Diverse Candidates Make History in Midterm Elections (08xp-firsts) (08xp-firsts)

I am happy to see over 100 women elected to be United States Representatives. That number needs to increase as far as I am concerned. And I am relieved to see the Democratic Party re-take the House majority - it will put in place a much needed check on this run-away president. But I am very, very disappointed that the Democrats did not pick up more seats in the Senate, if not re-take the majority there as well. I have heard all the reasons why that was a hard mountain to climb, but I don't buy it. I also expected more governorships to go Blue. That number was low, too. The party was outplayed by Trump, and his over 30 rallies got so much media coverage it is a wonder to me that the Republican Party didn't gain even MORE seats. The Blue Wave turned out to be a Blue Puddle Ripple. My anxiety level is lessened somewhat, but it's still there.

Night of Firsts: Rashida Tlaib, Sharice Davids and More Make History in Midterm Elections, To Be Corrected In 2020!

Women as governors? Big deal...Alabama has had two of them and just elected a woman for the next term as governor.

My heart is warmed by this diversity. Hopefully there will not be the knee-jerk response in the next election that we had when president Obama was elected. While I welcome women to these various positions, I am sorry, if they are Republican, I cannot support them.

Why is diversity always considered a good thing? I have observed for decades, that difersity usually causes disagreements and divisions. Those are not good things.

I have yet to see any research that shows diversity in our political representatives necessarily produces better legislation. Isn't that what we really want... the best at every level of government...period...regardless of their ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation. Being a gay Governor from Colorado is a novelty for only a few weeks. The bulk of your work will have few little to do with your sexual orientation. You will still have the burden of performance, fixing our broken infrastructure, crafting responsible legislation. This bizarre obsession bordering on a check boxing fetish of liberals needing to have diversity for the sake of diversity irregardless of qualifications or temperament will backfire on them one day. It guarantees nothing & makes the job harder for those chosen on this basis. Progressive Democrats misunderstand diversity. Spend 3 minutes listening to them being interviewed about almost anything and the conversation inevitably turns to the “number” of women, Latinos, LGBTQ, African-Americans running to be the FIRST to do this or that. How about allowing the color of people’s skin, their gender, or sexual orientation to speak for itself & invest time & energy touting how the party...or even better...how THEY will pass superior legislation. Diversity is about harnessing everyone’s strengths to accomplish common objectives ...yes? Until the Dems can engage working class voters on actual economic OUTCOMES, they will continue to be beaten by the GOP machine.

No Blue Wave...but signs of Hope

You forgot New Mexico and our new governor, Michelle Lujan Grisham, a 12th generation New Mexican was elected, the 1st Latina governor of New Mexico!

South Dakota's governor-elect may be the first woman in the office, but she does NOT represent progress. She's a loyal Trumpist, always voting the party line in the House, when she bothered to show up. Now, had South Dakota done the sensible thing and elected its first Democratic governor in 40 years - that would have been news.

A colleague of mine posted photos of the several minority women elected in the house, saying writing that ‘she was happy to see people looking like her’. She is a college professor. I now have this awkward feeling that she treats white students differently than minority students.

Character, upbringing, background are more important than policies. Policies can be invented, changed, watered down, overturned. Policies come and go. Policies are set by those with power, by party and committee leaders, pushed by lobby groups, dependent on media and popular support, demonised or sanctified by propaganda. An intelligent, well-schooled, well-educated political representative will engage with his or her constituents, be led by the facts, understand the costs and benefits, in order to decide on where they stand on any given issue. They can look at examples of success and failure elsewhere, in other US jurisdictions and overseas. If they are men and women of courage, of principle, with a fighting spirit, then our political representatives will not buckle under when the going gets hard, will have the grit to cross the floor when needs be. The world does not need mere policy wonks. The universities are full of the former. The world needs selfless, courageous honourable leaders of integrity and character.

Thanks Karen Zraik for this report showing markers of the essential change in America, signs of change from the fixed to the fluid. Those two words, fixed and fluid, are used by political scientists Hetherington and Weiler in their popular version of their research, presented in the book Prius or Pickup, subject of a NY Times column by Thomas Edsall. What interests me as the rare comment writer who wants to see the US Census Bureau end use of its put-each-of-us-in-a-box system as recommended by former USCB Director Kenneth Prewitt in his "What Is Your Race?...", is this: Will people now expect each of these unique American individuals to act as if programmed by happening to be among other things, lesbian, female, muslim, Native American, or will we let them be free? I mention this because Harvard Admissions and even Harvard law professors have revealed in the Times and The New Yorker that they believe there are distinct "races" and that applicants to Harvard are programmed by their "race" to show distinct race-based behaviors. That is nonsense so let us welcome all the individuals named here and look forward to each of them playing a role in opening up American minds, showing those minds the value of fluidity and diversity. Only-NeverInSweden.blogspot.com Citizen US SE

Yea, this is well and good... glad the legislative body represents the diversity of our country ... but let’s talk about policy and see the kind of legislators they are and what kind of bills they write, and most importantly, how they represent their citizens. I feel like The NY Times and many in the more liberal , left leaning media are far too fixated on identity, like all of the sudden the work is done. Give it a rest . Symbolic isn’t substance. Not yet.

Someday I hope that our political scene and our cabinet will look like the French cabinet- diverse with Muslim women, with laws named for black and women ministers like Christiane Taubira(loi Taubira legalizing gay marriage), loi Veil, with female mayors like Anne Hidalgo of Paris, Najat Vallaud-Belkacem, Rama Yade. They have not had a female president yet but have still a pretty diverse group. Even the Irish have a gay half Indian prime minister. We have a ways to go but change is a coming.

Greater diversity among our elected officials is a wonderful rejection of Trump's bigotry. It seems especially fitting that Native Americans will be joining Congress, after we non-Native Americans took their land from them. "Manifest Destiny," we called it. It wasn't so manifest to Native Americans that their Great Spirit wanted that to happen. Especially when they were much better stewards of the land than we have been. Wouldn't it be wonderful to have a Native American as Secretary of the Interior, and Head of the EPA?

Thank you, thank, you, thank you. You are greatly needed. You bring me hope and tears to my eyes.

What was really interesting about Jared Polis, is it was not widely known he was gay. I was watching the results at a local Brewpub and there was surprise when it was announced he was the first openly gay governor. Everyone was asking "Did you know he was gay?" It is heartening to know that nobody seemed to care, I do not recall it ever coming up in this fairly contentious race. The majority of the debate was about policy. We have come a long way.

Shirley Chisholm said in an interview that being a woman in politics was a more difficult hurdle than being black. All of these women have their work cut out for them. Also, unlike men, it is highly doubtful any of them will be involved in any sex scandals during their political careers. Thank goodness! Godspeed.

Let's not forget diversity on the down ballot. Minnesota elected the Democrat candidate for state Attorney General someone credibly accused of recently abusing a woman. What does that say about the party that claims to care about women most?

California's 39th District - Young Kim, Republican. She is the first Korean American elected to Congress. Well done.

Why don't you talk about Safia Wazir? She is also a woman, Muslim, minority, and Democrat who defeated Republican Dennis Soucy for the seat.

WHEN are we going to stop talking about "PANTSUITS" ? When men wear a tailored jacket and matching pants, people don't call it "a pantsuit". When women wear a tailored jacket and matching pants IT'S A SUIT !! This is a definite slam, implying that women, whether political or professional, should be wearing skirts. And that wearing pants is an aberration. Let's get over the dress code dog whistle and value people for their abilities and not their appearance. And, NYT, scrub the term "pantsuit" from your dictionary, it's insulting, whether you realize it or not.