratic districts. A forceful rebuke is what happened to Clinton in 94. The NYT just cannot stand the fact that the republicans barely lost ground. And if they put Pelosi in charge again the democrats are going to lose the presidential race in 2020.
9
34 seats is barely lost ground? Sure, on Fox Planet.
1
@Brad: The Democrats are forecast to win the popular vote by a landslide 7%, perhaps the largest margin since the 1980's and larger than any of the last four Republican wins (including 2010). They may win 229 seats. If the Republicans had won the ppopular vote. by 7%, they would have won 250 seats. When the Republicans lost the popular vote by 1.2% in 2012, they still won 234 sests. That speaks for itself. As for the Georgia governorship race (which was overseen by the Republican candidate), it may yet go to a runoff.
1
@Brad: The forecast Democratic win in the popular vote virtually matches the Republican win in the popular vote in 1994. Why is one a rebuke and the other is not?
2
Though I agree with the admonition that Dems should "legislate, legislate, legislate, not investigate, investigate, investigate"...
Mr. Kavanaugh said under oath that before his Yale admission, he & his family had no connection to Yale & was not a legacy applicant, that he got in (purely) by "working my tail off." However, a) Kavanaugh's grandfather went to Yale, & b) Yale specifically asks about grandparent alumni on the application, implying the institution considers this relationship as conferring legacy status. Because Mr. Kavanaugh knew about his grandfather at the time of that statement (even if he managed to suppress any recollection about the application, in a spirit of George Costanza's "It's not lying if you believe it!"), he was lying under oath.
But even as to the Costanza logic, in legal proceedings (and Mr. Kavanaugh was auditioning for a SCOTUS seat), the standard is that you are considered as knowing something if in fact you *should* know it; managing to convince yourself doesn't exempt you from responsibility for the truth. At the least, Kavanaugh, even if he conveniently "forgot" the application revealed Yale's policy position that he was a legacy applicant, had to know Yale's policy might disagree w/ his categorical denial of that status. In other words, "perjury."
These are serious/"material" because the hearing was about his own credibility & self-serving efforts to discredit others; also, current SCOTUS cases consider legacy status in admissions.
4
Lol...I thought 36 years ago was a huge stretch but going back two generations is totally beyond any comprehension.
I think he needs a DNA test to prove his ancestry to the Yale alumni.
4
For comparison purposes:
From today’s NYTimes article:
“liberals and moderates banded together to deliver a forceful rebuke of Mr. Trump”
From 2010 NYTimes article when Republicans flipped more than 58 Democrat House seats and gained multiple Senate seats:
“they (Republicans) dealt a setback to President Obama”
https://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/03/us/politics/03elect.html
Conclusion: Yes, the NYTimes is biased. Evidence below:
1. A 26 seat Democrat House gain and a Democrat loss in the Senate is termed a “forceful rebuke” of “Mr. Trump”.
2. A 58 seat Republican House gain in 2010 and additional Republican gains in the Senate were just a “setback” for “President Obama”.
3. The NYTimes description of President Trump as “Mr. Trump” confirms their bias/agenda even more.
10
@rfmd1 You mean "Democratic," not "Democrat," right?
Biased people say "Democrat."
1
@Kate
Grammatically challenged people say Democratic. (when referring to the Democratic party)
Uhmmm - did the writers of this article get the news that the 2018 election was not a Blue Wave - it was more like a Blue Splash.
This whole article was so clearly biased in extolling the triumphs of the Dems while downplaying the victories of the Reps.
Florida, Ohio, Texas, Georgia - all held back the Blue Wave. Yes, it might have been a squeeker, but Reps still won.
This article is just the type of hubris and magical thinking by Dems that believe more in their own hype than the reality of boots on the ground and understanding what the people want. They may not want the hegemony of DJT - but they're not jumping on board the 'liberal progressive agenda' of nonsense like Medicare for All that has been touted by the MSM.
2020 will be very interesting (unless we have an economic crash, a war or both - then DJT is toast).
8
@Common Sense, let the Dems savor this moment, reality is cruel enough on its own. Remember how excited you once felt to find the quarter under under your pillow full knowing there really wasn't a Tooth Fairy? Everyone should be allowed their moments to pretend, it's about all we really have that is truly our own in this world.
1
Maybe part of the solution to hyperbolic nasty politics is that the press stop using hyperbole to describe normal things?
Maybe say "Democrat's win control of House, Looks like they had the better argument."
More objective coverage and less subjective editorializing. The shameful coverage on TV last night even after it has been made clear that EL Trumpo won because of this ridiculous pandering to him for the ratings his stunts get is exactly the wrong thing to have done.
This does not mean you simply relay what people say, you are supposed to challenge lies and dissembling.
4
In races in which Dems are down but very close, expect boxes of Democrat ballots to be found in trunks of cars.
4
If the Democrats want to use the next two years to set up a win in 2020, Pelosi is not the right leader. She is old guard and a polarizing figure. Let’s make way for new leaders. It’s a must if Democrats are to win in 2020. Her time has passed.
3
Agreed. It is definitely time for some fresh, new perspectives. Also, the Democrats need to stay focused on improving the country, and not simply exist to bait or, for that matter, constantly investigate Mr. Trump.
1
A thorough analysis of campaign expenditures for every candidate, in total and race-by-race, would be most helpful and appreciated.
3
Total Senate vote total...
Democrats 40.5 million
Republican 31.9 million
And still the Democrats lost two seats...you know where this would never happen, in modern, health democracies like German, France, England and Canada.
In these countries the lines for districts are drawn by independent commissions not party hacks, until Americans decide enough is enough the absurdity of the above will ensure the minority will continue to govern the majority.
5
I am coming to realize that to many, if not most, people, politics is about your 'team'. It is really not that different from Red Sox vs Yankees. You root for who you were raised to root for. You are a fan of one or the other, and that's the way it is. How sad that critical thinking does not seem to enter much into the picture.
6
@John Dyer,
that is patently not true. from my earlier comment:
Here’s the difference between dems and repubs, dems keep someone good even from the other side- like MD and MA governors. But repubs will reject even outstanding dem candidates to elect the most vile and hateful creatures like FL and TX.
1
Democrats are forecast to win the popular vote by a landslide 7%, exceeding the Republican margin of victory in the past four elections (including 2010). Yet they are forecast to win only 229 House seats, fewer than any of the winning Republican totals. The Republicans actually won 234 House seats in 2012, despite losing the popular vote by almost 1.5m (1.2%). Unless the Democrats win the popular vote by at least 5% in 2020, they will probably lose the House as well as failing to retake the Senate and the Presidency.
3
The fact that it was the expected outcome for some time should not diminish how impressive it was for the Democrats to re-take the House majority, esp. given the gerrymandering that they faced in many states after the 2010 re-districting. If they can retain the majority in 2020 and also have a good showing in state legislative races that year, they will have an opportunity to lock in an advantage in House balloting for much of the next decade.
Yes, this means that they should gerrymander to the fullest extent that the 2020 election results allow. You know the Republicans will do the same in the states where the 2020 election results will allow them to do so, and it is unlikely that the Supreme Court will have declared partisan-based gerrymandering unconstitutional by then, if ever.
But it's unfair, many of you will say. My own view is that the Democrats need to fight fire with fire as long as the tactics are not illegal. They've hamstrung themselves, and have impeded their ability to enact their own legislative agenda, by "playing fair" while the Republicans play to win. It's time that the Democrats remembered that if you want to govern and enact policies that you like, you have to win first. Gerrymandering is a tool to help improve the chances of winning, and the Democrats should use it whenever and wherever they can.
3
...and the WEATHER!
Kudos to all those citizens who overcame uncooperative weather to make it to the polls!
To all those millionaire (and beyond) donors supporting democratic (or any other) candidates, whose funds typically go toward advertising, I have a much better idea for the next election cycle, which if implemented this time around would have netted more House seats and saved a couple in the Senate for democrats.
Fund a fleet of VOTEMOBILE coach buses to transport vehicle-less voters to the polls. The buses could simply follow local school bus routes at fixed intervals, possibly using smartphone apps to register/reserve spaces. Win-win both for democrats and democracy. (Apologies to republicans who rely on/hope for low voter turnout.)
1
I owe an apology to some female Times readers and female subjects of articles. I went into last night dreading a RED wave that would give the GOP more seats in the Senate AND the House. And I did not accept that college-educated Republican women would turn on Trump. In fact, I posted a reply to a woman's comment, "When you get in the voting booth, the madness will end and you will vote Republican." If that lady voted Democratic, then I was needlessly harsh. If some of the Republicans who held their noses are now thinking, "I didn't sign up for this," this is a problem for Trump.
So the question for Trump is, will the hardcore supporters remain? Or will he somehow push his luck and alienate them? None can say, nor can anyone predict if there is one. But if there is Trump is in trouble.
Trump became president not BECAUSE of what he did in 2016 but IN SPITE of it. He broke all the rules, did the opposite of what he was told to do, and still became president. Last night the rules struck back.
3
@Michael Gallagher
I don't see a reason for an apology. Clearly, some of the madness did stop because we went blue.
This article misses what I think is one of the most important signals of this election: The Michigan and Wisconsin governships, which are currently held by Republicans, were won by Democrats.
Those are two states that Trump carried in 2016 by razor thin margins of ~10k and ~20k, respectively, but they combine for 26 electoral college votes—two-thirds of the gap that Democrats need to bridge based on the Clinton/Trump map.
Last night showed that Democrats can strike there in 2020.
8
Please, Nancy Pelosi. Have the good grace to step aside. Let someone with new, fresh ideas be the leader of the House.
5
@Jasper
For who to replace her?
The Democrats have never known how to effectively play the long game. Republicans have since the 1980s carefully tended and built grassroots local and state and national connective tissue. The Democratic Party veers back and forth, come alive every 2 to 4 years like a drunken sailor, then passes out in slumber. The flavor of the month is now women and black candidates - or a true wild card a black female candidate who supports all the tax 'n' spend Bernie talking points + illegal immigration. Big whoop. This is how the GOP took over all of govt. in 1980 and mostly kept it till policy wonk centrist Bill Clinton came in to shake up both hives, balance the budget and get the nation out of debt. Then, in 2000, both parties went right back to their same old 1960s and 1980s grifter modus operandi.
1
It is simply not true, as the article supposes that "political and cultural divisions lifted Mr. Trump two years ago." What gave Trump the victory was that Clinton represented the corporate oligarchy which has done nothing about wages for the common worker in the last 40 years. A small block of white, rural Americans (maybe 10%) became angry over this economic disenfranchisement. Rather than admit they lacked the education, situational circumstances, insight and drive to fight it out in the "new economy," they found it easier -- and were psychologically susceptible -- to blaming immigrant, gays, secularists, socialists, coastal elites, blacks, browns, reds, yellows, immigrants and women for their own misfortunes. This group represents Trump's margin of victory.
The "political and cultural divisions" supposed in this piece are a media fiction created in order to advance the titillating notion of a culture war. If you actually look at the real numbers of polling data, what you find is that what Americans want is a liveable wage for 40 hours of work a week, some form of universal health care, that the super-rich to be taxed fairly, and other than that, want mostly to be left alone.
The fact is that the oligarchs and their appointed representatives in Congress refuse to give the people these three things, which is exactly the impetus behind the radicalization of the populace. Congress created the problem, Congress can fix it.
5
@Kip Leitner
I agree with most of your comments, but take exception with the followings:
"The 'political and cultural war' supposed in this piece are a media fiction created in order to advance the titillating notion of a culture war."
I don't think you have been watching FOX News. Take any Trump speech; listen to its analysis on both FOX and CNN, then decide if the political and cultural war is real or imagined.
"... what Americans want is a liveable wage for 40 hours of work a week, some form of universal health care, that the super-rich to be taxed fairly, and other than that, want mostly to be left alone."
Isn't that what Democrats have been promising all along? Certainly, people like Bernie Sanders and John Kerry have spent all their political lives fighting for all three items (at heart, Bernie is still a Democrat!).
I think the Union should split. Let the Deep Red States go on their own and stop siphoning off income from the Blue States. Let the racists go to the right, and leave those who believe in equality for all to go left. Let those who choose to condone misogyny go to the right, and those who want equal power for women go to the left. Let those who believe that women should be able to choose what to do with their bodies go to the left, and those want to control others religion go to the right. I do not see that we can ever agree. Let's have a trial separation and see what it is like.
7
@Jordan
I think you are correct...you really have two different countries down there...Sort of like in Canada when we had a referendum on whether Quebec would become its own country or stay in Canada. They voted to stay narrowly but we gave them the option.
Let see the income tax returns!
7
@Eddie B. Let's see the hard drive!
1
@azpurdue Let's see everything...but really everything. would you be down with that?......p.s.: the Lady is not running again. The Guy , given his ambition for 2020 , might want to exercise some prudency about transparency...
@miche - the lady is not running again? Don't be so sure. I don't care about his tax returns. But for those who do, great.
1
No Democrat that I voted for and supported won in SD. I am just disgusted.
1
@Kris That's because the Caravan is heading your way.
2
I don't understand the democrat fury? Economy is going strong lifting everyone up, especially minorities and women. Trump is not starting wars in the ME or anywhere else. He has brought manufacturing jobs back to the US. His focus on America helps all Americans. Wo what's the beef?
4
If you really need to ask, then you wouldn’t understand.
5
@jaco: Just one of the things thst Democrats worry about the state of democracy. They (and we all should) be concerned that the President conducts a non-stop self-promotion campaign, punctuated with lies and racial animosity. The Pittsburgh shooter used the same words in his GAB posts that the President routinely uses in his MAGA rallies and tweets. What is the difference between him and the domestic terrorists that support him or quote his comments in support of their vile acts?
3
@jaco
Sho me the money! Facts before fiction.
2
Why does the Florida panhandle election ends one hour later than the rest of Florida? More importantly why are results from other areas of FL broadcasted before the end of voting in the state?
Given how tight the results were, I wonder how many people in the mostly republican region decided to vote in the last hour that wouldn’t have voted otherwise, had they not known the results from the rest of the state? Perhaps had voting ended in the entire state at the same time Gillum and Nelson would have won.
6
As a Canadian, out of respect for your election and not wanting to interfere, I refrained from commenting on issues relating directly to your election during the last 6 weeks.
First impression of election night,...
If one looks at the results across America from Congress on down through to the individual State House and Senate races, one thing is definitely clear...
Populism is here to stay.
2
So good to see democrats taking the House, the Senat was out of reach anyway. Really impressed by all the enthusiasm and work put in and mobilising the young. After two years of despair about Trump and Brexit over here (Britain), I think this midterm election marks the beginning of the return to sensible politics.
5
Nice of y’all to show up.
3
The all out onslaught and smear campaign of NYT and other media didn’t produce the outcome they promised a crazed, mindless and deluded Democrat base. That much time, that much money, that much deception couldn’t get the job done. NYT readers, you must swallow and digest this truth. Then look through the stool sample you produce to find out what you need to do.
5
Time to bring back justice to America. The GOPP still controls. the Senate and Trump still controls them BUT...
Trump's children could easily wind up in jail and many in his administration.
His corruption and Russian collusion will be exposed. He can sit , do nothing( FOX,PORN,GOLF) and what his sycophants go to jail around him. When the time is right he will be in prison for LIFE.
2
Nice photo! who says all intersectionalities aren't represented by the Democrats? :|
1
Reading the results of the midterm election I salute the America that has pulled us off from the precipice.
To the other America I say this: You have fallen for a snake oil salesman. You have bought lock, stock and barrel all the lies that were spread by him. You have given in to his fear- and hate mongering. You have accepted that the tax reform benefits the middle class when it was only crumbs that were left over after the rich had taken their loot. You have now believed the propaganda that Obama Care was bad for you.
You have also allowed xenophobia to become the righteous and dominant narrative in your life. You are no longer listening to your inner voice that is valiantly trying to drown out the autocratic noise you have accepted as inconvertible truth.
What has happened to you, the American voter, hell-bent to vent your anger on the wrong party? You were obviously only willing to listen to the incendiary voices that offered you changes with no specificities. The apostles of doom and dystopia warned you of a socialist take over. And you bought it. You were unwilling to take off your lemming blinders for fear of seeing the cliff you are heading for.
You refuse to stand up for the plight of those who have fled their countries and are now asking for your compassion in the false hope that your country is still the same U.S. that was once such a wonderful destination.
Please, America, remember your goodness and generosity. You still have it in you.
6
Hillary received 3 million more votes than Trump. 2 years later, the disparity between democrat and republican votes was 9 million. In every other country on Earth majority rules, here in America we are seeing something very unique. The majority of the people cannot be long held back , a country can't work where a solid majority of the citizens do not like or respect the people in power.
11
@artfuldodger
Perhaps a remedial Civics class is in order.
The popular vote is immaterial. Elections are run district by district. There is no national vote total, etc.
5
@EGD
Then it's the same as in the UK. Voting is by district and you don't vote directly for the Prime Minister.
This method is having your cake and eating it. It should be popular vote and dump the electoral college.
@EGD - Typical Democrat...always wanting to move the goal post.
1
Disappointing night for the Democrats. NYT needs to stop framing it so positively. Democrats need to wake up, change tact and leadership immediately and focus on 2020. Beto should run in TX for the 2020 open seat and Stacey Abrams should run for the open seat in Georgia. Need to defend Doug Jones if you can but be on the attack in Maine, North Carolina and Iowa with viable candidates. Need to focus on the center. Stop talking about abolishing ICE. Stop attacking Trump and start taking about their vision for leadership and policy. Attacking Trump only fuels his base to show up in his defense and swing polling 2-3% his direction. With gerrymandering and voter suppression understand you have to win by 5-6% in the polls to actually win. Take the immigration and fear issue away from Trump by talking tough on illegal immigration by drawing the distinction to legal immigration. You can’t just stand their screaming. You have to find candidates who can be old school outreach politicians like Trump and Beto because that is what seems to be working. Wonky policy ideas no matter how “right” don’t translate with voters. You need measured passion for a different vision, not just yelling and screaming at the other party. Change leadership out and let the Clintons and Pilosi fade into history and stop allowing the other side to demonize you through the legacy of your tired leadership. You need fresh, you need young, you need minority and female candidates not socialist Dems
5
I see the spin machines and troll armies are out in full force, yet again - which is really getting old.
All I can say is I'm happy that the sociopath in the White House doesn't get a rubber stamp in Congress anymore. Maybe that will at least slow the train of self-destruction that this country is on currently. I don't think much has changed in terms of divisiveness but at least it's no longer unchecked (abuse) of power.
7
I share your political leanings. I hate where the Christian Conservative controlled Republican Party is trying to lead us. But................the election was far from a landslide for the Dems that we were hoping for, so please when reporting, stop spinning and maybe we won't have as much fake news on both sides.
4
@William S. Oser
No it was not a landslide but a solid win in the house the democrats can build on.
Well, I slept better.
4
It is a big relief that putting the House back in Democrat's hands will put the brakes on Trump, but he will still be able to get his judges & administration picks confirmed in the Senate. I am very disappointed that Gillum & Beto lost. The election in Georgia was a disgrace, so much voter suppression was disgusting.
2 more years of this racist monster is not going to be easy. 2020 will be an epic battle. If he is re-elected, shame on us.
5
Republicans increased their senate majority so I guess the Trump backlash only occurs when the NYT declares so - The democrats extreme attacks on Kavanaugh really hurt them in this election because their attacks energized the republicans
5
Cruz beat Beto, and DeSantis beat Gilliam? Why did the polls predict a Blue Wave?
Why did the polls Not predict a Red Wave?
Or were the polls correct in both 2016 and 2018 and the voting machines were rigged in Texas and Florida and who knows where else?
This was a dry run for 2020.
Trump was ready to declare the midterms illegitimate. Does anyone think the anti-democratic Republicans would hesitate to cheat? They literally own the voting machines.
Rigging the voting machines is Exactly what the Republicans would do. It's easy.
They know the mush-brained Democratic Leadership haven't the temerity to question them - and neither will the sheep-like Democratic voters. If you don't question now, you won't question 2020.
I want to see an FBI investigation of the voting machines.
3
If the NY Times wants to determine the backlash, it's fairly simple.
The midterm elections are won by popular vote. The President is elected by Electoral College.
Show state by state the popular vote between the midterms (House and Senate) and 2016 elections. Was there a shift? In what direction? Is there a pattern?
My opinion- the map will show the popular vote for neither party shifted significantly to indicate a "backlash". Red states remain red, same with Blue and Purple.
The map, I believe, will show the popular vote did not move significantly in 2 years. We remain a divided country. The only difference is how the winners were chosen.
This is fodder for the anti-Electoral College folks but, overall, this country in total is Republican and Conservative. The Electoral College will not go away. It is embraced by the winning party and castigated by the losers.
The Republicans know this. Their strategy is to play to all the red states, regardless of size and Electoral votes because it worked in 2016 and will likely work in 2020. Conservatives can move towards the middle but will not ever, cross to the left. The center is not the left.
The Democrats have many lessons they need to learn. They haven’t learned it yet. The question is when?
3
Jon and Alex, Sarah's photo say it all:
Cheering millennials, presumably with "support in suburban and metropolitan districts that were once bulwarks of Republican power but where voters have recoiled from the president’s demagoguery on race."
But, with "The two (Vichy) parties each having some big successes in the states."
However, with apologies to F. Scott Fizgerald's "Gatsby" --- "the dark fields of the Empire rolled on under the night".
Nothing has changed --- nor will it --- until a change agent awakes.
The ruling 1% know exactly what is happening and lie through the teeth of their well paid agents, while the masses up through the fourth quintile understand nothing except the lies and dreams they watch on TV, and the remaining 19% hold their breath against ruin.
This is not a problem that the 99% can either resolve, nor be held responsible for.
The ethical portion of the fourth estate, like Paine, Franklin and Henry must be the quicksilver assay of what is democracy and what to call that which is not.
Already some media acknowledge that "Democracy Dies in Darkness", but none that are trusted dare yet mention what is displacing Democracies or democratic Republics --- though its name has been known as long as human history --- from Moses lading his people out of it, to Christ trying to displace it with love, and to our founding dream in the 'New World'.
Emperor Trump, calls it the 'enemy of the people', but the only real enemy of the people is Empire.
2
Well, Dems flipped 7 governors' race, got the house and came pretty close in many other races. Popular vote share increased by about 9%, higher than some previous "wave" years. They did loose some senate seats, but in deep red pockets and as expected. The victories in Kansas & Wisconsin are more significant than the close loss in FL, I think. (Bernie Sanders campaigning in Kansas recently said, "they say KS is Repub, but I don't think so"...)
I now think this is a "blue wave".
3
My takeaways:
Pro forced birth and white spite get their vote out.
The message that the GOP stands poised to destroy Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, affordable education, affordable anything, consumer protections, the environment etc., and must be stopped immediately by voting in the voices of reason instead, still far too commonly gets a: "They're all corrupt. I'm definitely not going to bother."
Almost all of the toss-ups again 'magically' fell to the GOP, how would that - again and again and again! - have come about?
The superrich puppet masters behind this are happy when they keep the Supreme Court a scarlet scar and pain on the nation lashing us all with corrupt injustice that will rip what's left of our protections to smithereens for decades, keep the Senate ditto red, and keep the House and the Presidency riggable toss-ups.
A house divided to them means an endless streak of being able to keep their loot and their freedom of regulation, and of 'winning' - no: stealing! - more loot, and more, and more, with impunity.
2
@Against the Axis of Fraud
Pro-forced birth?
No. Anti-child murder.
1
@EGD
Try pro-controlling of women's personal lives, since that is the primary motivation for self-proclaimed "pro-lifers." If they cared about "life," they would be anti-war, anti-capital punishment and in favor of narrowing income disparity and protecting the environment; most "pro-life" people are not. Sorry.
The entry point into national politics is usually through the House. These people then get a foothold, and move on to governorships,the Senate, or even the Presidency.
What is clearly understated in this takeover of the house is the number of women, minorities, and complete neophytes to politics. I doubt there has ever been this much fresh political talent enter the fray in one year. The force of this sea change entry into American politics can not be underestimated.
Not only is this a repudiation of Trump and his Republican Party. It is just the beginning of a modern era in American politics whereby sitting on the sidelines is no an option, not when the will of the majority is being held hostage by oligarchs and racists.
2
If I were the Democrats, I’d be a bit concerned. On one hand, they took the house, but the results from the Senate indicate that they’ve lost touch with and are still not reaching important parts of the electorate. Although these parts have rallied behind demagoguery and racism, a dialogue still needs to be opened. Knock on people’s doors. Have a coffee or beer with them and get to know them better.
@cb
The greatest loser in this election was the charge that republicans and Trump are "racist".
1
Win is a win. We will now continue to live in the same universe of unintended consequence.
Powerful rebuke to Trump? That would have made Obama’s midterm 2-3 times as powerful a personal rebuke as Trump got? Long long time subscriber I ask: “can you just do the numbers and leave the personal opinions for the water cooler”
1
Could the Times please consider using maps to illustrate election results that are based on human population and not geographical territory?
See France's Le Monde this morning for an example of a better way of illustrating the results. Each House district is shown equal in size (since the human population of all 435 House districts is approximately the same). This shows the map as a whole being slightly more blue than red--a far cry from the ocean of red with a few tiny blue islands that we see in the Times' map.
Let's keep in mind that, as of this moment in the count, the total vote in all House elections was 50.7 million for the Dems to 46.8 million for Reps. (In Senate races, the gap was even bigger: 45.1 million total votes for Dems to 33.1 million for Reps. Anyone think the Senate is a truly democratic institution?)
4
@James
Thanks for sending me to Le Monde!
The East Coast and the West Coast will always be Blue,
And the BlueExit will grant them a spectacular hue.
To Blue I am loyal. To our Source I stay true:
The Wisdom of the Ocean, from which we splash and renew.
@Against the Axis of Fraud
You're welcome for the Le Monde tip. And thank YOU for the poem. The Ocean is wise--and still blue (at least here in Miami Beach). But for how long? Recent red tides closed our beach briefly. The wise Sea is speaking to us, warning us, pleading with us....
As I predicted, the Democrats underperformed last night because the Democratic Party establishment has refused to embrace the economic justice movement. This decision has inadvertently and unwisely conceded the strong economy narrative to President Trump and the Republicans at a time when America has the worst wealth and income inequality gap since the Roaring Twenties, just prior to the Great Depression.
Previously, I advised that salvation for the Democratic Party lies in targeting workers in the middle and lower classes and advocating for living wages, guaranteed income, shared corporate governance rights, and worker stock ownership, which would give workers a stake in this unequal, pro-stockholder economy.
Unfortunately, the stubborn Democratic Party leadership has refused to strongly commit to an economic justice agenda because they themselves are elites who have grown wealthy in this gilded 1% economy. Their personal comfort level has so far precluded this obvious and necessary shift in issue emphasis needed to meet or exceed electoral expectations.
To reach our party’s full electoral potential, Democrats desperately need new, more fiscally progressive and frankly, more sincere party leadership at the Democratic National Committee and in the U.S. Congress.
3
this whole year long debacle is finally over. the media was out of their minds pushing for the left. trump was throwing bombs all over the place and politicians were doing their thing,lying. so nothing changes. no legislation will pass. the republicans hold the senate and the dems hold the house and the president ain't going anywhere. maybe we can see some evening news about something that is relevant.
2
I'd like to see the numbers alongside the map. Looking at a map covered in RED really doesn't tell the story. Even if the numbers aren't final, I'd like to see them on the front page of the digital edition.
1
The Times vastly overstates "voter fury." I certainly would have preferred to see Republicans hold the House, but the night was far from a Blue Wave. I can live with it.
Wonderful to see the great Patriotic Immigration Reform leader Steve King returned to the Senate, but sad to see another amazing patriot, Kris Kobach, turned back from his gubernatorial bid.
Congratulations to Georgia for repudiating the thinly-veiled Black Nationalism of the abominable Stacey Abrams and to Florida for turning down the boneheaded socialism of Andrew Gillum.
Not a perfect day for America, but not a bad one.
2
Steve King belongs in 1920, not 2020
NYT - your headline is misleading and risks branding you biased. The high turnout might illstrate strong feelings on trump in both positive and negative ways, not just backlash. High numbers turned out to support trump's agenda too - an agenda doubling down on lies and hate. Don't ignore that reality too, it has to be dealt with.
2
I am so energized by this. I thought the maps were too gerrymandered for us to ever take control of House but we did it. It is time to expose corruption and stop covering it up. It is time to hold this white house accountable! Of course we must realize this administration is already building a plan and a counter narrative to the multiple investigations. They will not ever do what is good for this country and resign when the corruption is exposed. We must stay a step ahead and make sure the truth is told.
108
@Alk I doubt they are going to go after the corruption at FBI or in the Clintons' many cases.
1
@Alk
Then, you don't really understand the election processes, the ease of voter malleability via hallow promises and tv media, the business of party politics, and of how the new bright shiny pinwheel often is a clunker compared to the solid, steady old one.
1
@OldEngineer After 50 million fruitless and costly investigations ...that should not happen. Though I wouldn't be surprised if they try that counter narrative. No scruples.
1
To argue that Republican gains in the Senate are an indication of an deepening partisan divide is to understate the impact of the gerrymandering that deforms accurate popular representation in those states.
The very obvious underfunding and understaffing of the upcoming 2020 census is part of an intentional effort to continue that underrepresentation of minor and urban/suburban voters. Here's hoping the Democrats in the House can do something about that before the time comes.
Side note: Thank you Heidi Heitkamp, for voting your conscience. You may have lost, but so did Claire McGaskill, who did not.
10
Well, it looks like we are back to hoping Robert Mueller can save us.
4
can we put FL and TX up for adoption?
4
Don't insult adlption. Close a less cruel metaphor.
This is not a victory - not by a landslide. It's mere foot in the door. Now instead of wasting time on how to 'block' Trump's 'winning streak', let's focus on issues: Fix issues we had with Obamacare. Proactively fix immigration issues. Do not let Tom, Dick and Harry pack their bags and walk through the border. Focus on issues that the Trump administration is using to enable Rep. base, and provide with real solutions. Fight for people. Forget impeachment. Do not hand out entitlements. Take care of minorities - and African Americans - but do not instill racial divide like Trump.
And lastly - do not underestimate power of stupidity - start campaigning for 2020, today - and please bring forth new faces - Not Nancy, not Hillary, not Biden, not anyone from Obama administration.
THIS should be your plan, and we Americans WILL have all good reasons to put an end to this American Horror Show, once and for all.
8
Considering the historical performance of opposing parties during a president's first term, this was a pathetic effort by the Democrats. The fact Trump was actually able to create a bulletproof majority in the Senate says a lot about Trump's strategic brilliance. Now, while the Democrats waste all their energy investigating Trump, he'll be able to do meaningful things like moving any judicial nominee he wants through the Senate. Congratulations on a great night, President Trump!
5
Why so many Debbie downers this morning? Democrats get so caught up in any given election and don’t spend nearly enough time valuing small gains that add up in the long term.
The best we could ask for in this election was an affirmation that this country has not slipped irredeemably into fascist racism. On that count I’m encouraged. Now we have to keep going. 2020 will be harder because there’s no longer a pure opposition play and midwestern voters won’t be moved by obstruction and grandstanding investigations. Time to get to work dems.
7
Dems won house and others seats...DON'T BECOME COMPLACENT..the battle is just beginning. Remember, Trump has never stopped campaigning , the only difference now from then is he's doing it at government expenses.
With the Dems winning the house... Trump is wounded...and like a wounded animal, Trump will become more dangerous and vicious. Expect Trump's lies, irrational and vindictive behavior to increase. Expect More division, fear and lies...the beast is wounded.
5
Perhaps this shows traditional Republican voters are too reluctant to let go of the Senate and the power over the judiciary.
1
Trump is already tweeting about playing games. Sad
2
Intensity of Trump backlash? Hardly. The results didn't vary significantly from most mid-term elections during a president's first term. More importantly: Look at the electoral map: Outside the Northeast, the California Coast and some metropolitan pockets, the vast expanse of the country is almost entirely red. That's an endorsement of Trump policies, divisiveness, and demeanor. In places like NYC, LA, SF, we live in progressive enclaves. Democratic pundits hail the 9% aggregate vote advantage the party garnered nationwide, but remove NY and CA from that equation, and what was the % difference?
5
@Thomas Safian
While you are at it why not remove Florida and a couple of high population red states and see what the % is.
Florida was a statistical tie and will not move the needle at all. Please try another example. There is only one populous Red State which is Texas.
If you think you can spot longer term trends from last night's results then it was a good news / bad news story for Democrats.
Pennsylvania looks like it is back to being a blue state again. Michigan and Wisconsin as well. That's important. Dems can't win in 2020 without those three states supporting them again.
But Florida seems more red then ever... probably not even a swing state anymore. And they lost state wide races in two other swing states: Ohio and Iowa.
So there is still a lot of work left to do for the Dems to get in a position to make Trump a one term president. Nevertheless, taking back ownership of the committees in the House (especially the investigative committee) was hugely important and I am so happy that they accomplished that.
84
@rs DeSantis won by less than one per cent. Scott won by less than half a per cent. Florida will probably always be a battleground state.
10
@rs
I agree about the Dems having work to do before 2020, but you forgot to mention the huge (million?) number of felons winning the right to vote in Florida. They will likely add to the Democratic side.
6
@rs
When Biden will be the candidate, he will trounce Trump in Ohio, and also win WiMiPa.
When Sanders will be the candidate, he will crush and summash Trump.
When Beto O'Rourke will be the candidate, the Dems might even win Texas!
Trump is hoping the Dems will offer him a woman again.
5
Trump energized the democrats, but with such a strong economy, he should have done better. However, given the realities of geography and demographics, he did exactly what he needed to do. My last peek at the senate results, showed the Dems getting a total of 44m votes vs. republican 32m votes with the republicans picking up seats. Those 32m voters responded to Trump’s fear mongering.
3
While there is some good news from this election, my worry now is that the Democrats will squander this opportunity in the House by not uniting strongly behind important issues. They tend to shoot themselves in the foot out of righteousness. Let's hope they have learned some lessons from their past defeats.
1
Jonathan Martin et al at NYT, voters especially young diverse first time voters, had the same fury enthusiasm back in the 2015 primaries, but you all crushed it, we shall never forget.
3
Don't try to make too much of the senate. The map there highly favored the republicans and the results are what was predicted. The republicans held the senate and the democrats retook the house. The democrats also picked up some governorships.
3
Now that Florida has gone "all Republicans all the time"; with the addition of a "Trump Lite" governor, and the very real prospect of a lying, corrupt governor-turned-senator; to paraphrase Lloyd Bridge's character in "Airplane," "I knew I picked the wrong time to turn 65!"
2
The ability of the Republicans to continue to lie, cheat and steal suffered a setback.
That is all that that happened last night. We just won a battle in a war that is still raging. However, a win is a win.
Democrats now need to learn to do full measures and go full tilt on Democratic ideals, rather than continue to chase Republicans to the Right.
And, we should never forget that Republicans will continue to lie, cheat and steal.
1
The Democrats realistically did not have much chance of winning a majority in the Senate. Our work of rebuilding, however, has just begun and the results of these elections in 2018 reflect that, particularly in the Midwest. My home state of Wisconsin, thank goodness, saw the light and kicked out Scott Walker, his Lieutenant Governor, and it appears also kicked out Walker's state Attorney General. This fight is just beginning. I'm taking a little time off, and then jumping right back in to continue the fight every day on the ground. Say NO to fascism. Now we have to get ready for 2020 and redistricting.
3
I have very little faith that the House, now being lead by the Democrat's, will change for the positive. Meaning that there will not be any meaningful effort to arrive at a forward moving, bipartisan consensus.
Just like with the Republicans, the old dog's will just keep on displaying their same old, tired tricks.
The biggest disappointment with President Trump to date is all about his failing to be independent. Rather than riding herd on both sides of the aisle he's just fallen into the same patterns we've been seeing for decades. President Obama fell into the same trap. At first it appeared he was willing to bridge the divide. But, no, he fell back into the swamp just like all of the others have.
1
The news is generally trumpeting the voter turnout with words such as "huge," "record-breaking" etc.
...and the winning candidates typically say something like "the people have spoken" and "now I have a mandate" to do this or that.
What the news usually fails to mention is that less than ONE-HALF of eligible voters actually voted. What kind of democracy do we have when roughly 1 in 4 eligible voters elect our leaders...?
How is this an "mandate" to do anything when most of the eligible voters are not heard from...?
Could it be they are voting "none of the above"...?
These are serious questions that our system of government (and news media) apparently does not want addressed.
1
@Maison
"These are serious questions that our system of government (and news media) apparently does not want addressed."
Not to mention the integrity of the voting machines.
You might think that considering the polling versus the actual results, again, the Democrats would want that investigated prior to 2020.
But the Democratic Leadership would say that an investigation would make people lose faith in democracy and their leadership.
Better to just accept and not question anything.
1
Although Republicans lost the majority in the House last night , President in his own mind won .
He knows , his very own incitement strategy has worked . For, he was able to rehash the Republican Party in his own image .
Had it not for his demagoguery, Republicans would have lost it hollow!
Finally! Fireworks going off in England! Let the checks and balances in the House begin, starting with disclosure of Trump’s taxes, conflicts of interest like the old FBI building in Washington round the block from Trump Hotel not being sold, campaign irregularities, the Mueller probe, it goes on and on. A joyous day to see the President reined in, having sewn so much rancour, division and disrespect to women, people of colour, ethnic minorities and the people he is supposed to serve. I am relieved the rule of law can now be monitored in every aspect of the administration and executive branch.
2
The big loser last night was Donald Trump. The big winner was American democracy. The core feature of our government - checks and balances - has been restored.
While it was not the “wave” election that some predicted, Democrats are now in charge of the House of Representatives. The implications of Democrats controlling the House are enormous, starting with the fact that all appropriations bills must originate in the House. In other words, without Democratic backing, this administration cannot pass a budget or undertake a single new spending initiative. If Trump wants to get things done, he is going to need to deal with the House and Nancy Pelosi.
Then there are the conflicts of interest and widespread malfeasance that have gone unchecked for almost two years. With a House majority, Democrats now control all committees, including, importantly, the Judiciary Committee and the House Select Committee on Intelligence, which will soon be chaired by Democrats Elijah Cummings and Adam Schiff. Under their leadership, these Committees will be free to perform their important oversight work.
The Trump administration will face a slew of subpoenas that were previously quashed by current chairman Devin Nunez (Intelligence). Also, look for the House to subpoena Trump’s taxes. It will not be a pretty sight when the light of day is shined on Trump’s financial empire.
Finally, the House can now protect or continue the important work of Robert Mueller.
A big win for democracy.
3
@Jeffrey Zuckerman Not sure how this is some kind of big win for democracy as you call it? Didn't think democracy needed a win in this case. You do realize these are not the first midterms elections? What's different about the democracy in these midterm elections? The process has not changed.
The difference is trump is a crook. Crooks need to be exposed.
January 3, 2019 will mark the beginning of the end of Trumpism in America. His Swamp will be revealed through House investigations and it will be drained by public opinion at the polls in 2020 once the public sees him and his cohorts for what they are and the downhill path they've led our democracy.
This is no time to compromise.
The truth and only the truth will achieve the greater good: a government not only of and by the People, but a government for the People . . .
If 2016 was Pearl Harbor, last night was Midway. We took some losses but the enemy is crippled. Onward.
1
When Obama won the presidency in 2008, the Dems consequently controlled the House, Senate, and White House. Two years later, he lost both majorities. The spin from the MSM was "It's normal for the party in power to lose it in the next midterm. It has nothing to do with our deity, Mr. Obama." Yet when Mr. Trump experiences the same thing (actually he fared better because his party still kept the majority in the Senate and Gov mansions), the MSM spin/manta is "See? People hate Trump!"
5
Actually, in 2010, the Dems only lost the House while clinging to the senate which they then lost in 2014. One thing to keep in mind is that in 2014 voter turnout was pathetic which greatly favored Republicans.
1
Now that the election is over and the Democrats have won the house, I’m really looking forward to the next update from Bob Mueller! Would have been nice to see different results from Florida, Texas and Georgia but the Democrats did a lot better in those races than originally expected. Maybe next time, but for now let’s see what Mueller has come up with during the past two months!!!
2
Did a non-partisan press ever exist? We must be in the present, and in the present I'm not seeing any big backlash against trump.
There was a slim of margin of victory in the House, so nothing more than the usual loss of congressional seats to the party of the incumbent. While the Gubernatorial wins in Wisconsin and Michigan are great, the loss in Florida could still provide a margin of victory for trump in 2020.
I'm grateful for the increase in diversity, and that millennial women are 70 % identifying with the Dems, but no longer believe that the polls are functioning as the sellers of them claim. (Really, 70%?)
Maybe most importantly, for a historic turnout, lying and racist diatribes worked very well, or there would have been a true blue wave. Let's don't overlook this in our celebration of the slim check on trump that we now have. As written in these pages, he'll use this check on his power to claim the Dems are just being obstructive, and to a much greater effect than anything the Dems use. Why, maybe TV does reverse things, (Marshall McLuhan, The Medium Is The Message), kind and smart look weak, nasty trumps!
With trump running in 2020 who will the open seats go to?
It may be less pleasurable reading the hard truth in reporting, but important from our news source of choice. Please, don't help fulfill trump's claim of bias in the media.
1
It's remarkable that so many commenters have managed to turn the Democrats' having won the house into a win for Trump.
This defies all logic.
1
Look carefully at the House of Representatives map that accompanies this article: the red areas are where very few live, the blue areas are where the majority lives. This democracy is based upon majority rule! The Senate is the American version of the House of Lords- The remains of aristocratic rule, along with, in this country, A MINORITY ELECTED KING. I’m hoping that this election is the start of the swing of the pendulum towards more equality and progress in America, rather than hate-mongering bigotry and regress so evident since 2016 and the 40 or more years that preceded it.
This election scenario isn't going to change until Democratic governors and mayors in the Midwest find a way to repopulate their thousands upon thousands of failed little towns with immigrants. You want a visa? Come and live in Japip for 10 years. Twenty families here, twenty families there. It adds up and I don't see any other solution.
1
Definitely not a glass half full person, but realistically, there's nothing to shout about this mid-term election. We have our work cut out for us these next two years. Our only hope is more push back against this corrupt administration, Mueller's report, and those few in Congress who have a conscience and act on it. The Dems need to be more cohesive and aggressive, and find the right message. If those GOP and Trump supporters do get hit with reality in some form or another, maybe they will wake up from their slumber. In the meantime, it's going to be a long haul folks.
1
Truly I don’t want to hear from Mitch McConnell or Nancy Pelosi, but for different reasons.
The country does best with a divided Congress. Too much power in the hands of either party always makes for corruption and poor government. Part of the problem over the past two years has been the feeling that Democrats simply aren't represented at all in Trump's government. Now, that's been corrected and they can feel good about that. It's up to the leaders of both sides to compromise if they want any legislation passed. If they don't, they risk losing in two more years. It seems to me that the people want the nasty stuff to stop. Trump won't stop, but he can be left to bluster while he's being ignored. Our expectations now are directed at Congress to be the adults in the room. I'm optimistic that they are up to it. Even the Republicans.
49
@Ms. Pea
It is up to the voting public to hold politicians accountable every day and not let them forget that the people put them in office. They need to be holding town hall meetings with us and working with us on policies and understanding how these policies will impact the public.
We worked hard getting out the vote and now we need to ensure that we are not ignored
This photo of young people engaged and enthusiastic, all genders, all colors - brings tears to my eyes. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
3
Contrary to what the headline implies, there was a huge turnout on both sides. So the turnout may have been partly a backlash against Trump, but on the other side it was a strong affirmation for Trump.
7
@Saints Fan
I like TRUMP!
This is a fine effort at spin control, but the reality is the Democrats lost nearly all the high-profile races, and their new House leadership will be able to do little accept issue subpoenas and other symbolic actions. It's not quite a win for Trump, either. But it's nowhere near what was predicted.
10
Perhaps it is time for Rep Nancy Pelosi to ride into the sunset... She owes it to her party even if not to her country
7
No way!
Trump is gonna offer her the Speaker’s gavel in the House for his permanent tax cuts. She can’t refuse!
1
Sigh. It's not his to offer. House majority party leader becomes speaker, President has no say.
Even though Democrats won the house, still their performance was below the expectations. The first order of business should be to change leadership in the house and senate. Nancy Pelosi, immediately or after a very short period at the helm should voluntarily step aside and let some aggressive and charismatic leader take over the leadership position.
9
I really don’t understand how these results can be “voter fury” and “Trump backlash”. NYT, stop framing this and share the truth. The results are decidedly mixed. There was no ‘blue wave’. Despite my disdain for Trump as an individual I’m much more interested in truthful reporting.
11
The sad thing, though: This didn't seem like that much of a repudiation of Trump, if it was one at all. Historically, we would expect GOP House losses, and we got that, but not at a historic rate. The GOP picked up Senate seats and they stay in control of governorships. This isn't the GOP slap in the face for which many had hoped.
5
Some races disappoint me--the return of Steve King to the Senate, for one. I cannot understand how the good and kind people of Iowa can elect such a monstrous man to represent them. And, the return of Ted Cruz. Really? There has rarely been a more duplicitous and smarmy character in government. But, the people have spoken, and after all, I don't have to live in those states. In my own state, we're sending the very capable and uncontroversial Maria Cantwell back to continue her good job for us. I do have a cousin in Des Moines that will have some explaining to do.
14
You are the second one to put the vile Steve King in the Senate. Thank goodness that e is just a Congressman from a very Red district. And just barely.
The Democrats won the House and are back in the game.
As a Trump conservative, I say congratulations.
The past two years have been marked by Democratic anger and hate. This was not because of Trump, per se, but rather born of Democrats’ political impotence.
Now Democrats can end the fearmongering about scary fascist dictatorships. They can end the silly Russian collusion theories. They can stop focusing on “resistance” and start focusing on actually governing.
Can. But probably won’t.
8
@John
It is the Republicans who are fear mongering.
An investigation will prove that the alleged "silly Russian collusion theory " was a reality, not a "silly theory."
It is Trump who has been spewing hate towards blacks, Jews, immigrants and the "other" ,and inciting violence.
It is the white supremacists to whom Trump panders who spew hate, and hate which has translated into the murders of Americans, including eleven Jews who were gunned down while praying in Synagogue. It is Trump who refused to rebuke Ku Klux Klan robed ,torch carrying marches who yelled"Replace the Jews" and "Death to the Jews."
Would you care to explain how Democrats were responsible for the above?
I can't comprehend how you, or anyone can be so blind to the reality of what Donald Trump has done and is going to this country.
Then again, countless Germans supported Hitler, believing that he was their savior. The parallels between Hitler and Trump are chilling, I suppose that you are a White Anglo Saxon male who has nothing to fear, unlike myself, a fourth generation American born Jew, who has to worry about being slaughtered in a Synagogue in the United States,
just as my male relatives were burned alive in the Synagogue, as their mothers, daughters, granddaughters,
grandmothers, sister and aunts were forced to watch, and listen to the screams of their loved ones being burned alive.
1
I am sorry the democrats gained nothing...the people gained nothing. The p.o.t. (party of trump) still holds 2-1/2 control of the country. We will lose healthcare, medicare, social security, infrastructure, jobs...
p.o.t. will still do as they please. trump will be president for life because one half of a chamber cannot stop him & he knows it. This will only give his base more reason to be angry & will spread hate & violence further faster. Does he start his new round of “praise & worship rallies” on Monday? He will not stay in Washington to work. He goes to Europe for victory lap & then back to punish the people who voted against him. I am afraid...very much afraid. There is no stopping him now.
1
@Nostradamus Said So
The democrats gained control of the House of Representatives. How have you managed to translate that into "The democrats gained nothing..the people gan nothing. "
Trump will not be President for life, because this country has term limits, and a Democratic House will prevent
Trump from overriding the laws of this country.
How on earth have you turned victory into defeat. ?
You wrote:" There is no stopping him now." -as opposed to a Republican House and Senate stopping Trump ?!!
1
@DJS a Democratic House cannot do anything to control trump with a Republican Senate & Supreme Court. They will back trump no matter what & he will continue on his path of hate & chaos. 1/2 of a Congress can do nothing with the other half & the court ruling in favor of everything trump does. Just watch him gain more & more. Democrats did not have the strength to win this time. Maybe Democrats can take away the hate, fear, & anger of the trump base in 2 years but I for one doubt it.
Trumpism has been emasculated with the Democrats' seizure of the House. This was no "split decision." All 435 House seats were contested in this election (compared to 33 of 100 Senate seats). It is a decisive victory for the Democrats and for the country!!!
As a whole our country has refused to be driven by fear and united by bigotry, sexism, and racism. As a whole, the good people in this country have sent a resounding message to the plutocratic Swamp in Washington and in the White House: We will rise above the moral corruption of Trumpism and put this country on the right track once again . . .
8
Donald Trump has created the most extreme division between the two major parties in our history by his hateful and mendacious oratory. The rift will never be repaired. Republicans who run in future elections will not be able to adopt moderate positions because Trump's radical base will not have it. Democratic candidates would be wise to capitalize on this and take moderate or centrist positions. That would be their best chance of capturing right leaning independent voters. While this election was a referendum on Trump, Democrats would be ill-advised to gloat. They should wait for the Mueller report and then decide on what action to take but they must have their eyes wide open that impeachment, with the Senate controlled by Republicans, will lead nowhere. Instead, they should work with Trump where they can, on infrastructure and health care in particular, and use their subpoena power to hold hearings that get to the truth, something that was egregiously thwarted by GOP legislators.
3
Now Mitch McConnell has a chance to fix the deficit Republicans contributed to, tremendously. This is nothing but a huge gift to Democrats.
1
This is opinion posing as fact, not surprising since Messieurs Martin and Burns both have second jobs on left wing cable networks. Why the cheerleading when what should be a straight news story, that although G0P lost House seats, the number was far lower than under the president's predecessor?Give credit where credit is due: President is, as Victor Hanson wrote, carpe diem all the way, and he confronted challenge of a biased press corps, more than 90 percent Dem.,and historical tradition that governing party almost always loses miderms, with a bravado, a derring do worthy of our respect. Trump is accused of lacking discipline, but "reflechissez:" He's a tea totaller, having learned the lesson of imbibing grape and the grain from loss of his brother, who sombered in alcohol and died from it! How's that for strength of character?Gillum lost because of a farcical socialist program and because African American community increasingly admires Trump for his financial wizardry and find victimhood no longer in their self interest.Candace Owens is a main spokeswoman for this "tournant!"
2
Some of the Republican senators/congressmen won purely due to gerrymandering of districts drawn by Republicans and this gave them the edge because the Republicans drew the lines. If the Democrats did the same thing I still say it is unfair to draw lines that favor any party. I'm in a town that only a small portion of us vote for a Congressman that represents 95% of another area in NJ. I'm in a district that is not the Jersey Shore and therefore I don't believe he knows where my town is. Towns should not be divided by any party and should be kept whole so we are represented by the area we are in not just because of the strong voter affiliation with one party.
3
Deny it he will, but Mr. Trump cannot escape the fact that 2018, like most mid-term national elections, is a referendum on the President’s first two years. Whether he is going to admit it or not, Mr. Trump set himself up to defy the trends and duplicate his surprising 2016 success. His constant barrage of “I am the greatest thing to happen to American politics” messages and attitude helped make this so.
Of course he will trumpet his personal involvement as the lynchpin to every GOP win. Why should today be different? But, thankfully, in spite of the rhetoric and the stark blue-red maps, the nation as a whole has moderated slightly. Perhaps, there is a forlorn hope that some leading and legislating can get done in the next two years.
I hope so. There is a lot of work to be done, and the GOP has spent 2 years largely lining their pockets and those of their economic elite supporters, instead of addressing the nation’s problems.
Get to it, Congress. We are all still waiting.
4
Although not a complete show of repudiation of Trump's republican party's abuse of power, it sure looks like a different 'powerball', now that the House comes under democratic control. This will allow having an 'adult in the room', and send the awful clowns to the circus, where they belong. Additionally, it shall convert the current pluto-kleptocracy into a democracy again, where inequality is tamed and justice given a chance.
5
Beto O'Rourke showed us how well a charismatic leader can do in a red state. Next step for Democrats: Demand Schumer and Pelosi resign from their leadership positions. Neither Schumer or Pelosi are compelling or effective leaders. We need STRONG, CHARISMATIC leaders in the Senate and House. I'd like to see a groundswell of Democrats demanding Schumer and Pelosi resign.
5
Like Dan Crenshaw! He is so hot!
It's fun reading a cheery DNC press release as the front page hard news story in the NYTimes, over-hyping a modest gain in the House and losing several seats in the Senate. Stunning! Voter FURY! FORCEFUL REBUKE!
While entertaining, it's sad that the Gray Lady is gone (but not forgotten).
6
@David
Consider the election was a rebuke of the media as well. It likely helped Trump's cause.
1
Dems barely eked out a win. Hopefully they'll dump Pelosi and Schumer.
4
Very upset with the voters in Florida and Georgia, leaving Scott and De SAntis in power and Kemp. The racist south still has a way to go. Seeing Scott handing out water for the cameras was a load of nonsense.
6
This is a simple fight - old vs new, white vs. diversity. White women voted hugely in favor of Ted Cruz in Texas, 59%. Me thinks, this says it all.
6
The article fails to note that the Democrats captured the House while the economy is nominally doing very well. It will not being doing very well in two years. We will also likely have endured several more climate disasters during that time. Despite the limitations of their dependence on corporate money, the Dems will be in a position to offer policy initiatives that, though likely defeated, will show the Republicans to be completely incapable of handling the problems we face. I hope the Dem leadership will not get in the way.
7
What’s really depressing about the situation with American democracy is summed up by the actual vote talleys. The Republicans control the senate, where in this election, Blue outvoted Red by a statistically significant majority. And the House is blue, with a blue vote majority. And the White House is occupied by a man who was unable to capture the popular vote, with blues outvoting red by more than . The third republican in a row to claim that dubious distinction.
Doesn’t it begin to seem obvious that the Republican Party has seriously gamed the system in their attpt not to make America great again, but to keep it a white Christian dominated country.
Because the heartland is such an unwelcoming place for diverse populations, something I discovered first hand, blue diverse citizens have flooded the coasts, suburbs and cities.
So between flight and political tricks and corruption, America is minority ruled!!! That’s not democracy my friends. It won’t change until the rules of the game are changed. To change the rules, we need Dems to step up their game and citizens need to get involved a day also vote.
11
@Sherman
The "popular vote" trope needs clarification. When more democrats are running the totals reflect it. Hope NYT steps up to the plate on this one.
1
Once again, a majority of Americans rejected both the rhetoric and policy of the Alt-right National Socialists that have infested both the Republican Party and our Country. The caravan of well-armed hate mongers that we have allowed to spread out from the US heartland must be stopped.
Our founders rallying cry "No taxation without representation" should be a clarion call to the vast majority of Americans who again voted for Democrats but again will be ruled by a minority Party through executive decree backed up by a packed court.
This perversion of our Constitution which led to one Civil War must be corrected by Constitutional amendment. We cannot allow a minority to bend the will of the people any longer and pretend we are a democracy.
8
The biggest win of the night was the re-enfranchisement of convicted felons in Florida. Increasing voter participation and fighting voter suppression will have to be the centerpiece of any politician to gain my support.
7
With all of the gerrymandering, thinly-disguised racially-motivated voter ID laws, foreign interference in elections, and phony claims of voter fraud, the most important election law reform is letting Floridian convicted felons vote?
They were voting anyway.
It's like one of those 2 inch tsunami waves that get over hyped by the press but then arrive to laughter. Controlling the house by a vote or two is really no control at all. And that useful punching bag is back, Pelosi! She's a great symbol of over the top San Francisco liberalism. She will overplay their hands again.
34
@baba ganoush
Er...about 18 seats haven't been called and it looks like the Democratic majority will be comfortable. In fact the overall outcome of a Democratic takeover of the house and Republican retention of the senate is almost exactly as it was called by the pollsters and media. What is it with you people that you can't stop lying.
23
@baba ganoush
misogynistic BS. She earned her position, and people like you think she isn't - well, isn't what? a shrinking violet? Someone who kowtows to Trump and the GOP? Someone who has no values?
Plus she made it clear that she is not wasting time on pushing impeachment.
Maybe you could help by citing what specifically is over the top?
11
@baba ganoush, well said. With Pelosi, Maxine Waters and the Senator from NJ facing federal charges... don't know whether to laugh or cry at the Dems
2
Let’s us all now finish the work of the 2016 elections and get those Trump income taxes and show the world what the white nationalists are up to. We should be done with that simple task by the next election cycle.
Then we can get the full and complete backlash the “grab them” video could not accomplish.
The voters just need to see the truth.
4
I have to chuckle at all the "and now comes Mueller time" comments here. What are they saying? That the Muller investigation is a partisan fabrication that can only see the light of day under Democrat cover? No, the conclusion will not be altered. There will be no collusion revolation. Perhaps some face saving wrist slap of another type. Maybe not even that. Trump is still in the driver's seat. If the Democrats were smart (questionable) they would try working with Trump in areas where they have common ground and that would do some good. Infrastructure keeps coming up, Social Security, more tweaks to the tax code, etc.
2
Although I would have loved a better result in the Senate, this is probably the best long term result for the country. The House will provide some check on the craziness happening right now, and the results do show a massive popular (though not structural) edge to the Democrats.
It gives the right wing some time to brace for further losses in two years and gives the left a chance to appease the reality of ever taking the Senate again.
I believe that, given the country's mood, if both chambers had gone red or blue, we would be looking at political violence. Instead we have a chance for a more gradual change, and time for the Democrats to maintain this enthusiasm, codify an immigration platform, and push a resonant economic message.
5
Let's not forget what we're witnessing in the Republican Party today is much like what Europe experienced in 1930's Europe.
So, for the next two years we must continue to resist daily as we challenge this cruel and dishonest cabal operating within the White House.
4
Women candidates absolutely crushed it last night. If Beto O'Rourke had been Bettina O'Rourke (all other things being equal), who knows...
Last night was the night that the GOP waved goodbye to the female vote.
3
Even Lindsey Graham knows the GOP has an "educated women problem". The demographics are changing. More women are graduating from college than men. The more educated a constituent the less likely they are to go with voting for people who do not represent them. As the diversity and demographics shift there will be greater interest in local, state, and federal politics. Lindsey may want to rant and try to rally your fellow white males who have grown old and complacent. You are are glad you are single white male but even you are starting to feel the fury of a woman scorned politically. Women do know how to clean a House, the Senate, and the Presidency.
1
"Democrats harnessed voter fury toward President Trump to win control of the House and capture pivotal governorships"
Must be living in a different universe.
It appears as though Democrats won FEWER than average midterm seats.
Democrats LOST the key governorships in Florida and Ohio.
Even worse for Democrats, they LOST 20% of the Senate seats they were defending, when the party out of power usually picks some up.
It was a bad night for Democrats. And think of all the money they wasted.
8
As a Daughter of a Revolutionary it has allowed women to time to move in the House and Senate son.
As Democrats, we need to think very carefully about our future candidate if we want to win the White House. While we are cheering our victories today, we need the courage and integrity to not cave into perfectly scripted politicians but to truly be the voice of equality for all races, all religions, women, all genders, all incomes, children, education, and fight the good fight to ensure health care for all conditions, for the mentally ill, the homeless and chemically dependent people, we will fight for clean air, clean water, and we cherish immigrants, the foundation of this nation, and we abhor racism, white nationalism, and white supremacy. We will fight tirelessly to end the acrimony and acidic tone of incivility that suffocates our compassion for different points of view. Today I have hope and I won’t ever give up my hope in my true blue heart, I invite and reach out to others to come home fellow Republicans. Come home to a party that wishes to protect our grandchildren’s environment, come home to a party where every citizen has a dream to fulfill its potential, come home to a party where we fight against fear and hatred, and have no fear of the other. The divisions that broke this country that made you feel that Democrats don’t care about you are false. Please come home.
3
I live in a small town in upstate South Carolina. I drive 2.5 miles past cornfields, woods, and a volunteer fire station to get to my polling place, a Baptist church. I was heartened and proud of the scene yesterday. Old people, young people, middle aged, brown, black, white, suits, scrubs, jeans sweatpants—wrapped in line from the back of the church to its wreathed front doors, waiting calmly and civilly to make their stand for the things that matter to them. As we waited, people read books, checked in with work and family on their devices, and talked of the weather—we’re having an exceptionally beautiful and prolonged autumn here. The election volunteers were professional and efficient. There were signs about what to do if you forgot an identification or did not have one. A gentleman a few spaces ahead of me had some problem with his address. He was not turned away. He was guided to a station designated for troubleshooting.
I don’t care about winning or being right. I care about people’s voices being heard—blood red to purple heart to peacock blue. My experience gave me hope about the state of our democracy because I saw a great many regular people who turned out peacefully to have their say.
268
"Old people, young people, middle aged, brown, black, white, suits, scrubs, jeans sweatpants—wrapped in line from the back of the church to its wreathed front doors, waiting calmly and civilly to make their stand for the things that matter to them."
Thank you, @RM, for this clear and heartening snapshot of Election Day in your polling place in upstate South Carolina. Absolutely the kind of picture that needs to be shared with all voters everywhere.
28
@RM
Yes but you weren't in Georgia where there was a concerted effort to suppress the "wrong" voters. Kemp may well have won the election anyway, but the scope of the margin was surely due to his political shenanigans (trying to be nice here).
24
@RM a very Norman Rockwell moment, but the fact remains that some people’s voices are heard more than others! Is that equality?
13
Democrats need to become the party of State's Rights, again. Abortion should not be a Federal issue.
3
If there was an “unusually high” voter turnout and there was a supposed resounding rebuke of Trump and Republicans in general, then why did the Senate and key governorships become more red? It was just an election with some winners and losers. No mandate. Come on NYTimes. Just report the news and stop trying to create it.
13
The first step in saving our democracy.
8
Getting together against is easier than stay together for. Let"s hope Democrats will remember why they won.
1
It's a start. Key committees, like House Intelligence, can begin to exert some power to stabilize what was becoming a more dangerous governmental situation. But until "compromise" is no longer a dirty word in our democracy, nothing of substance will be achieved in the next two years. It's really more a case of the perilous things that will not be achieved by a GOP controlled government.
4
Apparently fear is the order of the day in some states. I guess people in rural Missouri, North Dakota and Indiana really are scared of immigrants setting up camps on their front lawns. It’s an expansion of the GOP’s Southern Strategy and it’s working splendidly, much to the damage of our union. I suppose one could draw a line to the amount of public school funding per person in each of those states and draw a correlation but what would be the point? ISIS and Mexicans are apparently scarier than no healthcare and rampant opioids.
Expect divided government for 6 years with virtually zero legislating. Let’s hope RBG can live to be 102 and let’s hope the Democrats can expand state and local governments and keep the House in 2020.
4
sounds like the senate is no longer a balanced representation of the electorate... how do we change that? Because we must our tax dollars feed the red states
3
I am buoyed by the fact that there will be 100 women taking the oath on January 3rd to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution as United States Representatives.
That number still needs to increase as far as I am concerned, but this was a long time coming.
But. . . but I would be lying if I wrote here that I was elated by the Democratic results last night. I was hoping against hope for a Blue Tsunami, with gains in the House, the Senate and state governorships. Too much to ask for.
I will have to be satisfied with a House majority. I still feel numb by what has been occurring with the Trump Presidency and I still just do not understand the people who can support this man.
As far as removing Nancy Pelosi as House Speaker, if we use a sports analogy, she still has her stuff on the mound and is still capable of effectively pitching strikes. Now is not the time to remove her.
A better time might be when the Dems have the White House or at least the Senate as well as the House. THEN we can talk about "new blood."
7
I’m happy for the Democrats that they got the house. The hope is that now that Democrats have a voice that sort of has to be listened to, we can all dial back the rhetoric (just a little), try to get back on the same team and work together to get some things done rather than having one party jam a whole bunch of policy down the other’s throat and having everyone shout over each other. Of course presidential ambitions may cause the exact opposite...
We can all do something to further this if we stop attacking the other sides with insults. Genuine disagreement can and does exist.
So I’ll make this point as gently as possible: NYT, can you please dial back the “spin?” This was not really a stinging rebuke of Trump at all as your headline states. If your job is to report the news why do you need to spin a mixed result as a slap in the face to the other side? What happened last night was clearly a mixed bag. Trump gave up 23 seats in the House and gained two seats in the Senate. Given the trend toward lost seats by the president’s party come midterm this is an outcome that suggests a lot of voters are probably thinking he’s done a pretty good job on a lot of things. Obama lost 63 seats in the House and 6 in the Senate this point in his administration resulting in a flip of both chambers.
12
Listen up folks! Trump is smirking in the Oval Office because he knows the Democrats are a fractured party and Pelosi is reviled. We’ve just delivered him a second term.
8
What an alarming use of slander, and ungodly words about President Trump. If this is how the Democrats appear to want to carry forth, God save us all. God save America
11
@Charles in serviceu
I wouldn't call it slander, but it is certainly true that this reporting is opinion, in favor of the Democrats, and not reporting as it used to be conceived. Perhaps for this reason, Republicans call this kind of newspapering fake new. We should all take a look at this. I can hardly read the Times now, it is so slanted. Words like "raging" and "meddling" and "inappropriate" are all opinion words. A lifelong liberal, I worry more about left fascism than right these days.
5
@Charles in service
You do know that Trump is demonstrably, provably, a consumate liar. How does one slander one who lives an ungodly life thumbing his nose at the commandments?
2
@Charles in service
Which is why when they blame Trump for everything, so often a mirror is proposed.
1
Next on the Republican agenda:
Cut college funding of each and every type - because that is where their opposition is coming from.
Be careful People!
5
@Anonymous
All college funding should be eliminated. Then college will be affordable. If the kids could not borrow the money the schools could not charge what they do. The federal loans and guarantees have created the education bubble just like the easy money created the housing bubble.
2
Dirty Dean, Done Dirt Cheap.
This is just the beginning. Do not be deterred. It’s Springtime for Congress.
1
Why can’t the NYT just provide results without the sophomoric editorializing about race and demagoguery? The economy is humming and President Trump has delivered on campaign promises, hence a muted midterm flip to Democrats in the House and Republican retention of the Senate compared to the Democrat’s steep losses in 2010. Key Governorships in WI and MI helped move the Democrats to 22 from a historic low, but still a minority. Centrist candidates ruled despite all the press afforded the more outspoken progressives.There, fixed it for you.
18
While the 22 governorships are a minority, the total population of those states is an easy majority. We are a majority Democratic country but our federal system of representation, based on geography, makes it difficult to turn that popular majority into legislative majorities.
2
@Slim Wilson
You mean the mob can’t rule. That is the meaning of democracy my friend.
1
So the democrats averaged out at about what every party not controlling the Whitehouse usually does in first midterms. It was a total mixed bag of success and defeats whether a progressive, centrist, or conservative Democrat, depending on local constituencies. Once again, all politics were local.
3
Nothing really is going to change.
"It does not matter who you vote for. You always get the same government."
George Carlin.
3
That may be a fun comment to make but it’s lazy and inaccurate. Of course it matters who you vote for. Cynicism of that kind is partly what gave us the disgrace that is Trump.
2
A real backlash against Trump would have resulted in Democrats gaining in the Senate. The Senate is where Trump takes his power to appoint.
It would have also been apparent in some of the Governor's races where the worst of Trump was what people wanted.
3
The Republicans lost the house which was long ago predicted to happen but they held on to the senate with even a gain. Those senators who voted against Judge Kavanaugh's Supreme Court nomination lost their seats which proved a high price to pay for party loyalty.
The Democrats are unwise to talk of impeachment now that they have taken over the house as it will not sit well with the American public. Their time and efforts are better spent in assisting Americans in their daily needs. This is why they were elected. Let's hope now both parties can work together and get things done for the benefit of America and its citizens. They need to get back to partisan politics and stop fighting one another. This is what we want for the good of the US.
7
@WPLMMT - "The Democrats are unwise to talk of impeachment now"
Still making it up? Still spreading false information?
Right from the article: "But at a meeting of Democratic donors and strategists earlier on Tuesday, she [Nancy Pelosi] signaled there were lines she would not cross next year. Attempting to impeach Mr. Trump, she said, was not on the agenda."
@WPLMMT
That list of new Democratic leadership almost guarantees crazy.
1
Everybody needs to understand right now that the next 6 weeks could potentially be very damaging to the non-wealthy people of the United States. There's little doubt in my mind that Donald, Mitch, and Paul will now feverishly work to ram through as much plutocrat-favoring legislation as possible before Pelosi or another Democrat becomes House Speaker on January 3.
People really need to think of the U.S. right now as being like a non-democratic developing country. Think of Mobutu or any other African dictator scheming to strip-mine his country of all the wealth in the land prior to his inevitable ouster.
For evidence of what happened the last time this kind of transition was scheduled to place in late 2006 (aka from GOP to Democratic control of at least the House or Senate), look no further than the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act which was signed into law by George W. Bush in December 2006. This law was deliberately designed to cripple the finances of the Post Office, crafted by people who hate government services of any kind except the massive, bloated military.
7
Americans will lose their medicare & social security (which they have paid into), insurance coverage for pre-existing conditions by Dec. 31st 2018 because p.o.t.(party of trump) has to cover their record breaking deficit & bail out the victims of the tariff war that sees no end in sight. McConnell & Ryan will work faster than ever to push through their agendas.
1
"The candidates who delivered the House majority largely hailed from the political center, running on clean-government themes and promises of incremental improvement to the health care system rather than transformational social change"
This. Pay heed. The same swings that voted for Obama voted for Trump over Hillary and now voted for moderates over Trump. The same folks that punished house members for Trumps behavior also punished Dem senators for their Kavanaugh hearing behavior. These are the same folks that can give Lizzy Warren a landslide victory while giving a landslide victory to a GOP governor.
There are more folks that self identify as Independents than Dems or GOPs. The only thing holding them back is the two party system and being split between the two parties fairly equally. They simply don't have enough power in the primaries to carry forth moderate candidates all the time and thus are often left with two less than stellar, for them, choices. For example hard right Cruz or hard left Beto.
This was the 'exhausted middle' speaking, not progressive Dems. This is less a policy mandate than a civility and unity mandate.
This is a purple wave more than anything else to folks looking for folks to give them moderate, step-wise bi-partisan policy AND behavior.
9
@Marvin
Bloomberg 2020 :)
Almost exactly as expected though winning Florida and Georgia would have been nice. Given the Senate map, House district gerrymandering up the wazoo, and myriad GOP voter suppression dirty tricks, I'm happy with the result.
Trump's going to have to start answering questions and making deals. The ACA won't be repealed.
5
Backlash and fury? Hardly.
Only by taking back both the house and senate would signal that democracy and sanity had been restored to the nation.
This election shows that fear and hate mongering are still the order of the day. The real issues mean nothing. Red is already claiming this as a victory.
Americans have shown themselves to be the tools of a regime, not a democracy.
6
Just looking at the red/blue map of the US is striking and telling. most of the geographical land is bright red, and very little of it is blue. I take great heart from the courageous fight put up by Beto and other blue candidates in red states.
10
@Bronwyn - "most of the geographical land is bright red"
That is why it is so interesting to select the "Cartogram" version of the map which uses equal squares for each district since it is population, not land area, that defines a district. This is a more acurate protrayal of the results.
it also highlights the Dem Fury backlack, as Republicans also turned out in great numbers and many many independents voted for Republican candidates.
The confirmation bias, and general bias, is so clear here. Ah, the human mind.
6
Does this mean we’ll actually get to see what’s in the Mueller report, or will Mitch McConnell be able to bury that?
7
Democracy at it's best and terribly exiciting for a foreigner to watch! There are too many takeaways for me to fit in this space, but i do think it's a better night for the Democrats than Republicans mainly for 2 reasons:
1/ Midwest is moving away from Trump, the Democrats now control most of, State,Sen and Gov in Michigan,Penn and Wisconsin and there is no path for Trump in 2020 without 2 of those states.
2/ White men are not getting any younger or bigger in number, and the young and the women are going for Democrats.
11
I am still disappointed. Taking control of congress and winning a few more Democratic Governorships is very important. Losing two Senate Seats is unacceptable. I don't agree a message was sent. The new Politics will be a return to the Old Politics of GRIDLOCK. We needed to flip the Senate. Amazing to me that this did not happen.
11
@anthony ciccarelli
So true. We all need to listen to each other more carefully, beyond the news media somehow...then we will not be so surprised by each other...
we are all in this thing together, like it or not,,,
Regardless that the GOP will spin this a victory, the large majority of Senate seats in play were Democratic.
I can’t imagine they’re looking forward to having to defend a large group of their seats in an election given yesterday’s results.
3
“Unusually high turnout Illustrates intensity of Trump backlash.” Really? High voter turnout could also signal intensity of Trump support. A lot of races were close and the GOP held the Senate. Your headline states a fact and then gives it a meaning without logical support.
14
I the the MVP “most valuable politician” award should go to Beto O’Rourke. Who clearly demonstrated what it will take to win the future, energizing younger politically confused citizens, and showing leadership starts with one voter and ends with one voter at a time.
9
"Overall, 39 percent of voters said they went to the polls to express their opposition to the president, while 26 percent said they wanted to show support for him. Thirty-three percent said Mr. Trump was not a factor in their vote."
This last par was the most salient for me. It shows that expecting people to vote for the Dems simply because Trump is so awful is a failing strategy from the outset. Clearly, 59% of voters don't think that's enough of a reason to vote for Dems. You think you're going to win with the the permanently appalled 39-41%?
That 33% that neither support nor are particularly opposed to Trump should be the focus. Who are they, and if they don't particularly care about Trump, what do they care about? And the 26% who support Trump should be listened to carefully. What messages are they responding to that can make them look past the patent awfulness that is Trump. Lumping them together and writing them all off as angry racist white men is both intellectually lazy and ultimately self-defeating. If they are ever going to be successful again, Dems need to get out the comforting echo chambers of Liberal self-talk and get out to where the rubber hits the road.
8
@Abraham
Right on.
@Abraham Trumps people don.t care aboutb relevant issues, just his hate and anger
2 years of gridlock, subpoenas and drama ahead. It's as if the dems want to set Trump up for a 2020 victory. It's going to be a bumpy ride. But that's good for newspaper sales, right?
8
Not sure if I understand your complaint/criticism. Because Trump is at the helm everybody should fall in line while he is taking the country off the cliff? We will how much a man of compromise and a great negotiator he is to “make america great again” (tongue firmly planted in my cheeks) with a Democratic Congress. We hear the reverse criticisms when Obama had to deal with Boehner and Ryan.
McConnell is already dynamiting Trump's path by putting Social Security and Medicare on the block. It is as if McConnell is playing the long game to get rid of Trumpy republicans for the Heritage Foundation's donors who are tired of bailing out these expensive hare brained Trumpy tea party candidates.
2
Democrats applied a tourniquet to a bleeding, deeply red wound. It's a start. Lots of work lies ahead.
16
Gerrymandering prevented a Blue Tsunami in many states — but not in Illinois. The state had a GOP wipeout on the state level.
Go Blue!
11
t might not have been a Blue Tsunami but it was important the Democrats capture the House and that has been accomplished, achieving a critical goal―that of providing oversight of the president's unchecked policies and holding him accountable in a way the spineless, complicit Republicans wouldn't. People of color and women advanced to some of the highest offices in the land and Trump, who maligns members of both groups as if it were blood sport, must deal with the unthinkable.
They will watching him. They have now have political clout and the power which accompanies it.
5
The "strategic" Feinstein/Schumer decision to proceed with the Kavanaugh hearings cost the Democrats the Senate.
10
The lesson: Women know your places. Never, ever question a man. A man's reputation Trumps all. You, on the other hand, you can be questioned on anything at all.
@Marie That's not the lesson. The lesson is to be politically astute and know when and where to pick your fights. Your high minded friends set back women by further entrenching republicans in the senate, republicans who are likely to support conservative SCOTUS candidates. The lesson is: don't be stupid.
1
@Independent
Whatever were those democrats thinking? Americans were never going to jettison a core value like "innocent until proven guilty" for politics.
1
Four takeaways.
Texas is drifting ever so slowly left.
Trumps supporters are a hard core demographic that can not be swayed
and they vote. In droves. So he automatically starts with 36% of the
vote. He could re elected.
Urban and suburban areas are becoming more "blue" and rural areas are becoming more "red". The country
will become even more bitterly divided.
Mitt Romney is in the Senate and some kind of payback will be coming from him
towards Trump.
Your vote matters. Look at how many elections were decided by 1 percent or less.
14
The Democrats spent over 1 Billion dollars and yet they only mustered an average election gain the house but lost in the Senate.
The Senate is where the real power lies. The house cannot move with the Senate voting to confirm.
Judicial appointments will continue for Trump's agenda. The courts are where lifelong terms count. The 2 years Dems holding the house will die in 2020 when it reverts to GOP again. This was not the blue wave. Dems did win the house as expected but not by the 60 seats they planned on gaining.
9
Nine million more people voted for Democrats than Republicans last night. Nine million! Yet, you would hardly know it from the results. This is why our democracy is on life support. Radical rural Republicans who are wrecking the Republic with their rampages and represent very few of us, have controlled the government. Sure, it helps that those nine million voters (nine million!) have flipped the House. But the fact remains our democracy is sick. How is it that North Dakota has as much a voice in the US Senate as California? Our antiquated election set-up is destroying us.
17
I actually think that the system that the US of A have is not too bad - just need some minor tweaks. The President is the president of all citizen and thus should be elected by popular vote. the senators are there to ensure that all States are properly represented (here comes the United into it) and the House is the ones who does the daily grinding with the President as the CEO. And to be sure that no one breaks the rules you have the Supreme Court.
@jutlandia
Minor tweaks:
The Legislative Branch represents all citizens and does not implode to the threats of a Bullying Executive and Big $.
The Commander in Chief is a fully functioning adult who has disclosed tax returns and has shed any businesses that conflict with interests of role.
Judicial Branch is absolutely non-partisan.
A clear, firm separation of Church and State.
Democrats will want to look at this election as a repudiation of Trump. As the NYT has said of Trump’s proclamations in the past, this is an exaggeration.
Yes, the House is now Democrat. But look where those seats were won, the majority in states where Trump was not popular to begin with. They truly disturbing part is Trump’s rhetoric, lies and fear mongering still resonates. There was no backlash, no outrage, no rejection by the majority of voters. The Party in power lost the House, not unusual and far from a shock. This occurs consistently over our history with a sitting President.
If I were Trump and the Republicans I would look at this election as validation the message, policies and divisiveness from Trump resonates with voters. Trump won where it mattered and you’ll be hearing that more and more. There is no reason to reach across the aisle because anything coming out of the House will be squashed by the Senate.
Many women ran and won, good. But many women and men voted and gave the Senate more Republican seats.
Democrats take careful note. Your message is not turning voters around.
10
@ArtM If Democrats had run more moderate candidates in Georgia and Florida Gov races they would have won both.
2
@David Kane
As a moderate and independent, I agree. But that is not what happened and, once again, the Democrats have to recognize winning all this country back will done by two strategies:
1. Convince voters moving away from Trump is not a move to the left. Not being a conservative does not mean being a liberal. It does mean a move to the center, or as you put it, moderate.
2. Present a more moderate and centrist position to not scare Red state voters. Democrats can still achieve many goals be being in the center.
2
The big elephant in the room is clearly Pelosi. If the democrats want to show they have a future leading this country then they might begin to practice and encourage term limits for all. I for one think most politicians including democrats but mostly republicans have been enriching themselves and their families for far too long. They seem to be serving their own myopic agenda and not the people’s. A great first step would be a stepping down. Adam Schiff has my vote for leader
1
This is the way the election ends. Not with a wave but a ripple.
10
Backlash? The president has lost seats in the House and/or Senate in every mid-term election since 1862 (except 1934 and 2002). The newsworthy thing about this mid-term is that the Republicans actually gained two seats in the Senate, a historically rare achievement.
15
Bill Clinton, Obama and Bish all lost MORE seats in the House during their respective midterms than did Trump. If anything I would call the a victory and shows the strength Trump has.
6
Not nearly enough changed. The Democrats--the ones with rationality, decency and science should have won every race but ultimately cannot compete against that ultimate siren song to Republicans--hate. Considering what we've heard over the last few weeks, and considering that in many respects, Republicans did rather well (the party in the White House usually looses some ground in the mid-terms), Trump has all the justification he needs to continue to do everything he can to rip this country apart. Worse, he will act like a wounded animal--and there is nothing more dangerous than a wounded animal.
I remain deeply ashamed of my country and there's some 41% of it's population that I wouldn't ordinarily share a cab with.
10
@David R
Yes, and there it is in a nutshell: why folks don't like liberals. Maybe you who wouldn't share a cab with the 41 percent of the country who you consider deplorables are partly to blame for the divisions on this country?
2
Get ready.
Now we get to listen to The Con Don talk about how wonderful he is that HE retained OUR U.S. Senate.
Corruption and voter suppression/manipulation/BIG money is what kept control of OUR U.S. Senate.
The job of WE THE PEOPLE is to put unrelenting pressure on OUR U.S. Senate, election officials across America and every other kill democracy power source to preserve OUR democracy until 2020. WE must find and support qualified Socially Conscious Women and men who are NOT controlled by Robber Baron money and help them run and win in 2020.
The fight for democracy must be part of OUR everyday lives if we want to preserve/restore/improve it. Every Single One of Us.
6
The real question to me is what this election telegraphs to Senate Republicans who are on the ballot in 2020. Yes, it’s two years away and politicians count on voters having short memories, but I wonder if more Republicans in moderate states will decide to proactively move to the middle to protect their seats in the next election. The Senate map is much more of a Republican minefield next time, much as it was a Democratic minefield this time.
6
I was following the results till 3 am Central European Time and I couldn’t sleep well. I was relieved to learn that Democrats have taken control of the House. It sent a message that democracy in America is still alive and kicking – a good day not only for the country, but for the entire world.
Trump’s unchecked hold on power has to be reined in. For too long spineless Republicans in Congress have turned a blind eye to his moral failings, incompetence and toxic policies. I wish the new members of the House all the best, with all the luck and stamina to prevent their country from sliding toward cronyist autocracy.
14
@J. von Hettlingen
Sorry we kept you up. We are having a bit of a thing at the moment. Please excuse us for a while longer, after which we will be quieter again.
--noisy neighbor
2
@J. von Hettlingen
Your anxiety about the election results and your relief on the end of a one-party-controlled Congress mirror that of many people around the world.
Seconding your wishes for the USA not to continue its slide to cronyist autocracy! The rest of the world is still very wary, is watching, and will act according to what unfolds.
1
Just looking at the Senate electoral map in the NYT. Democrats got 44.5 million votes and Republicans got 32.8 million votes, yet Republicans still picked up 2 seats.
Talk about a tyranny of the minority! This isn't sour grapes speaking. There is something fundamentally wrong with our electoral system when such a vast minority of people can dictate their beliefs to the vast majority of the people.
I'm sorry, but states like Utah, Wyoming and North Dakota should not have equal senate representation as California, New York, Florida and Texas.
How about this? For every 5 million in population you get one senator. Any states that have less than 5 million still get two. Nothing earth shattering but certainly a fairer way to represent state interest at the senate level.
22
@Miffed in Mass
The Founders came up with our system precisely so large states could not run roughshod over small states. What you want is mob rule.
3
@Miffed in Mass Population based representation is via the House. The Senate prevents the tyranny of the majority and mob rule. You can feel free to pass a Constitutional Amendment to change our form of government after nearly 250 years. The left has a very loose sense of what our Democracy is and how it works. They've been so busy studying up on Socialism, that they haven't had time to examine the Constitution.
2
That is what we are calling democracy these days?
Dear America,
When I lived in Pittsburgh during and after 9/11, and regularly came across many rational people who blamed my country for allowing the monsters who terrified us all to attack you, I would always tell them it was untrue, a lie, and that in reality, we used our resources to help you, as a neighbour would.
When I lived overseas, and anyone would complain of the arrogance of America in any discussion, I would remind them that regardless of the few arrogant tourists you might meet, we lived in the age if Pax Americana, and nations around the world came together under American leadership many times to put in place rational plans that benefitted everyone.
Now, after your leaders have outright insulted my home, and branded us security threats, do I see that my efforts were wasted. You have decided to not send a stern rebuke to them. Though many of you elected shining stars of hope, the rest of your people have sent a clear message to people like me who used to look up to you, which is: We can say and do as We please, and We don't care if it hurts you, your feelings for Us, or your pocketbook. We don't care if the great lesson of the 20th century was that to build together was to grow richer together, not divide and conquer.
I had not advocated, like others here in Canada, to keep from you, to stop visiting you, to stop buying from you. I will now.
I am saddened today to let a friend go.
John Thompson
11
@John Thompson
If winning a majority in the house, which thanks to some Shenanigans Democrats need 57% of the vote just to tie, is not a rebuke, I don't know what would have been.
There are a lot of things going on down here at the moment, and caution is advised, but please recall that only a third of the Senate is up up for grabs every 2 years, and this time it was largely the conservative third.
Obviously the president wasn't up for reelection.
We spoke loudly, and where we could, and will again. Maybe take a break from us until we do that a few more times, but this is honestly the best start that it was worth hoping for.
3
12 million more people voted for Democrats yesterday than for Republicans. A lot of us hate what the minority is selecting for the rest of us.
2
I feel your pain today and as an American I too am saddened by the results
this morning, however...winning the House back offered a bright light
of optimism . Have patience......we are still the nation you speak of however a young one that seems to be taking a bit more time moving into
adulthood.
1
Rope-a-dope
The resistance was strong, vocal, passionate, and energized from day one of the Trump presidency. Over the past few months you could almost feel the energy subside a bit. (Some areas remained energized, but not enough.) Fatigue?
Trump unleashed a devastating, relentless attack the past six weeks. His nonstop political barnstorming was enough to stave off the blue wave, gin up his base, and hold his ground. Lost seats in House but picked up seats in the Senate.
Who is going to be the Gettysburg to knock off Trump in 2020? Who is going to deliver the kidney shot to buckle Trump to his knees?
We the people have to do more in 2020. Small gains and close losses continue to demoralize the resistance.
10
Is it the beginning of the end or the end of the beginning? Repubs may be the present, but they are not the future of a country in which white people will be the majority-minority in the next decade and where people are fleeing rural areas or repopulating them with more forward thinkers (i.e. artists).
When we look back at these trying, testing times, we will see that Trump was merely a transition, a backlash that has spawned a backlash.
The counterpuncher has been counterpunched by women and minorities and, yes, some visionary white guys.
The future is theirs, while by tying themselves to Trump, the Republicans have sealed their Jurassic fate. -- thegamesmenplay.com
4
Democrats have an opportunity here. But letting Nancy Pelosi be in charge again is a terrible idea. Bless that woman's heart for her service to this country but most voters have nothing in common with her. Especially the young voters. Middle class, disenfranchised voters have nothing in common with her. Those Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Missouri men and women who were out of work for so long and now they finally have jobs cannot relate to her. Her being in charge will only help Trump. Just like with Kavanaugh, the question of, "is he really the best the Repubs could offer" should be the question Dems also ask themselves, is she the best they can offer?
4
There seems to be alot of "glass half empty" people commenting here. Votes are still being counted in some states. So far the upside is more women have been elected, the Dems took the House and they will put a check on Trump and it appears the governor of my home state of Wisconsin has been kicked to the curb.
7
@susan
They are glass half empty because we are all so desperate to pretend that it is a fair contest with equally powerful players that the win looks marginal.
1
@Chad boudreau - A win is a win. I'll take it.
Trump, the GOP, and right-wing pundits will try to portray this as equivocal at best, but it's untrue. Democrats winning the House should have been impossible.
To understand what really happened we must address "The Map."
The 2010 census meant that what Democrats just experienced in the House is arguably the greatest Tsunami in the history of American politics because it was supposed to be impossible for the Democrats to take the House by even a single seat. One can't understand what happened last night without realizing that the redrawing of the American political map by Republicans should have destroyed American representative democracy in the House. (That's without even touching massive voter suppression after the Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act).
Republicans after losing to President Obama perverted the 2010 census, turning a demographic disaster into Republican legislative majorities considered so unassailable and unbeatable, that analysts universally said that no outcomes were in doubt until after the 2020 census. The new Republican mapping technologies were so precise that they totally resegregated America, creating congressional districts where only a Republican further to the right could win.
Democrats had both hands tied behind their backs, lead weights tied to their legs, and were thrown in the river, yet still they won, and by a very large margin. Republicans by cheating made winning impossible, yet Democrats still won, and Republicans lost.
8
Map(s) still looks pretty red to me. Still, happy there is something for everyone in these results. Maybe now people can calm down a little. With all those new faces in the Democratic Party, also hoping for more productivity, less party-line resistance. Hard to imagine all those people were elected to do nothing but resist. They look like they will be a healthy addition to Congress.
3
@AACNY
No, no, they were largely elected to resist. Only now with the added benefit of subpoena power!
If you would like to see the democratic party disintegrate in revolt, then convince pelosi not to use that power.
Personally, I don't care which crimes trump appointees commit while in office, but after they leave, I would like to see each and every one of them brought under oath and if they lie or refuse to answer they should go to jail.
I can accept the decisions of the American people, but we can't make rational decisions when basic facts are in question.
To me, probably the most interesting result was the election of Laura Kelly as governor of Kansas. That's a state that Republican Sam Brownback famously declared a laboratory for classic supply-side economics--cut taxes, especially for the wealthy, and watch prosperity trickle down. Well, there was no prosperity, only disaster, and the citizens of Kansas, overwhelmingly Republican, seem to have finally recognized that the traditional Republican approach to economics just doesn't work. Kris Kobach was controversial, but it seems what really sunk his campaign was his belief that Brownback didn't cut taxes enough. For Kansans, that must have sounded ludicrous, and there's no way Kelly could've won if she didn't get votes from a lot of Republicans.
What I'm saying is, if Republicans in Kansas can come to realize that their party's religion of tax cuts is wrong, then maybe there's hope for us yet.
8
@g
Kansas Democrat is like saying Massachusetts Republican. They are that in their respective states, but if the governor of Massachusetts went to Kansas and said they were a republican they would be laughed at. Same with the Kansas Democrat.
Still, congrats to the people of Kansas!
1
Here in Charlotte, the 9th Congressional District winner is. Baptist muckety-muck who describes the role of women in society is to be a “servant lover.”
The only explanation for this result (which was very close) is gerrymandering, in which suburban city dwellers competed against entrenched hyper-conservative ex-urban and rural interests — the same area of North Carolina that gave the world the late racist Jesse Helms.
The urban-rural gulf in this country will only widen as long as we allow politicians to draw Congressional district boundaries. Perhaps one day, we will come to our senses and reject the absurdity of enabling the chickens to build the henhouse. The only remedy is to turn the process over to independent, non-partisan commissions as is practiced in several states. It is by no means a perfect solution, but it surely must be better then thwarting the one person, one vote premise of our representative democracy.
4
demographics is destiny. try as they might, republicans cant outrun this. i have faith that the increasing diversity of the American populace will be our saving grace.
2
@karl
Demographics are destiny only because the republican party is deeply racist. If they dropped that racism in a believable way then they would make large gains in African American communities and tremendous gains in the Latino communities
The incoming majoritty of the House Judiciary Committee welcomes Robert S. Mueller III's report, whenever he is prepared to give it. I cannot overstate how reassuring it is to be able to type that last sentence.
8
This is such an enthusiastic article about a very mediocre performance by the Democrats. I think the term "voter fury" is a bit much as the results of the house election were expected and normal in this type of election. And how does one determine if the " unusually high turnout " benefitted the Democrats or the Republicans? There is certainly no sign of a " backlash" against Mr. Trump.
17
Untrue. Dislodging an incumbent representative is enoulrmously difficult. The Senate, meanwhile, is far less representative of the country, giving states with low populations much larger proportional power esp. three delegate states. Combine that with a GOP who had control of all three branches going in and thus should be executing its plan to govern (ha ha, as if they had one) and this is a back hand victory.
Mid term elections' results show clearly that Trump is paying the price for his unwise policy in the Middle East and racial views against immigants who have contributed so much in the American civilisation.
4
Very disappointing, after two years of this circus I was expecting a big landslide, this vote shows that most Americans are still supporting Trump so no more excuses.
12
I think it shows that the electoral college system is broken.
What happened to the blue “Wave”???? Democrats struggled to get a measley 23 seats to barely gain control of the house. And now Republicans has a wide majority in the Senate so that the next Supreme Court justice can be easily be confirmed? This is a blue wave???? The media and the polls have little to no credibility.
18
Non-voters, 3rd party fools, and "independent" nihilists let Trump barely slip into the WH. The result was chaos, chronic hate rhetoric, and the corruption of the judiciary.
2018 is a corrective, but the job isn't done.
12
You're right, with two years of gridlock and subpoenas ahead of us, there will be a big red corrective action come 2020. Hang on, it's going to be a bumpy ride.
4
@Born In The Bronx
If the subpoena powers are used effectively, and uncover everything we think and fear that they could uncover, yet the trump circus still manages to sell it to the American people, then bravo and alright I'll accept it.
The problem is that we Democrats are convinced (for good reason) that you Republicans have been lied to, so often that we wonder if you really would vote for trump again.
If all that stuff comes out, if we all get to hear the truth, and the country still votes republican, then it will be much easier to accept the loss.
If the subpoena power is used effectively, and it turns out that the trump gang was secretly on the up and up all along, I'll totally apologize.
@David Henry
I am an independent and not nihilist at all. It's snobby and unfriendly comments like that drive us away from your party, Democrats. Take a look at yourselves, for once!
1
Mostly I’m relieved to know that while our democracy is still broken it’s not dead, and that Democrats can actually win the races they’re projected to win. There’s good news on the diversity front, and it’s great that we’ve flipped a few midwestern governors.
But we must accept the fact that this was not really a defeat for Trump, and may actually help him. The blue House will provide him with fresh fodder for his Twitter rants and a new place to focus his wrath and make his base feel aggrieved. History teaches us that there is no reason to assume that the Democrats’ successes this year will lead to a return to power in 2020. Nothing can undo the damage that Trump has already done and will continue to inflict, including the stacking of SCOTUS and lower courts with justices that will turn back the clock on hard-won rights for generations to come. And there’s no reason to hope that the deep divisions in our country won’t deepen and become even more bitter and violent.
We now know two sobering facts: most of Trump’s voters don’t have buyer’s remorse, and voting patterns don’t radically change when everyone shows up to vote. The election confirmed that we can’t blame our country’s divisions on voter apathy or foreign agents: this is just who we are right now. And now that Democrats have been invited back to the table it means we won’t be able to continue blaming everything on the Republicans.
We continue to live the nightmare.
298
@James Jacobs
"voting patterns don’t radically change when everyone shows up to vote."
I think it's pretty radical that O'Rourke, Abrams, and Gillum got as close as they did. These are the three losses that most break my heart, but at the same time, two or three percentage points from winning is a lot of progress.
57
@James Jacobs
Why is it stacking the courts? The democrats do not hold the senate. If they did would you say Democrats are "stacking the courts"? I doubt it.
real power rests with the Senate. The Democrats picked up second prize yet again.
9
@C Wolfe Thanks for pointing out the progress the Fl, GA, and TX losses represent. Still, I find it so hard to believe that the better candidates lost. I try to find the rationale in people voting against their best interests and the answer to what likely motivates them does not speak well for the state of our country. I hope voters, especially young people, won't stop believing they can make a difference.
30
I'm heartened that the Democrats won the house, but saddened that more progressive candidates did not win in Texas and Florida. I also do not understand why rural people prefer their guns, hating immigrants, and sanctions on their livelihoods to health care, decent salaries, and education. More than ever, we are a divided house with a leader who thrives on division and media attention. It's going to be difficult to keep the Republicans from destroying Choice for families, Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, public education and public lands, and from rigging the election for 2020. If feels like a long slog with a brief break.
179
@Dr. Conde
It's because Democrats haven't given an answer on how their victory leads to decent salaries and good jobs in a generation.
"We will raise the minimum wage and your wages will magically go up through the hidden voodoo power of economics" (true, but not an easy thing to sell)
"We will require your employer to pay for things that we think you would negotiate for if you had the power to negotiate with them". So like unions, but not, because the Democrats court big money now, and big money, historically, will kill to prevent unions. Thanks Bill Clinton
How about Democrats actually focus on starting a labor movement, instead of trying to give us some of the benefits of one without upsetting the donor class?
15
@Dr. Conde because they are racists and that is all that matters to them.
20
@Dr. CondeI agree with you. Unfortunately, we may need to hit another rock bottom in order for real change to happen. Chin up but until poor rural voters see the light all we can do is, well I don't really know what we can do.
11
This was not a blue wave, more like a ripple. If there was going to be a national outcry against Trump it didn't happen. It is customary that the President loses some control of one of the chambers at the first midterms. Instead of being just the anti-Trump party, Dems need more identity. Being a party about social identity is too narrow.
149
@Not 99pct The Dems are more than just identity. They ran on expanding Medicaid, increasing the minimum wage, student loan debt forgiveness, campaign finance reform, investment in infrastructure, etc.
11
@Not 99pct
A ripple? Come on! Now we can get serious about this trump guy and really come to grips in holding him to account for doing everything from obstructing investigations to enriching himself by refusing to divest interests. His henchmen keep trying to normalize the abnormality of his behavior. Nothing about his time in office has been normal and nothing about him has changed. He is grossly incompetent and proves it daily. He is using the office to enrich himself and his spawn, and proves it daily.
2
Did we watch the same midterm elections? No blue wave but, rather, Democrats crawling to the finish line to win a meager majority in Congress. The Democrats failed to make any gains in the Senate while Trump like ilk Republican Senators were re-elected; says a lot about Trump 95% (ers) in terms of character. There were Democrats who won some gubernatorial races by dethroning Republicans but hardly the storm the Democrats had hoped for.
What the Democrats fail to see in all this is the vile and vindictive backlash they will endure from the Instigator in Chief. Donald J. Trump's concept of being president is holding Fidel Castro style rallies every week and denigrating his opponents from afar to deflect from the fact that he has no skills in administration nor governance. Life is going get much tougher for the majority in the real America now that the line has been drawn between the two Americas as Trump lashes out at those he views as Enemies of the State; everyone except his 95% (ers).
11
@Jacob K
Once upon a time Democrats were labor activists. Forging a labor movement is seriously dangerous work. If they can't take a little underhanded vindictive tantrum from trump now, then the Democrats will either toughen up or they will never be fit for what they aspire to be. This will be good for them.
As for the substance of the backlash, we are already dealing with a deeply skewed limitation to deductions specifically designed to hurt blue states, so we'll see whats next and deal with that too.
1
The Democrats have a chance to turn over a new leaf and NOT elect Pelosi as Speaker. Do they have the guts to toss out the old regime, bring fresh blood to the leadership, and capture the hearts and minds of younger voters? Given their track record of bungling golden opportunities, I am doubtful.
10
@GB
Mostly Democrats have been yelling for a return of their party to the values that predate the Clintons. Pelosi's career also began before the Clintons. Should she return to those roots, my guess is that the Democrats, old AND new, will be delighted to have her expertise. She might not be a good politician, but she was a remarkably effective speaker of the house.
No seriously, it is her ability as speaker that we all define as what being a good speaker IS.
I trust that the leadership in the democratic party knows where her political comfort zone is, and so long as it is not the right of center, third way nonsense of the Clintons, then pelosi gets a thumbs up from me.
Not as a Nationwide political leaders setting policy, but as a leader of the house of representatives trying in vain to get stuff done?
Yeah sure.
For competence.
There’s not much to be elated about this morning, except for the fact that women made incredible gains. The Democrats do not have control of the most important house in Congress and they only have a slim margin of error if moderates vote with Republicans. They will somehow manage to screw this up. They will also have to get Mitch McConnell’s blessing for each and every little thing they want to do in the House as bills pass back and forth, and he will stall and play parliamentary games until Trump is re-elected in 2020. The polls, once again, were so far off the mark that I don’t know why anyone bothers anymore. Because Democrats failed to take the Senate, we are still in trouble.
9
Why not impeach President Trump?
Democrats can, but it would not be productive. He could be impeached (like Clinton) and then not convicted by the Senate (like Clinton.) Two reasons why this would be ill advised:
Presidents can.only be impeached for things they did while in office. That is why the Russia investigation is a sham. It is not admissible in the Senate trial.
Second, based on the history of all impeachments the People lose. Congress gets nothing done other than hardening positions. It sucks all the air out of political discourse. The electorate is disgusted which solidifies their previous positions.
Wasting time with impeachment and #resist is a lose lose - for the Democrats and the People.
Constitutional note: The Chief Justice presides over the trial. The Constitution is silent on his powers.
4
The state of people in this country is diseased. What distresses me most is hearing interviews with GOP voters during this cycle saying things like "why do they think they deserve health care?"
Republicanism - and especially the Trump version of it - sees no "community" and only appears to live on rendering judgment on others...don't deserve health care, too lazy to make more money, shouldn't have control of their own bodies, too brown, too gay, too Muslim, etc.
If those who support our dictator in chief would spend half as much energy trying to understand real people's challenges and offer ways to overcome those challenges as they put into judging those they view as "others" we'd have a hope of a country that works.
16
Now we will see how much of America was purchased by American BILLIONAIRES and how much it will cost Americans for their money to buy the House for the Democrats.
4
I wish to sadly note that 45% of Americans who voted (admirable turnout for sure) approve of their President.
That is deeply disturbing & requires more discussion and understanding.
15
@vintagetova I approve of Trump's accomplishments in office.
What will never come from the left is actual discussion and understanding.
BTW, how is that Russian collusion thing going?
The democrats picked up about half the number of seats that Obama lost in his first midterm, and the senate elected more republicans than expected. And this is a repudiation of Trump? More bias by liberal media organizations incl the NYTs. No blue wave, and the Dems who gained seats were mainly moderates. Liberals better check their excitement at the door.
16
Our corrupt election system based on donor campaign funds is sad to watch. Did anybody discuss the ten wars we are involved in causing massive death and destruction from Syria to Libya all the way to Pakistan. Democrats pledge handouts to the bought off poor but their communities are not improved. Republicans believe each citizen is on his own.
1
Congratulations Democrats.
It's Mueller time.
When is Mueller going to start showing America what he has and what he is going to do - as the Democrats now have the House, and they and the Nation really needs to know the facts and the truth.
#Reveal Tax Returns.
4
How can the NYT call this reporting instead of opinion is beyond me. I fact, it is hilarious.
The Democrats had a good night overall, but intense rebuke. No way. Right now, it looks like the Dems will pick up about 35 House senate, lose 4 in the Senate, and gain 6-7 governorships.
How does this compare to 2010 under Obama? Then, the Republicans gained 63 House senate, 5 Senate seats, and 5 governorships. If 2018 is intense, then 2010 must have been a tsunami.
Last week, the Washington Post had an article about the possibility of turning the Senate in 2020. They had already accepted that it was not changing hands this year. Their point was that the chances depended on the starting point after yesterday. They did not think. The odds were so favorable if the starting point was 54-46. With 55-45, it is even more likely the Senate will say in Republican control for at least the next four years.
10
@luxembourg
The first step towards political "peace" is allowing everyone to feel they've prevailed. If they need to think of it as a "rebuke", allow them that luxury.
In fact, Obama's midterms were a larger rebuke of him than this was of Trump; and Trump is, himself, a rebuke of Obama, but that may be too much to entertain right now.
Democrats did a great job fielding new candidates. They have their work cut out for them, overcoming the old dogs who'd rather fight than compromise. I wish them well.
1
Illustrating the unfairness of the media, the headline "Unusually high turnout Illustrates Intensity of Trump Backlash," is at the very least, misleading. Didn't both Republicans and Democrats have a high turnout? So, 50% of that crowd could illustrate the massive support of Trump could it not?
Congratulations to the Democrats and I have heard Nancy Pelosi speak and she is quite intelligent, albeit far left. I hope she re-considers her support of sanctuary cities for illegal aliens. Maxine Waters could be in way over her head as chair of the Finance committee. Hensarling had in depth knowledge of finance, Fannie Mae and the FHA. I can only hope she does her homework.
6
Are corporate democrats that much different from moderate Republicans?
1
As of this morning, there were 44.4 million votes cast for Democratic senate candidates, versus 32.8 million for Republican candidates. The result? "Senate Election Results: Republicans Expand Majority." I would suggest that headline should be re-written as, "White Minority Government Strengthens Grip On Senate."
There's a point at which we need to stop referring to Republican minority government as "the majority" and treating it as democratically legitimate. After all, the leader of white nationalist Rhodesia, Ian Smith, used to justify his regime by pointing out that native Africans in Rhodesia had the right to vote and could elect representatives in Parliament. And he was right. The only problem was that the way in which seats in the Rhodesian Parliament were apportioned was so skewed it locked the native African majority out of power. And now here, in the United States, the Republican party just lost the vote by a landslide and yet they've gained Senate seats. We need to stop treating this as normal or an acceptable way to run a democracy.
8
I agree in many races this would be true bc of gerrymandering, but in some races (senate, governor)it’s a direct vote, so that argument is moot.
The numbers of votes cast may reflect more that representation is not representational. With the partisan lines that have been drawn, trenches dug, I don’t see how we’ll transcend that to have a real discussion about whether our current system is working to represent Americans justly and fairly.
2
Again, democrats think that most people vote with conscience and a dose of realism. No, the people who supported Trump will never listen to anyone other than Trump himself. Trump’s lies and bigotry do not bother them because they feel they have been ignored and pushed around by all other politicians EXCEPT Trump - at least he’s honest with them, they believe. He’s the second coming of Jesus to them, and literally to the Evangelicals.
And those moderate voters, if they even exist, won’t save democrats because democrats had to be so politically correct and “pragmatic and thoughtful” they can’t even say out loud “radical islam” without being ashamed, not to mention forcing people to accept gays, lesbians and transgenders in a period of time less than most people even understand what it means to accept them socially. You may be able to change laws but you can’t change the way people look at things in the nick of time.
All this might have been forgiven had they not been economically and socially left behind. Yes, it’s no one’s fault but themselves’. But left behind they are, so anger and frustration mount, with no one to blame. Wait, the Immigrants. That’s right, they are to be blamed for all their woes, even it takes a bigot like Trump to make it public. Dems meanwhile preach gospel about the need to restore “the great American ideals” that made America Great. While Trump hearkens back to the days when white people felt great about themselves and none of these insecurities.
2
I have only one thing to say to the prospective Democratic Congressional chairman: "Drill, baby, drill!"
2
As far as I can tell, there were JUST enough of people in key races (mostly the south and mid west) that voted to raise the drawbridge.
There simply is no other way to explain it.
2
Trump will not run in 2020.
For the first time in his very short political career, and possibly for the first time in his life, Trump can be held accountable.
If the House Intelligence Committee demands his tax returns he has to cough them up and there's nothing his lawyers can do about it.
If the Committee wants to drag Trump Jr. in and ask, under oath, what the meeting at Trump Tower was about, they can do it and there's nothing Daddy can do about it.
If the Committee demands Trumps business records to see just how much in violation of the Emoluments Clause he really is there's nothing he can do about it.
And finally, a large group of people, including women, black and brown people, can simply say "no" to him. That will make his head explode. Buh-bye, Donnie.
172
For Robert Mueller, getting Trump's tax returns--personal, corporate and foundational--is as easy as ordering a pizza. And the gratifying number of indictments and guilty pleas from those in Trump's inner circle indicates that Mueller has already had Trump's tax returns, the perfect road map to Trump's crimes against our nation. Follow the money, indeed. At least now, the fake House investigations by the likes of Devin Nunes and other Trump toadies are a thing of the past.
37
@Ralphie
As we know the house can call people into testify and they simply will not show up. Then what? Nothing as the Dems don't control the DOJ. Many people refused to testify before the house and nothing happened.
Don't get you hopes up about a meeting in a tower that means nothing.
4
@Ralphie " Buh-bye, Donnie." And hello Mike Pence. If Pence takes office with less than 2 years left, then you may be looking at Pence 2020 and 2024.
3
Considering Trump's first two tumultuous years in office, this does not seem like much of a rebuke. It is certainly not a call for impeachment. Is it a "stay the course" vote for the Senate? I guess sitting Republicans who were not up for reelection must ask themselves "how would I have done if I was running". If too many of them conclude they would have lost, how will that effect them? Do they really have any choice but to support Trump anyway? Given the house is now split, what can they expect to accomplish over the next two years? Trump will continue to want to do things, he will have to compromise with the Democrats to do them, and he may be willing to do things Republicans don't want to do, they know he is capable of that, in fact they are suspicious of him for it, they doubt his credentials as a Republican. Trump wants to be reelected, he wants to be the president who got more done than any other president, and he could betray his party to try to achieve that. Trump is a powerful force, there is plenty of uncertainty now, which may be a good thing, an improvement, a fertile ground for compromise, and for progress.
3
@GBC1
The irony is that the most hated GOP president is the most likely to compromise. He likes deals more than he likes politics. Sure, he stumped for party during this election, but he likes getting things done.
1
@AACNY
Exactly!
1
I'm so sorry we have another republican governor in Florida. Rick Scott stole tens of million in health care dollars. Ruined the environment by delaying Everglades restaurant restoration, and in a state where we could be exporting clean water, we have shortages and rationing. We're also at the bottom rung of the ladder for education!
Yea, way to go Florida. We continue to elect governors who defraud our seniors on medicare, a legislature that enhance gun rights, while our children are shot droves at their school in droves, and remain at the bottom of the states rankings for education. Yep, it's a bright future down here, but only because we've got so much sunshine!
9
Trump has about the same approval ratings as Obama did at this point in his first term - but he did a lot better than Obama in this first midterm election. Turnout may have been high but the Democrats barely flipped enough seats to control the house and couldn’t make hay in the Senate despite at least a billion dollars in campaign funds and absurd amounts for people like Beto O’Rourke, who still lost. It’s nothing like the shellacking of 2010 but that won’t be the message. The Republicans have a relative victory here, even doing a little better than historical averages - at best the electorate is ambivalent about Trump. But of course the press will, as they do in this article, overstate the “outrage” against Trump reflected in the results. As usual Trump outsmarts the press but they are too caught up in their own partisanship to see it - or to report it objectively.
9
That’s odd. I voted not due to fury over Trump, but because my state was electing a new governor. The state is in a deep fiscal crisis, and electing strong leadership is essential for our future.
72% of the voters in my town voted, and the governor race is still too close to call. This is why we voted yesterday, and I’ll be happy regardless of the result because it appears we will be close to a true majority.
Elections are local, and I believe the NYT and the Democrats are making more of this than it is.
4
Ds underperform in the House victory with a pick up of 26 seats and it is called a rebuke of DJT? Rs pick up 1 Senate seat and minimize governor losses. This seems more like a victory for DJT.
8
We can argue a lot about who won these elections. Fact is, Republicans have strengthened their majority in the Senate, which will allow them to continue to shape the judiciary in the next two years.
Furthermore, Trump must feel reinforced in his racist and divise discourse: those states where he made rallies are the ones where republicans met their best successes.
We can only expect him now to push further in that direction.
Yes, democrats won back the House. Yes they will now be able to block most republican legislative efforts, but republicans themselves produced very little legislation when they controlled both houses.
Trump produced many presidential orders, and he will continue to do so, getting the green light from SCOTUS.
The best democrats can do now, is to shine bright light on as much of Trump's corruption deals as possible: Trump's taxes, Trump's business deals before and after 2006, Trump's interactions with Russian oligarchs…. And even here, Trump may try to use the SCOTUS to protect him from having to disclose too much.
The USA avoided catastrophy, but they are far from saved.
149
@SJP If the 2018 midterms deliver a stalemate to the GOP then they're celebrating this morning. I don't think even the most delusional Republican expected to keep the House. From the GOP's perspective losing the House is irrelevant. They've won the Senate ...increasing their majority. Control the Senate & you control the most important lever of power: the judiciary. That means the Republican's will continue to nominate more conservative justices. The courts are the source of the Republican's power in the cultural war that divides us. The GOP is not going to have to worry about confirmation battles anymore. They're not going to have to worry about appeasing moderates. They will put up whoever they want...the more to the right the better...and get them confirmed. The GOP is playing the long game. Trump will be gone soon. They will still be here. The GOP can wait him out & achieve all of their objectives. Their goal is to nominate 3-4 very conservative Supreme Court justices. Trump has gotten two SCOTUS appointments, he may get more. He’s moved much faster on lower-court appointments than Obama did. The legal arm of the conservative movement is the best organized & most far-seeing sector of the Right. They truly are in it — and have been in it — for the long term goals. Control the Supreme Court, stack the judiciary, and you can stop the progressive movement, no matter how popular it is, no matter how much legislative power it has. Nothing will get in the way of that goal.
9
We Americans have just witnessed something near a miracle brought about by countless voters and many female candidates.
This incredible turnout of patriotic citizens has literally breathed new life into the United States and lifted the national mood to its highest level in over two years.
Now we must capitalize on this enthusiasm for the coming two years in preparation for the next presidential election.
Perhaps the overwhelming momentum of female candidates and voters will finally bring us our first female president!
60
@michael kittle which elections were you watching? From my view, the results are mixed, not miraculous:
(1) legislative stalemate;
(2) GOP-strengthened Senate and accompanying power to continue appointing conservative to Judicial posts - influencing Judiciary for GENERATIONS;
(3) ability to drive House Investigations / subpoenas, with accompanying ability to impeach;
(4) but GOP Senate retains ability to block conviction on grounds of impeachment;
(5) Trump and others in Repub party will now have a political scapegoat in the House - which may actually strengthen Trump's 2020 bid
(6) Dems are still thinking and talking about compromise and bipartisanship, despite the fact that the other party has shown virtually no interest in anything other than unilateral victory on their own terms for at least 10 years
This is not a miracle. It's hardly a success. It's a step in the right direction (for those with liberal perspective), but make no mistake about it: Trump will still find plenty of political cover from the Senate. SCOTUS is as much at risk as over the past 2 years. Conservative agenda will continue to be furthered in key agencies such as EPA. And the State Department will continue to be under-utilized, thus further weakening our 'soft-power', leaving a continuing vacuum for China, Russia and others to exploit to their advantage and our disadvantage.
What is my take away? Enjoy the moment but only for a moment. We have work to do.
7
@Tom
Loose all hope and nothing will be accomplished. Like the Woman's March on Inaugural Day, the U.S. woke up from a catastrophic delirium and united. There is much work to be done and it shall be addressed, some of it accomplished and some of it left to fight for another day. But as downtrodden and burdensome as it is, it will be hammered out, reshaped and molded. Our work in progress will continue, just like a relationship worth saving, just like our democracy.
Here in Florida some of us are delighted by the results. Ron DeSantis, a war veteran and member of Congress was able to claim the seat vacated by another brilliant winner, Rick Scott who defeated Senator Nelson. ( Nelson is a nice man however he should have been term limited years ago ).
Many of our Republican friends actively worked to defeat a well spoken but critically flawed candidate from Tallahassee, Andrew Gillum. Thank you President Trump, we are still not tired of winning here in Florida - don't stop.
12
Hilarious. Dems get about the average number of seats in a midterm, fail to get the predicted blue wave, and fail to win with their hyped new so-called stars. And the GOP appears to have gained 4 seats in the senate. And that is the headline? What that suggests is that we can expect 2 more years of screaming Dems and journalists losing even the pretense of objectivity in their “news” stories. Btw, given the size of the Senate win and the absence of wavering GOP senators, if the House Dems get nasty, the Senate will let fed judicial nominees fly through the system and stop the House from accomplishing any legislation. But Nancy and Maxine will be who they are—the question is whether the House Dems who won in Red States will go along with the Dem leaders or even support them.
14
What we learned is there are plenty of people - especially in the South - who will elect candidates who are basically worthless and are notable only for their vicious racism, antipathy toward diversity and their willingness to destroy democracy to win.
Rob DeSantis is a waste of space whose entire campaign consisted of race-baiting Andrew Gillum - a fine candidate who conducted himself with wisdom, tolerance and decency.
Possibly even more disgusting than DeSantis was Brian Kemp in Georgia, who oversaw one of the most crooked elections in recent memory, featuring manipulation of voting rolls, voter suppression, racial dog whistles and, of course, plain old racism.
I lived in Georgia for many years and have never believed there is a "New South" of diversity, tolerance, decency, fairness. Lots of people have told me I'm wrong.
But to me last night felt like the same old same old same old.
If Lester Maddox was still alive, he would have campaigned for Rob DeSantis and Brian Kemp. And they would have welcomed him.
17
" . . . a president who ended the campaign showering audiences with a blizzard of mistruths, . . ."
Why is The Times using words like "falsehoods" and "mistruths" instead of the more direct "lies" to characterize Mr. Trump's assertions?
7
Does it matter? It is a great circle of untruth but now the dems are not outside looking in.
@Sophocles
Yes, it matters. Objective truth is as important as innocent until proven guilty. Our standards are slipping.
The next recession can’t come soon enough if that is what it is going to take for conservative voters to wake up to a party dedicated to protecting the Trump family above all else.
At least it wasn’t as bad as it could have been. There is reason for hope this morning.
9
@T Montoya
Seriously? You want a recession to make your political point? The world has gone made. Trump did pretty well in his first midterm election - apparently a lot of people approve of his agenda But you would never know that from this reporting. Trump has about the same approval numbers asObama did at this point in his first mid term but Trump and the Republicans did a lot better than the Democrats in 2010, barely losing the House but increasingly their majority in the Senate. If the Democrats and MSM continue to report this in the way they are now get ready for 4 more years of Trump - and the recession you aren’t asking for may not ever come.
6
Wishing a recession to teach people a lesson?
6
@Paul
Maybe it's a little cruel but still more sane that the consequences of family separation, which conservatives seem to be ok with.
Interesting % share of voting. Democrates have 55% vote share in senate and republicans 43%. A 12% lower vote share in senate and a 4% lower vote share in congress. These trends will be dangerous for republicans
5
The dems have the house and it seems the strategy the senate dems used on Kavenaugh back-fired.
When they were talking about a blue wave, I thought it was bigger than losing 3 seats in the senate and winning just a few more seats than necessary for the house.
9
If voters were required to show they know the first three words of the Constitution, Republicans would lose all over the country...
4
The happiest man in America this morning is Gov. John Kasich of Ohio. I think he will be the next President of the United States. It is back to the future. Reagan and Poppy Bush are the nostalgia that may well return. Progressives will look back on Obama as a hope that America never truly embraced. The rural versus urban civil war will allow the 1% to keep looting the Treasury. Democrats had better focus all their attention of nominating the most charismatic candidates they can find. The only winning ticket I see right now is O'Rourke/O'bama. Notice that little trick? All of this hinges on whether Trump does not destroy the nation in the interim.
3
Beto O’Rourke, yes, but VP Mitch Landrieu for 2020 ticket
Also, I would say the unusually large turnout demonstrates the depth of the political division in this country. Last night your reporters were crediting the unusually large turn out with holding the Democrats back. The truth is that both sides are dug in more than ever.
7
While I am relieved that the Democrats retook the House, I cannot join in the party-wide “happy days are here again” chant that some are shouting.
This 2018 midterm has all the dreaded possibilities that people felt after Hannibal Lecter escaped from Memphis. The monster was not contained; he managed, by cunning and manipulation, to free himself of his restraints and is on the loose.
The Senate’s moving ever rightward tells me that the red tide is prepared to roll back upon the land even higher than it did in 2016. The “grim forecast” foretold yesterday for the president did not, to my way of thinking, materialize.
There were some positive gains for Democrats on Tuesday, yes: additional governorships and the number of women who will have a say In representing the fortunes of their Congressional districts. But the Republican dragon has not been slain; their Senate triumphs have given the GOP an even more powerful recoil, one that Majority Leader Mitch McConnell will unleash with a vicious partisan fury as the nation, with hardly a pause for breath, gears up for s 2020 Armageddon that will almost certainly test the strengths of the stuff for which it says it has always stood for.
And Donald Trump will doubtless find a treasure in the seeming “trash” of a lost House and double down on the only vehicle that is truly his own: a circus of dread and looming horror.
Yes, the House controls the purse; but the president controls the bully pulpit. The fight is just beginning.
8
Please Nancy Pelosi, give someone else a chance to lead the House.
12
With a split Congress, nothing of any real consequence will get done and the Donald can do as he pleases as it would take both Houses to stop him. So, the result may be we will be worse off than before and he will be more dictatorial without full Congressional support. Expect him to push the limits of the Constitution more than ever since he doesn't have a Republican Congress to do his bidding. With the Supreme Court in his back pocket now, it will be even easier.
First, HOORAY!! Trump and the Republicans have had us in their divisive grip for what seems like an eternity. The weight has been lifted to our collective credit and relief. We marched, protested, organized, campaigned, voted, prevailed. Congratulations to the United States of America.
6
@lg
Yep - you did all that and barely flipped the House, right in line with historical averages for a midterm. Obama got a shellacking, losing a super majority in the Senate and over 60 seats in the House. You lost seats in the Senate and even Oprah, Snoop Dog, Beyoncé and Taylor Swift couldn’t stop Republicans from being elected. Before getting too excited a little context would be helpful but I doubt our partisan media will provide it.
3
@Me I will accept that as, “Congratulations!”
1
Let the 2020 campaigning begin! If Dems keep pushing a working and middle class message, continue signing up new voters, suing against the gerrymandering, and staying united, in two short years they can control both chambers of Congress and the Presidency!
10
That's putting quite a spin in a sputtering wave. Was it voter fury that took led to the Republicans taking the House in 2010. I don't recall the Times putting it quite that way. As mid-term turnovers go, this one is a dud.
There is one thing the Republican and the Democrats agree on. They Democratic House will be be the home of obstruction. Theres are a few more stones in the road this morning. Nothing more.
7
This is the beginning of the slow end of the white male leadership in the US. In the long run Trumps demeanour and actions has generated scores of women, ethnic voters that now also have seen that their vote actually matters.
Trump might even win the 2020 election - but for the long haul the US has now embarked on a transition that will most probably change the scene of US politics forever.
Trump has galvanized many that never had thought of voting and his behaviour will most probably continue further galvanizing voters against him (and to a certain extent for him).
The sad part is that he will further divide the country and make the trenches deeper - possibly hurting the political discourse.
John McCain is very much missed.
6
I hope good things happen now. I hope the Democrats hold their noses and work with Trump to improve ObamaCare, to get that infrastructure bill passed!! to help bring down college costs--things all Americans want. I hope that Trump sees the advantages of working with congress to pass bills all America wants, and that the Senate (tho grudgingly) will not stop the process!
7
Last night’s vote proved that the Democrats are the tru majority in America.
Presidents are elected by the electoral college and each state sends two senators to Washington , regardless of the size of populations, while the house selects representatives based on the actual number of voters.
Let’s hope some day an honest congress and a courageous president will change this archaic system and give the majority of Americans the right to control their country.
8
Precisely the attitude that holds Democrats back. Looking to change the rules instead of proposing policies that will win. Here's a tip - nobody in flyover country wants to be governed by NYC apartment dwellers.
10
Straight out of the Maduro playbook on how to stay in power. Ugh.
2
I am from a flyover state. I would gladly let anyone of my neighbors here in NYC be the senator from my home state instead of the cretin we elected. The electoral college does need to be fixed, no debate there.
If the days ahead look more difficult and frustrating to Trump than the past even the partial midterm gains could be multipled by the Democratic party simply by staying to its policy course with strategic sharpness.
6
There is a down side of the democrats taking back the house. That would be Pelosi as house speaker again. How can anyone look forward to that.
10
It is very low participation compared to the vote in Europe for legislative elections, for example.
Americans don't vote . They don't participate in the democratic process .
The election and voter registration and absentee ballot procedures in all US states and their counties are very complex and based on heavy inter net savvy skills. Some way has to be made to make voting easier.
@Mike Carroll - I know . That is done to deter people from voting. As a European I find it difficult to vote here .Also , I think that the psychology of voting for judges and justices, as well as for a sherif, have a negative impact on the citizenship feeling because it clearly attests that the law and its implementation are related to politics. Which probably some people who might vote for a democratic idea could find abusive . I feel this way .
I know that the American culture(republican ? ) in general is contrary to that .
Something easier than coloring in dots on a sheet of paper and then stuffing it into an envelope? Ha ha!
1
The only way trump & Co could claim a win tonight was to win across the board: House, Senate, and governors. That would have cemented their claim to have won the hearts and minds of the country the way trump would claim. They failed to do accomplish that trifecta.
America has stood up and declared that trump has NOT won, does not speak for the majority, and that our country still has both a brain and a heart of real American values.
Election Day 2018 was a resounding defeat of the politics of fear, hate, and divisiveness.
7
To me this was worse than Hillary. After 1 year and 10 months, you'd think we would have had enough time to see the Republican Party and the Republican President for what they really are, for what they really stand for.
Well, yes, we sure did see what they stand for: no health insurance if you're not wealthy. No clean air or clean water, let the children worry about that when they grow up. And no justice for voter suppression, for whatever the Supreme Court hands down, for blatant violation of the Emoluments Clause and, yes, no justice for treason.
We really have lost our nation. Maybe Mitch McConnell can tell us where it's gone.
11
Why exactly Pelosi won't seek Trump's impeachment?
1
@Malgorzata
Any impeachment proceedings must make it through the House as well as the Senate. Unless something so irrefutable and serious comes out of the Mueller investigation that the Senate can’t ignore it, the Republican majority will not vote to impeach. Pelosi and the Dems won’t feel like wasting their chances now on something that will not further the Blue Wave in 2020.
6
congratulations, Americans.
6
To quote Churchill after the defeat of the Rommel in Egypt:
Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.
19
For all the turmoil this nation has gone through in the past 2 years reflecting the angst in Trump, this midterm election had its positive results for the Dems, but it was more a victory for the GOP than for the Dems. Both sides just told us the war will continue between the parties, and bipartisanship in Congress is still way out there in the outskirts of D.C.
6
I think the problem with Dems is that against Republicans they appear emasculated. And while the house was won by Dems, there remains a ton of ground to cover to win back the country. Republicans have appealed to the countries ulterior desire to a symbol of dominance and prosperity; unless Dems find a way foster those elements in their messaging, every election will be expensive. Dems need to man-up and do more hitting and less hugging.
5
Joy of Joy's. Two years of Legislative gridlock. It must be my birthday present.
7
Only Trump can take credit for the upside of any issue without taking on any responsibility for the negative, all in the same sentence. Why do reporters let that stand as the last word when it is obviously such childish, self-serving nonsense?
9
Cable news promised us a death match beween "Make America Mayberry Again" and "Lean Forward into Hope and Change".
It didn't happen. The country hasn't moved much since 2016. Neither party seems to have a policy orientation to this allegedly philosophical divide, and Trump's rhetoric seems to be the only thing that the entire country reacts to.
But then, there's still Mueller.
5
The question that comes to my mind is this: How many voters were voting in favor of the Democratic platform as opposed to simply voting for someone other than a Republican?
The victory in the House is nice, especially after 2016, but the loss in the Senate is significant, too.
There are definitely 53 and could be as many as 55 Senate Republicans waiting for Mitch McConnell's triumphant return.
The House victory likely means a welcome respite from Republican assaults on the American people. But it won't advance the progressive agenda. In fact, it's quite likely that Trump & Co. will view the election results as a victory. Democrats can demand his taxes, keep investigations going and even impeach him, but they can't remove him from office. That takes 18-20 more votes than the Democrats will have.
My takeaway from Tuesday's results is that the Democratic Party still needs to reexamine some of the planks in its platform. It can't focus just on the East and West Coasts and hope to triumph.
12
@TexasBill
My feeling is that this was a referendum on the democrats' immigration and identity policies. Interestingly, after watching coverage all night, when I got to the NYT and CNN post-election analyses, it became all about race and identity. Still some way for them to go.
1
This looks like a foot in the door -- but it's a big, heavy door. The election results show once again that many Americans have no problem with the obscenity of the Trump administration, and that voters across the country are willing to dump the rule of law, equality, reason and justice in return for quick bucks and false assurances. Trump calls this the American Dream, and many Americans are buying it. I don't understand how this can be, but the numbers are there, and the map is largely red. In effect, the newly elected governors and representatives are charged with resurrecting humanist values in a fading democracy.
12
This election result displays the best the Democrats can do with their move to the left and selected faux-moderate candidates. Hardly worrisome for Republicans in 2020, especially if House Dems go Kavanaugh on POTUS.
8
I wish the Democrats had won more, but I'm impressed they won as much as they did, especially with all the obstacles: gerrymandering, voting machines issues, and voter suppression.
CNN had a demographic breakdown that showed that Democrats are in the majority in almost every category. But skewed district boundaries and the extra voting power of rural voters (with respect to the senate) hides the fact that the country leans Democratic.
A lot of terrible Republicans lost, like Scott Walker, Kris Kobach, Dana Rohrabacher, the woman who invited the "Christian rabbi" to pray after the Pittsburgh synagogue massacre. Some terrible Republicans won too, but this is definite progress.
Many progressives won (contrary to the impression given by this article). Many women and minorities. Huge numbers of people voted.
The house and senate numbers do not tell the whole story. Now let's fix our voting problems. This was just a taste of what is to come.
18
I'm human i correctly identified the crosswalks, stairs and traffic lights just to tell you that last night's election highlighted all the flaws in the American election system. America is just 50 states not united in any way. If you really are a nation or country you should have a federally registered election roll, not a system run by states. Each state and their secretaries of state set the rules. In Canada we have elections Canada a totally separate entity. We check a box on our income tax returns (all pertinent
information is on the return) indicating that we want to be registered to vote. Tada! We are registered.
16
While it’s a huge relief to win back the House, its not nearly enough to stop Trump’s madness. Now that many of our worst nightmares have come true (again) in losing the Senate, it is time your readers demand that the media take responsibility for endlessly repeating Trump’s racist, xenophobic rants and provide balanced reporting that gives voice to the rest of the electorate. If the New York Times, NPR, CNN, and others we once considered to be unbiased news outlets, had done that in the first place rather than amplifying Trump and digging up irrelevant dirt on good caring Democrats like Abrahams and O’Rourke, we would likely be looking at a different outcome. You are all complicit in the losses suffered by Dems and the country today. Do your job and show the other side exists for Gods sake. We are sick and tired of Trump’s name and sound bites overtaking our world. Enough already. Stop the reality show and get to work on saving the country with fair reporting. I beg you.
14
Democrats would undoubtedly have faired even better in these Congressional midterms if—
They had addressed the immigration problem during Obama's first two years—before they lost control of the House—instead of trying to overhaul health care with the band-aid known as the Affordable Care Act.
That mistake gave the divisive Trump a hot, red meat issue which has now cost Democrats, who knows how many votes and seats.
3
@srwdm, um, health care was _the_ major issue midterm voters were most worried about—and that cost the GOP the house. Immigration is only a problem in the Trump unreal world.
12
@Deering24
Um, the Affordable Care Act was very inadequate. And we have Bernie Sanders to thank for putting single payer universal coverage really on the table. [It had been suddenly and unilaterally taken off the table by Mr. Obama when he returned from Hawaii during the healthcare negotiations.]
The present midterms were a referendum on Donald J Trump—that’s why the GOP lost the House. And the blue wave would have been even larger if the immigration problems had been addressed when the Democrats had control of Congress.
1
I partly faulting those who ran the Democrat’s ground game here in Indiana. Between the gerrymandering, voter suppression, and early voting games the dominant republicans hold control over here in Indiana, the Democrats needed to have a serious plan to hang on to a key Senate seat. I volunteered to help with the early voting efforts a month ahead of the election, intending to do all I could for an intense two-three weeks. It was a joke! Someone allowed a totally incompetent person to lead this effort. After a colossal waste of an entire day using a ridiculously antiquated tool to match drivers with voters, I reached out to a state Democratic leaders to alert them to my concerns. The person I spoke to heard me, but didn’t or couldn’t intervene while it still might have made a difference. Honestly, I am no longer interested in donating or volunteering my time to campaigns when I see totally incompetent people running them.
10
I agree with this commentator. I volunteered and worked the polls in Pennsylvania. This was my first time I was active in a political campaign. I didn’t see a blue wave. The republicans were better organized and their efforts were led by older experienced professionals. The loyalty of their constituents was intergenerational and impressive. It’s not enough to believe you have right on your side. You need effective strategy and tactics.
12
This does not bode well for Democrats in 2020
All presidents lose congressional seats in the midterms
But trump lost far fewer than his recent predecessors. You have to go back to Reagan to find a president who lost this few
Trump made this about him And he won in the areas he campaigned most
Democrats need a star in 2020 and I can’t see one on the horizon
22
The Democrats will at best have a razor thin majority in the House. Many House Dems will be from states that Trump won in 2016 and will win in 2020. Trump will propose popular initiatives, on his terms (like a middle class tax cut), and use those to peel off enough Democratic House votes to get Republican-preferred legislation out of the House. No Democratic House initiatives stand a chance, with the Senate or White House. Besides, the House 'majority' will be sufficiently ideologically 'diverse' (ie moderate vs wild-eyed socialist), they will spend more time fighting each other. That disfunction will be on public display for two years, dooming Democratic hopes in the 2020 election. Finally, minority status in the House will be excellent discipline for the Republicans, re-training them to all stay on message. Single party Republican control will return in 2020. All things considered Democrats' chances in 2020 would have been better served by losing both Houses this year, leaving them free to blame anything that goes wrong (and plenty will) on Republicans.
7
Now we need to fix our voting issues. There were verified votes flipping to Cruz in Texas. Electronic voting machines are easily hacked and uncheckable. I'm not sure why this is barely reported, because elections can be stolen by hacking. There is evidence that this has been happening for years.
Voter suppression was also a huge factor, especially in Georgia. Wins in states with obvious attempts on suppress voting should be considered suspect and should not be used to claim that progressives can't win.
Money and gerrymandering also plsyed a big role. I'm imoressed that Democrats fared this well. Thank you to every Democrat who voted or volunteered.
7
@NYT, please provide more reporting on the effects of gerrymandering on the votes in this election.
For example:
There is a comment here that Dems have to win 57% of the vote nationally to win whereas Republicans only have to win 50%; is that true? For presidential election only?
That map is looking mighty red; this does not on its face appear to be a resounding victory (although many helpful comments here from readers on this point). Some deeper analysis, once the dust settles, would be helpful. Thank you!
20
If the Times is going to focus on identity, I’m at a loss as to why they didn’t acknowledge Jared Polis’ historic victory in Colorado as the nation’s first openly gay governor.
(Kate Brown, Governor of Oregon, maintains a bisexual identity while having led a de facto heterosexual life since marrying her husband in 1997.)
7
@Mr. Grieves
Can we get to "who cares?" I don't march around my daily or professional business telling people about my sex life. Probably, neither do you. Just stop this stuff.
Once again, it looks like Trump was right: no blue wave and the media is and remains totally unfair. Well done !
10
Tonight gives me hope for the first time in two years, and I feel better about the next two. However, I was crushed that Charlottesville, VA didn’t repudiate racism. The idea that all these races all over the country, even where Dems won, only squeaked by instead of landslides of full-blown democracy, is so disappointing to me.
21
Another thought from the other side of the pond; What should worry us all (and not just the US) is the burgeoning deficit, and any long term effects of the tarrif wars. I fear whoever gets to pick up the pieces in 2020 will have a dog's breakfast that will make those inherited in the past look like champagne wedding breakfasts. I sincerely hope I'm wrong. :-(
8
This article is missing two very important points about this disappointing result: first, that there was record turnout not only as a rejection of Trump, but also in support of him. That should be a warning to Democrats who, as usual, ran a lackluster campaign focused on “issues” against a party that campaigns on lies and fear. We should have picked up 60 seats -we’ll be lucky to get 30.
Maybe the Dems need to step up their game and be a little more aggressive. Issues don’t win, rhetoric wins. GOP voters will gleefully accept the lie that republicans support healthcare, and will completely disregard the fact that the dem Congress will postpone the inevitable gutting of benefits to pay for the latest tax giveaway to the 1%.
Second, while early, this article should point out that the spread on the house popular vote would have given Dems 50 seats, if not for gerrymandering, particularly in Ohio and North Carolina.
10
"Propelled by an unusually high turnout that illustrated the intensity of the backlash against Mr. Trump"
It also illustrated the intensity of support for Trump, no? Senator Skeletor and Governor Klanboy didn't elect themselves in Florida.
11
What else needs to happen that Democrats can win the Senate? I mean has ever been a Republican Party acting worse than in the past two years? Has ever been a president acting more evil and spreading nothing but hate? A president who makes Midwest farmers lose billions because of his trade war? Yet the very people who lose money or pray to God accept loss and hate, and keep voting red. Forever. They are blind by ideology and will never never vote not red. That means: Trump can happen 2020 again. The only way to change that is by changing the voting system (unlikely). Or by having Democrats voters moving from their tiny urban blue bubble to the east red empty countryside. Just look at the map!
15
@Oliver
You're so right. Evil is the right word. Yet, I've actually seen farmers interviewed who say, "yes, it's hurting us and can't go on much longer, but I trust the president". What I think would make a difference is if we had strong national leadership.
5
Under the best case scenario Democrats only made a moderate success. In reality as shown by the House Results, Democrats have no influence in the central part of the United States. The heartland is all RED.
Democrats only have the votes from the better educated suburban areas, not in the country side, in particular from the farmers.
Unless Democrats can dot the heartland with blue areas, no successes can be claimed. It is not the time for Democrats to celebrate yet.
I am not optimistic with the 2020 presidential election. Trump still has hopes.
It's so pathetic, the country will continue to suffer.
12
In am disappointed. I thought that because of the high turn out of voters Democrats would win both.
But the results show the painful truth: the main reason why the Senate is even more red than before simply is: multi millions of Americans like Trump.
How else could Georgia stay red? Or Texas?
Look around in the diner, grocery store, wherever: the person next to you likes Trump. They like him despite his spread of hate and lies and incompetence.
They like that! It isn’t bad for them.
Face that Americans and start talking „why?“
31
@Oliver
I know a lot of Republicans. They either can't stand Trump or they just really dislike him. But they don't want to vote for a liberal, so they vote Republican.
Democrats won tonight. Republicans didn't lose. I don't think the Democratic elite have accepted, nor have the courage to confront, the policy in plain site: immigration. It is killing the party.
Not even NYT comments section, with their hatred of Trump, support nor (really) defend immigrant caravans of poor, undereducated dependents marching towards our border for 'jobs'.
The next Democratic that becomes (Trump light) on immigration wins the White House walking away.
10
This cannot be characterized as anything better than a mediocre performance for Democrats. Depending on the final count in the House, and given the outcome in the Senate, it could also be accurately characterized as a loss, a below average under-performance for the opposition party in a president's first midterm. What can be said with certainty is there was no "blue wave", or anything close to it.
In the video accompanying the article, Donna Shalala says, "we want our country back". This is the Democrats' fundamental flaw. It's not their country. They're only half of it, and they have to start acknowledging that, rather than targeting Obama's "bitter clingers" and Hillary's "deplorables" for eradication in the service of "progress".
They also have to stop lying to themselves about their own popularity, and start accepting the results of elections. Hillary did get more popular votes than Trump. That is true. But if you add up all of the candidates who got votes, those "on the right" got over 50% of the vote. Which means the electoral college worked. And the Democrats legitimately lost. Then they need to look at this election, which they told themselves would be a "blue tsunami", and admit they underperformed, again. Without Hillary on the ticket, meaning they can't blame it on a bad candidate. Republicans are never going to cease to exist. Democrats have to accept that and start acting like it.
13
What needs to or should have been on the ballot was electoral reform. The deliberate attempts ie Georgia to surpress voter rights and the information coming out on Tuesday of problems with voting machines just to name a few. How does the United States square itself with the rest of the world when its election process takes a page out of some Banana Republic.
17
Interesting that there was not one word in this article about the effect of Republican voter suppression efforts, especially in Georgia.
7
If these midterms are any indication Democrats are in a lot of trouble in 2020. This was a pretty narrow victory, if you can call it that. Sure, they took the House but that's really no surprise as a midterm party shift is the norm in the House. The gains in the House so far have been less than the historical norm while spending 60% more than Republicans to do so. Bill Clinton and Barack Obama lost many more House seats during their midterms than Trump. They got the floor wiped by Republicans in the Senate. There was no 'blue wave' or 'referendum on Trump' as media outlets would have people believe. The Democrats still don't have a proper message or solutions platform other than we're 'anti-Trump' and the 'party of change' (what that means no one really knows yet because it hasn't been conveyed). That won't be enough. For example, it's wonderful to see that more women, for example, are being elected to Congress but that's not a policy platform. Democrats keep trying to make it into one. Things like that won't win 2020. These images of Democrats partying tonight are short-sighted and if they don't put something intelligent together for 2020 it will be short lived.
22
I've been disillusioned with unfair liberal media reporting but I do have to question the commenters who feel negative about tonight's results because Democrats won few seats compared to Republicans in 2010.
You do have to remember, 2010, we were still in midst and recovering from recession, a big one.
Because the economy is good now, not as many are going to rock the boat. Just keep that in perspective.
1
No surprise the Democrats weren't able to take over the Senate. Republican emphasis (power and money) had no choice but to do whatever was necessary to maintain control of the Senate, even at the expense of losing the House. After all, the prime goal of Republican conservatives has been to make sure they are the ones who determine which potential federal court judges get confirmed (or not), and to make sure that only they have the power to determine who becomes a Supreme Court judge (the president appoints, the Senate confirms).
2
@Ken cooper Every Democrat incumbent who lost voted against Kavanaugh. One didn't - Manchin - and he won. Coincidence?
12
@Ken cooper
Democrats spent 60% more than Republicans - so where is the money and the power? Pritzker, who took the toilets out of one of his houses to avoiding paying property taxes, will be the richest governor ever. Beto raised 78M and still lost to unlikable Ted Cruz. Hillary outspent Trump 3 to 1. Maybe, just maybe the standard narratives about money and power need revision - and may end we should start respecting voters’ intelligence and ability to choose?
I don’t think you can say this was a rebuke. It was quite disappointing actually that the democrats lost ground in the senate. This isn’t enough and voters turned out for Trump in similar numbers. Still a lot of work to do in the next 2 years and now there’ll be a waste of tax payer money on trying to impeach when it will never get through the senate. Disappointed.
18
Your bias is showing. Looks like the "blue wave" will be minimal, compared to numbers suggested by polls all last week, and even by liberal cable channels during the day.
Why can't pollsters get it close to right where Republican voters are concerned? And what can the nation do about low info voters, and high haters?
Trump has revealed the ugliness and shallowness of millions of American souls more than he has infected them.
On another note - God bless all the hard-working candidates, the folks who stood in line for hours (some in the rain!), and so many good women, and all the men who supported them from day one.
You are my hope, and America's:-).
21
This is a disaster despite the NYT's attempt to dress this up as a Democratic victory. It's like putting lipstick on a pig.
You know you're in trouble when three incumbent Democrats lose their Senate seats in an off-year election that usually favors the party not holding the White House.
Take a look at the national election map showing the results for the House. More than three-fourths of the geographic territory of the United States is red.
Democrats will need to do much better than this in 2020. Otherwise Trump will be re-elected, the Senate will be even more Republican, and the House will flip back again.
27
@Ex New Yorker -stop looking at colors and start looking at numbers. I for one, hate the colored map thing, it is misleading and basically represents a whole lot of vacant land. If actual people were represented on that map it would be BLUE.
3
@Ex New Yorker
vast swathes of that red you mention are inhabited only by sheep and sagebrush.
1
With the election over, Trump will instantly lose interest in the caravan, since it was never more than a political football to him. Maybe now Americans - and a Democratic House - will address it as the humanitarian crisis it is.
17
"But in an indication that the political and cultural divisions ... may only be deepening, the Democratic gains did not extend to the Senate..." Maybe that's what the Senate results indicate. Or maybe not. Maybe it's an indication that the hackers of voting hardware and software had their hands full manipulating Senate races, and could only interfere to save a few House Republicans, like, say, Devon Nunes.
6
"Indeed, the coalition of voters that mobilized against Mr. Trump was broad, diverse and somewhat ungainly, taking in young people and minorities who reject his culture-war politics; women appalled by what they see as his misogyny; seniors alarmed by Republican health care policies; and upscale suburban whites who support gun control and environmental regulation as surely as they favor tax cuts." Why does the statement about the women in his coalition come with a disclaimer regarding Trump's misogyny ("what THEY SEE as"). Obviously, not author's intent but one more example of how embedded it is in our culture to invalidate the truths expressed by women. By definition, what Trump has done and said on numerous occasions IS misogyny! Words are power, please show more awareness next time, NYTimes.
23
@KNR ...what?
You do realize that declaring the president's misogyny as a fact in a-non opinionated article would be no better than what Fox does, right?
The Democratic House should write and pass a firm but reasonable immigration bill. End all of the nonsensical lies about open borders. Let the Trump and the Republican senate explain why they don't want to settle the immigration issue; don't let them demagogue the issue again in 2020. Take that issue away from them and what do they have left to run on?
33
@fbraconi I agree with you. As a naturalized US citizen and former refugee, I think Democrats need to seize the story from the Republicans and frame the debate more reasonably. Here is what I would like to see -- I suspect a majority of Americans would agree with me:
1) Don't "abolish" ICE, "Reform ICE"; ridiculous to make the former a logo: most countries have an immigration policy and staff to enforce it
2) Stop birthright citizenship when neither parent is a US citizen: this discourages both illegal immigration and legal immigration that tries to take advantage of the letter but not the spirit of this law
3) Stop HB-1 visa abuse
4) Pass DACA
5) Put in place a "guest worker" program to accommodate workers we DO need from other countries....e.g in agriculture. This not only benefits the US but also workers who no longer have to worry about their legal status and ability to go back and forth to visit their families. It may even decrease death, assaults, and injuries people currently are subjected to when crossing borders illegally.
6) Persecute employers and businesses - not just workers -- who don't obey the new rules.
I believe if Democrats took one or more of the above steps, it might calm a lot of concerns and fear people have.
10
From a Baby Boomer:
Millennials like to point the finger at my generation and whine about the state of things, but apparently they did not bother to vote.
This election saw a number of very close margin losses in Texas, Georgia and Florida. Apparently the Millennial generation could not be bothered enough to show up and vote for candidates that embody the values many of you hold.
With the Senate firmly in Republican hands, Trump can continue to pack the judiciary with hyper conservative Federalist Society types. The environment, consumer protection, GLBTQ rights, secular government, medical privacy and reasonable gun laws could be at risk for decades.
If you think that a Democratic House is sufficient to restrain Trump and Trumpism you are sorely mistaken. An impeached Trump- should he be found guilty of misconduct worthy of it- simply will not be convicted by Republicans like Marsha Blackburn and other scorched earth Trumpists.
Millennials, your generation now outnumbers Boomers and it was your turn to show up and you failed to answer the fire bell. This one is on you.
42
@David Gregory I think that's an unfair assessment. In early voting alone, there has been a 188 percent increase from 2014 for those in the 18-29 bracket. Look at Texas. I think figures will soon reveal that the youth vote played a huge role in making that race as big of a contest as it was. My point is, quit being salty - the youth vote has made huge strides this year. That's progress.
Trump will get great satisfaction from Florida and Georgia. He campaigned directly against Obama. Made fun of Obama’s middle name.And helped defeat two Black candidates for Governor that Trump declared without rationale as unqualified.In politics sometimes the bad guys win for the wrong reasons. Unless Trump modifies his personal political approach the arc of history and changing demographics may mercifully make him a one term president.
10
For openers, starting today, I hope Democrats in Congress will begin thinking of Trump as our “once-upon-a-bad-time-so-called” President.
3
A lot of people downplaying the democrats victory come off as dishonest at best. Like no kidding they didn't take the senate it was hard to make the map more unfavorable to the Democrats. And in previous house waves (think 2010) the opposing party had far more members so it was easier to chip them away. Not to even mention how some seem to be ignoring how in many swing states like Michigan, Democrats have completely taken over government there. And having the US House means it can be Mueller time without republican interference.
34
Ho-hum. Two year of House investigations spinning their wheels and going nowhere. What are the odds that they are going to find any thing that Mueller hasn't? And so far at least, Mueller hasn't found anything implicating Mr. Trump in any wrongdoing. I suppose one benefit is that now Mr. Trump will no longer feel restrained in declassifying the documents surrounding the FBI's decision to spy on his presidential campaign. The public deserves to read all those documents and decide for themselves whether the FBI's conduct was wrongful or not.
11
Even with all this brouhaha, Obama lost more seats in the midterms than Trump.
12
@Mannyv Economy was in shambles and Dems had way more seats, not really comparable .
3
@Johnny
The Dema lost a supermajority in the Senate and over 60 house seats because they forced through ObamaCare without a single Republican vote. Trump’s doing a lot better than Obama did wiith similar approval ratings. Hope that RBG Ian taking her vitamins.
It’s hilarious Republicans actually thought they were going to get a “red wave” and they lost the House. And two of the Republicans’ wins were a guy charged with fraud (Duncan Hunter) and another who accepted money from the neo-Nazis (DeSantis) and wouldn’t disavow them.
Impressive work, Republicans.
(slow clap)
11
@Kip Huh? I don't think any Republican predicted a 'red wave'. Not sure what you are referring to.
11
Jeremy E of Beverly Hills:
“RED WAVE!”
- Donald J. Trump (Twitter), Aug. 8, 2018
1
I would like to see the number of votes cast for Democrats versus Republicans. I would guess it is a rout.
5
Congratulations. Although such Trump's attack dogs as Dervin Nunes, etc are still there, things have significantly changed. Special Counsel Robert S Mueller and his staff will have strong support from Adam Schiff, Jerold Naddler, and his colleagues.
9
The fact that North Dakota has the same number of senators as California is the fundamental barrier for Democrats. All Trump had to do was campaign in a few red states to keep the senate.
Not sure what the turn out was NV, TX and AZ, but I thought Democrats could've at least taken these quasi Latino majority states if enough Latinos turned out. Apparently some weren't angry enough to vote. Those that didn't vote shouldn't complain about the wall or the racist rhetorics, I guess.
16
@TK Sungere
There are plenty of Latino citizens who came to this country legally and want to preserve our sovereignty and rule of law.
10
@TK Sung So every Hispanic/Latino HAS to vote democrat? Did you ever think of those that went through the process to earn their citizenship? We do not want open borders, and would appreciate if the caravan filed for asylum at the US embassy or a consulate in their country instead of wasting our resources processing them at the border.
5
Even if you think that the Democrats under-performed or that in some weird way tonight was a victory for Trump, keep one very important thing in mind; now that Democrats control the House there is no way Trump can bury the Mueller report. Trump can fire Mueller and House Democrats can preserve and use anything he has already uncovered in his investigation.
As Trump would say, this is yuge.
21
I hate to agree with our President, but the reporting on this election vindicates his claim that the media is unfair to the Republicans.
Most of the media is characterizing the Democratic Party's gain in the house as signs of Democratic revival. However the party that does not have the WhiteHouse almost always gains dramatically in the midterms.
The Democratic Party's gain of 25 to 35 seats this year (As I write this, the numbers are still in flux) is nothing the least bit special. For example, in 2010, when Obama had the Whitehouse, the Democrats lost about 60 seats in the house. In 1994, when Clinton was president, the Republicans roared like a tidal wave and won, I think, over 45 seats in the House. In 1982, people reacted to the first two years of Reagan's administration, when unemployment soared to 10 percent, by throwing out Democrats by the score.
Also, I don't think there is a single example, within the past 150 years, of the party controlling the whitehouse making such great strides in the Senate.
Finally, the polling was off. Nelson, Gillum, Donolloy, Mc Claskill and others were supposedly much stronger. I suspect that the national media not only does not understand the problems of Americans (those people you call deplorables) but has also lost the ability to gauge the pervasiveness of their anger and resentment as your predictions are losing all validity
224
@David Gottfried
Again, gerrymandering. Democrats have to win 57% of the vote nationally to break even. Does that seem fair to you? And yet, the Democrats still took back the House.
This is not only a revival it's a wave. A big, blue wave.
348
@David Gottfried Most of this comes off as purposely dishonest. In 1982, 1994, and 2010 the economy was in shambles. And the opposing party had much larger leads to chip away from in the house. Plus you leave out how in so many states democrats have taken over state governments in conservative states like Kansas
Oh and were is the pity party for the minorities that the President makes fun of?
58
@David Gottfried
Was the polling really off, again? Or are the voting machines rigged?
38
You’ve got to have elections to lose them and the majority of Republican senators were not on the ballot this year.
For that reason alone, I’d say the house race is much more indiciative of the mood in America than the senate. A split verdict, this is not. It’s a clear directive to put a brake to Trump’s hate, lies, and divisiveness.
581
@Mr. Adams
I was hoping the huge gains in turnout would heavily favor Dems. But in so many places,
the enthusiasm for the current swamp-dwellers
equaled or surpassed it.
10
I have to disagree. Majorities in Florida, Missouri, and Indiana have voted to keep the GOP in power. Discrete, compact communities within states voted for the Dems. That means the Democratic message isn’t resonating with most voters.
Take a look at the 2020 Senate map. There are more GOP Senators on the ballot, but few potential Dem pickups.
13
@Mr. Adams
But where there were elections, democrats lost them.
The fact that means nothing to you tells Americans everything they need to know about you.
The GOP expanded in the Senate. Democrats LOST ground.
Good spin, though. Not.
8
The economy is great; government debt to GDP isn't great. There's a crash ahead and that might be a wake up call to all the reckless abandon and risk taking of individuals and businesses taking on too much debt. When there is a crash the USA government won't be in a position to bail out all the corporations, like in 2008, with Corporate Welfare, that they've never paid back to the government, now the economy is booming. And the government debt just keeps climbing up and up. A lot can change in 2 years time e.g. the economy.
4
American elections need international oversight. This idea that US democracy is the strongest and best in the world is a total fantasy. Voter suppression is common knowledge! The voting situation in Georgia is absolutely shocking.
47
@Jennifer Stewart I don't think anyone outside the US believes that America has the strongest democracy in the world. We Brits are much worse of course (an unelected House of Lords packed with political appointees) but isn't there a saying that America has the best democracy money can buy? I agree that UN election monitors should have been overseeing these midterms as fraud has clearly taken place. We feel for you as we enter our own self-inflicted abyss known as Brexit.
10
How wonderful would it be if every election wasn't treated by the democrats like a manned mission to mars? How about they just build a system that doesn't collapse after every nationwide victory and with into nothingness?
9
President Trump surely will be spending some sleepless nights for sure. Now Republicans simply can’t get away. They are left with no choice but to accede to the Democratic Party demands. It’s no longer one way traffic now but the difficult days haven’t passed yet since House of Representatives is under control of one party and the Senate is under the control of the other party.
In the national interest both parties have to come together to solve the problems of people. Under no circumstances rivalry between these parties will help improve matters. As such bipartisan understanding is the only way left otherwise there will be frequent Government shutdowns and further future complications. Best of Luck America.
7
The 21st century will happen regardless of how conservative people are. The young will replace the old and minorities will become the majority. Walls won't stop it, guns won't stop it, even positive things, like a good economy won't stop it. People know this instinctively, and understandably some are trying to turn back the hands of time.
Democrats must deliver. The contest between Ted Cruz and Beto showed that being a decent person won't get you elected. Decency and civility are not enough, and the president has made it this far without either.
My hope is that Republicans and Democrats will cooperate. Trump has one last chance to become a statesman.
16
A rebuke of Trump????....not quite. I don't think even the most delusional Republican politician expected to keep the House. From the GOP's perspective losing the House is irrelevant. They've won the Senate...increasing their majority. Control the Senate & you control the most important lever of power: the judiciary. That means the Republican's will continue to nominate and approve more conservative justices....some even to the right of Kavanaugh. The GOP is playing the long game. Trump will be gone soon. They will still be here. The GOP can wait him out & achieve all of their objectives. Their goal is to nominate 3-4 very conservative Supreme Court justices. Trump has gotten two SCOTUS appointments, he may get more. He’s moved much faster on lower-court appointments than Obama did. The legal arm of the conservative movement is the best organized & most far-seeing sector of the Right. They truly are in it — and have been in it — for the long term goals. Control the Supreme Court, stack the judiciary, and you can stop the progressive movement, no matter how popular it is, no matter how much legislative power it has. Nothing will get in the way of that goal.
12
A win is a win as they say even if the Democrats didn't run the table. There is much the House can do now to put a check on the Trump party.
How's this for a starter, Devin Nunes will no longer be chairman of the Intelligence Committee and Jerry Nadler is in line to take over the Judiciary Committee.
Forget about all the pundit's predictions of an historic blue wave that didn't quite manifest as hyped, we have won back majority leadership of the House. Time to get to work!
30
The Dems produced a weak result given the opposition. A vaunted Wave was a mere Ripple.
12
It's absolutely cheerful & hopeful news the Democrats win control of the House. Now, Trump will be held up to the ceiling fluorescent lights for not only America but the world to truly see him for what he is. All Trump's lies, schemes & dirty tricks will finally be held accountable when a Republican controlled House under Paul Ryan's leadership failed to step up to the plate and do it for lack of a backbone. We have our nation almost back again. Onward & forward to 2020.
22
Trump was the big winner tonight with those Senate seat pickups. Clarence Thomas will probably retire so Trump can install a very young, very conservative justice to replace him. If Ginsberg can't hang on, liberals should brace themselves for a far right Supreme Court for decades to come.
10
@Mark
A Supreme Court that doesn’t evenly represent the will of the people will become isolated and irrelevant. As it should, in such case.
29
@Mark Yes worrying. Why don't they just do fixed terms as in most democracies these days? This life term has the whiff of dictatorships and one party states. Seems like an archaic system in desperate need of change - re-elctions to bring fresh blood and insight every few years. But then the fact that the US elects sheriffs and judges is frightening enough. And far too much politics - we have a supreme court here in the UK and the separation of the judiciary from the executive is a founding principle which has proven a godsend in the dark days of Brexit and Murdoch's vile hysteria about 'enemies of the people'.
1
It feels as if Mueller has been keeping quiet for the election. Now he can weigh in again. I imagine Trump will try to call House investigations of him a "witch hunt" too, but I think tonight makes clear that proceeding with such investigations will reflect the will of the voters, as long as the Dems don't fly off the deep end. Dems should take a lesson from what has happened to the GOP and rein in their strident partisans, and be like Mueller: Just do the job, professionally.
9
So we didn't get our blue tsunami, so what? We took the House, we got rid of some awful state governors, while making real progress into turning some states blue, and women took a bunch of seats. Do we need to suffer severe angst about supposed Democratic Senators complaining about "crazies" in their party, and then losing their election? Let's get rid of the chaff, and move forward. This is a process. Would anyone have thought that we would fight and almost win in Texas and Georgia? The country is changing. On to 2020..
55
@Greensteel
You are correct that there is much to applaud & many millions of people to thank & to congratulate. But it is important for everyone -- especially young people -- to recognize that as hard as they worked, as much as they mobilized, we will all need to redouble our efforts for the next 2-4 yrs (at least). Another crop of Senators comes up for re-election in 2020. Gains will have to be consolidated. As for the Presidency: Centrism will have to be embraced (even as I myself lean increasingly leftward): the Democrats have to forget about nominating anyone not highly vanilla, not male, not mind-numbingly moderate if we want to take the White House back. This is not the time to look back with nostalgia or even perfectly excusable rage to a more progressive age. This is the time to come up with an antidote to Trump/Pence that is acceptable to the maximum possible number of active & engaged Americans.
And, yes, growing the electorate, too. (But remember: the other side is also growing theirs.)
We don't need "a Democratic version of Trump." We need the exact opposite: someone super sincere, truthful, genuine, kindly -- Santa-like in fact -- experienced, universally respected... And, sad though it may be to face the truth about America in 2018: someone White & Male at the top of the ticket (at least).
The truth hurts. And so does the reality about what decades of neglected public education have done to the USA by allowing ignorance & oafishness to romp & preen smugly.
9
@Maria Ashot Yes, I agree. The US will never have a female president.
3
@Maria Ashot
I'm not so sure about that.
Voting, especially in Presidential elections, is still rather tribal. All due respect gerrymandering and voter suppression, the fact remains that a large reason why Hillary was narrowly beaten in various states is that African American voters did not turn out in nearly the numbers that they did for Obama.
The Democratic party probably needs at least on person of color on the ticket, and if said person identified as female, that might be even better; the cohort of women looking to elect a female President or vice-President is only going to increase over the next two years, especially after Hillary's ignominious run. But, said person will have to be carefully chosen and vetted. (Someone like Mazie Hirono comes to mind.)
2
How sad and dangerous. A segment of the population is either blin or indifferent to rampant electoral thievery commandeered by electoral thievery, racism,demogoguery.
25
@Richard very sad and very, very dangerous.
3
The division between rural and suburban zones is quite
remarkable. But I think it is also useful to correlate
results with the effect of the tax bill last year vis a vis
effect on homes and property taxes and state tax deductions.
It seems as if the major losses were in suburban zones with
high state tax rates. These would be where the tax bill
did not deliver much if anything in savings to suburban
residents. So combine this with residual anti trump revulsion
and it may have been enough to flip such districts...
But I await further in depth analysis...
The fact that gerrymandering has no play in the Senate
losses is also worthwhile to point out. Only voter eligibility
shenanigans are pertinent and they can easily have
contributed to the WI, GA, OH, and FL governor outcomes. Again, this will require time to understand.
Basically trump will trumpet his biggly wins in Senate,
which for once will not be lies, and he'll have free
reign to nominate cabinet replacements and judges who are as bad if not much worse. So, he'll push that advantage to the limit.
What exactly will be done when deficit issues surface with
slow down in growth estimates due to interest rate increases
will presumably be the number one issue. But with
the divisions so deep, there won't be bipartisan solutions, though, at least, the "freedom caucus" will have lost
its veto power over any insertion of the rational in public
policy, esp. immigration.
It's these little things to be grateful for...
6
Whatever this election was, it wasn't a repudiation of Trump. He is still President, Republicans still control the Senate and whatever we New Yorkers might think, most Americans weren't sufficiently repelled by his behavior and the behavior of his party to throw more than a few dozen Republicans out of office.
If anyone thinks that a round of hearings exposing Trump administration corruption will accomplish anything, think again. Trump administration corruption has been so rampant and so obvious that everyone knows exactly what Trump and his Republican colleagues have been up to. Oh, and just in case you were wondering, Collins and Hunter were both reelected despite the multiple felony charge indictments that each faces.
Remember. We are a nation of laws. That is why brown skinned parents who have committed misdemeanors by entering the country illegally are worthy of having their children taken from them and deportation. Privileged white Republican politicians who have been accused of felonies? Not so much.
Sorry America, this is who we are.
642
@Andrew Zuckerman
Of course this election was a repudiation of a Trump.
You wrote :"He is still President."
Given that there was no Presidential election , that was the only option, so what does that statement prove ?
77
@Andrew Zuckerman a sad excuse of a country.
14
@DJS
Wake up & smell the coffee, Andrew. Without question it was a repudiation of Trump - end of story. 2020 Trump will be gone.
51
This is absolutely NOT a split decision. In the face of massive structural challenges and the bad luck of the Senate calendar we Democrats did so much. We took back the center country, we had the Republicans running scared and needing to suppress the vote in Texas and Georgia. Wait? Did you read what I just wrote? Texas and Georgia! The cards were stacked against Democrats structurally due to outrageous partisan gerrymanders and Senate seats in deeply red states and WE STILL won big. The economy is booming (thanks Obama) and we still won. We brought huge numbers of women and people of color and queer leaders into our leadership pipeline. We won governors races that set us up to win the College in 2020 and that will allow us to right some of the worst of the gerrymandering. We flipped state houses.
Did the NYTimes call the Tea Party House wave and Dem Senate a split decision when Obama was 2 years in office? We should check.
This is a massive win!! It is NOT a split decision.
487
@David O’Donnell
Surprised your rose colored glasses are not seeing all that red all over the map.
Considering that Trump and the Republicans have done nothing good for the people and we've had two years to prepare, this was 2016 all over again.
18
@David O’Donnell you’re in denial. The people who identified with Trump received far too many votes.
17
Yes , really massive - except that the GOP won seats in the Senate
16
Some of the commenters seem disappointed that the blue wave was not a tsunami. I get that. But let's remember the ripple that occurred tonight resulted in a new majority in the lower chamber until 2020. Regardless of how big the wave was, the tide has been turned in the house...
27
@CWK probably to little effect.
2
I can breathe again.
20
Overall, a great night for the president and the Republicans. House was flipped but that was to be expected and the seats lost were by historical standards minimal. With control of the Senate, Republicans effectively control the judiciary where many battles will be fought thanks to gridlock in Congress. Very satisfied with the results!
5
@LR Don't forget with the house democrats will be able to aggressively continue the Mueller investigation.
5
It should have been a Democratic landslide, it wasn’t a Democratic Landslide. Because they still can not comprehend that a good portion of their natural constituency, working Americans, object to uncontrolled illegal immigration and offshoring of Jobs. It is a truly inept Party that allows itself to be beaten by a charlatan as Trump.
10
If Republicans want to solve the immigration problem, they'll work with Democrats. And the offshoring of jobs has been the exclusive purview of Republicans and conservatives for decades as they skim middle class America of good-paying jobs in order to expand their margins. Hence a disappearing middle class.
Nice swing though, you have good form.
3
If the Dems garnered 9 million more votes, in a midterm election, no less, it's pretty apparent that the majority of Americans do NOT agree your assessment of the relevant issues. And that is supported by many polls over the years regarding individual issues, where large majorities support common-sense gun regulations, reproductive choice, Medicare for all, and a whole host of other "progressive" ideas.
We hear all the time that the US is a center-right country. Not so. On the ISSUES, we're moderately left. The oligarchs and big banks and corporations who own our government may be more conservative. We, the People, are not.
5
I think the Republican's loss is only because of the appointment and Me Too started by some women against Justice Kavanaugh.
2
I still thank that the future of the coastal Blue States lies elsewhere and not as part of the united states.
3
"Democrats harnessed voter fury toward President Trump to win control of the House and capture pivotal governorships Tuesday night."
Let's call a spade a spade. The Democrats lost at least as many pivotal governorships as they won.
Still I still see mostly hope. Senate contests in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, and Wisconsin are went Democratic. Those were all Trump states in 2016, and if 3 out of 4 continue in 2020, Trump loses.
10
Bye-bye Russian-Republican Duma.
Hello Democratic House of Representatives.
Mr. Mueller, let's have a look at that report you've been working on now....and let's have a look at those tax returns of the Liar-In-Chief.
I love the separation of powers principle.
175
@Socrates
You might want to read some history. 219 votes is a very small “Majority” for a party with so very many factions. In fact at least 40 of those 219 votes promised not to vote for Speaker Nancy again! It once took 2 months to elect a speaker, it could happen again!
Just seven Democrats (any seven) could effectively control the outcomes in the house. That’s not a recipe for getting much (even Impeachment) done in the next two years!
The President will love to have a “Do nothing but investigate” House to run against in 2020!
Bon Appetit!
Look at the national popular vote - Democrats won by several percentage points.
52
ManhattanWilliam says: GRIDLOCK IS BETTER THAN NO LOCK (on Trump and his ilk).
That is my takeaway from tonight, together with feeling like a very proud New Yorker.
41
Seems to me that is was a pretty lackluster night for Democrats. The spin on this update is pretty intense.
I mean I've read about a billion articles on Abrams and Beto and Gillum and they ALL lose. That fighter pilot loses. The Dems barely turn the house and fail at every turn in the Senate.
If Nancy Pelosi thinks this is somehow a vindication of Democratic strategy, I am not very excited for 2020. I just hope that Pelosi doesn't succeed in her run for speaker, we NEED someone new.
56
@Jacqueline Look at the national popular vote - the number of votes for Democrats is several percentage points greater than the number of votes for Republicans.
17
Golden Rule: She who makes the money rules the roost.
I just wish I had the millions given to Beto. What a waste!
2
@RamS So? That's not really an indication for the next presidential election.
3
This is great for the Democrats on taking the House but even greater for the Nation. It’s not a matter of just winning the House but a matter of having checks / balances and accountability in a political system which has run amok. It’s definitely a step in the right direction.
80
Great achievement by leftists - it is not. After spending 60% more money than republicans, if this is the result they get, then it is time for introspection.
20
@PJ some intense introspection. The Dem leadership have shown themselves to be losers.
2
60% more money? Don't think so. You're obviously overlooking all of the dark money spent outside the campaigns.
4
As a Democrat I am weeping again. What a shellacking of Obama! He needs to stay home with HRC.
The gains in the House were even less than historical norms...very sad.
18
@Charlie
Why are you weeping again ? The Democrats won control of the House. Think of the horrifying alternative scenario.
"Progress, not Perfection."
15
@DJS I'm pretty sure the democrats could have won 400 seats and the commenters here would still be whining about how it wasn't a real wave.
9
@Charlie indeed...that needs to be pointed out again and again!
As of 12:48 am on the east coast, I would classify tonight's results as a classic example of an ugly win.
Winning back that House was a huge goal....mission accomplished.
However, three Senate seats lost (MO/IN not even competitive). Beto performed well but came up short. Florida a huge disappointment for Nelson, Gillum. No big blue wave.
The House can offer a nice check that's been missing. Trump took some pretty good body blows tonight. But he's still standing. No doubt he'll be crowing and spinning tomorrow.
The eyes of Texas were watching intently. The eyes of America were glued to the results all night. The eyes of our allies around the world wanted more....needed more. All we could muster was an ugly win!
The cold civil war is in full bloom. This is the new norm.
35
Tonight with the Democrats taking back the House we have restored 'checks and balances' on Trump. Mostly I'm happy that health care for people with pre-existing conditions is safe.
Not to be forgotten, we are in the midst of a major investigation involving a sitting president that was gravely in danger before tonight. I will sleep well knowing this vital investigation will not be subverted. The mountain of indictments and guilty pleas that have already stacked up against this president's team are not going to be swept under the rug. With Nunes and other sycophants of Trump no longer able to obstruct justice, perhaps we will begin to get some answers. Our sovereignty is intake and Robert Mueller will be able to move forward. Thank you America.
108
@Stephen 'Our sovereignty is intact.'
2
First thing you say is that the Dems will have to temper the progressive wing of the party.
Baloney! How many progressives won? How many younger dynamic Dem winners identify as progressive? Progressives won seats they weren't expected to win and almost unseated Ted Cruz, Andrew Kemp and Ron DeSantis. Dems need to be more progressive, not less!
91
@hoosiermama
"Dems need to be more progressive, not less!"
Yes, and no.
For President in 2020, we need to nominate a Progressive, all right--but a Progressive who is basically unhate-able, invulnerable, unassailable by the other team and at least superficially non-threatening to folks even within the Democratic party who aren't as progressive. And that means a white male candidate. He must be not too old, not too ugly, not too religious, no skeletons, lots of experience--and a progressive record when it comes to the policy issues. We must support sensible immigration reform to discredit the "open borders for rapists" meme; we must support affordable health insurance with an aggressive program of health education; we must promote CCC-like public spending on infrastructure and retraining with the promise of years of good jobs for the folks who have been left high and dry by technology and outsourcing; we must clarify that we promote free tuition at public institutions of education and not let them get away with the lie that we favor free Harvard for indigents; we must institute campaign finance reform that cuts Citizens United off at the ankles; we must tax the obscenely wealthy as they were taxed in the good ol' '50s. We have earned our progressive props with candidates like Stacey Abrams, Andrew Gillum, Lupe Valdez; now let's just get elected.
How about showing a blue map, given the now Democratic majority in the house? Jeeze.
9
As relieved as I am that Dems won the House so decisively, I remain nonetheless troubled by the deep divisions revealed in this mid-term election and by how many Republican voters remain unperturbed by the corruption of their party's politicians. For example, how could the voters of California's 50th district re-elect Duncan Hunter, who, facing huge criminal charges, sought to lay all the blame on his wife in an attempt to save himself? Not to mention ConDon's base being so entrenched in their messianic belief in him, despite being faced with the daily revelations (and proof) of his capacity for lying.
But at least flipping the House is a good start to what promises to be a long, hard battle to restore some decency and integrity back to our politics and our society.
238
@ND
You fail to mention Melendez’s corrupt self being re-elected. I wonder why?
2
What perplexes me is:
Yes, the Democrats were able to gain the 23 House seats they need, but probably not too many more.
YET in 2010 (Obama's first midterm) there was the greatest re-alignment of the House in over 70 years, with the exchange of 63 seats! Yes, the Affordable Care Act was ramrodded through without Republican support, BUT here in 2018 we are dealing with the Blight of Trump, and yet we're huffing and puffing to get 23 seats.
How is this possible, I ask.
Even acknowledging that Obama was a better and more effective campaigner than he was a president, and that we still use the old geographic-grid-template of states when there is wildly disproportionate population density on that grid as well as evil gerrymandering—
I am still befuddled.
Unfortunately the word "race" insinuates itself—Obama's mixed-race ancestry. How else to explain a massive 63 seat repudiation and re-alignment in 2010.
A sad conclusion, that should wrench the soul of the United States of America.
263
One word: gerrymander. No, three words: Gerrymander, Voter Suppression.
170
@srwdm
Gerrymandering. That's how it's possible.
72
That's easy. The economy then was awful, scary (though improving). The economy now is very good! Incredible that so many House seats went to the Dems in this economy (thanks, Obama).
37
Actually, this is not a split verdict. Not in any way. It was predicted, given the senate map, gerrymandering, and historical voting patterns, that this would be a challenging election for Democrats. Given those factors, this is an unequivocal victory for progressives. Texas has not elected a Democrat for the senate since 1994. Everyone knew that Democrats in Red states would face difficult re-elections. Why aren’t you reporting on the many, many House seats that flipped Blue?
PS-it was also predicted that this would be the headline (Split Decision!), given the incompetence of so many so-called liberal journalists.
18
@B. C. C. Not that many House seats flipped blue, that’s why.
2
Dems are so poor at messaging, it is a wonder they won anything. I am so disappointed by their weakness and disarray.
17
“Are you ready for a great Democratic victory?”
That map looks all red to me. Tonight was a great Democratic loss.
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@Fourteen If you pretend the house isn't a thing.
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@Fourteen
You do understand that all that red represents a vast MINORITY or Americans? Add up the populations of all those Midwestern red states and they don't even equal the population of California.
Americans have voted overwhelmingly for Democrats in both the House and Senate. Stop seeing colors and start looking at numbers.
192
@Johnny
The House is a mere consolation prize for just showing up. The Senate would have been a win.
Considering what Trump and the Republicans have done over the past two years, both the House and the Senate should have been landslides.
The Democrats are a low performance organization. They see the glass is half-full when they should be seeing it as half empty.
8
Just wait until 2020, Donald. You ain't seen nothing yet!
11
Stupidity. A 9% blue wave. Get it right.
5
Not quite enough to restore the faith in the country that Obama's election inspired, but it's a start. A tremendous amount of effort went into this victory over the brutality, cynicism, pandering, corruption and greed callously shown by our government for the last 2 years. May this be a shift towards what we can be; not what we fear we are.
137
It’s not a split verdict. It’s a sign that Republicans are far less popular than they thought. The senate is unevenly weighted because more people live in fewer states- 50% of the US live in 14 states. 50% of the population have only 28 senators. The imbalance will continue to grow as more people move to metro areas in the big states. The House will show more balance, especially if gerrymandering is reformed.
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@Jonathan Swenekaf
Actually, it's even worse. 50% of the US population lives in just 9 states and are represented by 18 senators. By 2040, it is projected that 50% will live in just 8 states and 70% in 15 states, meaning 30% of the population will elect 70 senators.
19
Is this a re-affirmation of democracy? Or will a divided Congress show once again that democracy in American no longer works? The world is watching.
15
Relieved there’s a check on this President now. Godspeed.
And Kansas! Wow!
179
I agree, Dorothy, but we must all be ready for The Con Don to boast on and on about HIS holding on to the Senate.
BIG Robber Baron and Russian money, voter suppression and voter roll manipulation won. Corruption and cheating - The Con Don's way.
Despicable!
6