The suburbs here are close in to cities like Cincinnati, Philadelphia and D.C. There seems to be a difference in inner suburbs and outer suburbs. For example, Nassau County on Long Island, now votes more Democratic like its NYC neighbor Queens, but further-out Suffolk County -- despite some blue pockets -- voted for Trump and may do so again.
There are suburbs and then there are other suburbs.
4
To vote Democratic when one was traditionally Republican does not mean that they have become leftist liberals. It means they are sickened by the likes of Trump and the stench that comes out of the White hose and want a return to normalcy and decency.
11
I'm happy as can be with this, although in my city district the Republican won. Watch, however, the Democrats blow it in 2020 with Warren's illogical and stubborn adherence to "Medicare for All" if she's nominatec. We do it every time.
3
As a liberal, I am very happy that Governor Northam did not succumb to pressure from manufactured outrage regarding his blackface "scandal". Likewise for the Lieutenant governor. That kind of PC nonsense, whereby any utterance or action from 40 years ago or from unsubstantiated allegations (in the case of the Lieutenant governor) is deemed a reason for exile and banishment from the public square, drives people to the arms of the Republicans. His past governing actions and future plans confirm his dedication do right for the common man.
4
chambolle, of Bainbridge Island expressed my sentiments better than I could, so I excerpted this.
"You have got to ask yourself: why do these people stubbornly and willingly vote for ‘conservative’ politicians who will only make their lives miserable, while they despise the party and politicians who want to give them a fair shake? How did the world get turned on its head?"
chambolle
Bainbridge Island
2
With great prosperity comes ingratitude and indifference to creeping socialistic solutions. The suburbs seem to think that our president is our social worker, psychiatrist or pastor. Profane, bombastic and superlative spewing Donald Trump tries to keep his promises not fundamentally change American values or society. That is up to individual souls and families.
Beshear stuck to the issues affecting people rather than the soundbites. We need more of that from those running for national office.
Still waiting for the media to spend more time on Amy Klobuchar who appears to be practical and progressive and speaks to independent voters.
6
I think it's time to show an electoral map of states not geographically by county, as present which is largely red and which Trump famously flaunts, but by population. So the map of say NY would be largely the NYC metro area; that of Virginia would be largely the DC suburbs, Norfolk, Richmond and Blacksburg. The rural areas would shrink accordingly. This map would be largely blue.
4
Vote Republican! First, save yourself! Then, do harm to others.
MAGA! Making Apparatchik Great Again
6
What ever happened to the idea that a person has to be a good loser. Now the loser usually shouts "someone cheated me" when the voters were actually saying "we no longer want you."
8
Elections are the cornerstone of our democracy, we should be taking swift action to ensure America has safe & secure elections.
If you agree, join us in the battle for safe & secure elections. We send out updates on important election security news and give you the information you need to be an election security advocate.
Sign up to receive updates from the Secure Our Vote campaign about steps you can take to protect our voting and registration systems, information about training calls, and updates on election security in the news.
https://secureourvote.us/take-action-2/
2
Bevin will contest the election results. Given that most if not all Kentucky offices are held by Republicans, we can assume that Republicans will find a way to move more than 1/2 that 5500 vote differential to Bevin to give him the victory. This is today's GOP's corrupt nature.
As Pelosi has suggested, Trump must be defeated soundly in 2020 so he has no basis to contest the results. My view is that Trump will contest a loss and invent a basis. Recall that in 2016 he claimed that several million "illegal aliens" voted for Clinton, offered no evidence, and set up a commission to look into it, which had to dissolve itself.
Trump is vulnerable and can be defeated. The problem for Democrats is to prevent Trump from cheating. I believe this task may be very difficult; Trump has no respect for rules. The DNC should establish a special task force, perhaps composed of former FBI and CIA agents, whose sole job is to sniff out Trump's and the GOP's illegal and dishonest activities as they are happening, not after the fact as happened in 2016, and bring them to the attention of the voters. Had Obama made public the revelations of Russian interference determined by the intelligence community before the 2016 election, we'd all be talking about Hillary Clinton's running for reelection.
4
Since the turn of the century, the Republican Party has placed us in a quagmire in the Middle East that has now lasted almost 20 years and is getting steadily worse, have eliminated all of our close relationships with our closest allies in Europe, have buddied up (or at least tried to) with the worst dictatorships in the world (Russia, China, North Korea, the countries that want most to eliminate us), and has essentially stopped taxing the richest Americans at the expense of people who struggle to house and feed their families. How could anybody seriously contemplate voting for ANYBODY in the Republican Party again?
10
Good, what did people finally realize those ‘good old boys’ never got a shoe dirty or lifted a shovel in their life?
I don’t understand the lack of logic and plain “street smart” to know when politicians are manipulating you and have no real interest in your well being.
The guns and pro life is what the republicans have counted on for years. I guess Trump was a bit over the edge in insanity for them and they are close to the city so they are not completely out of touch with minorities and diversity.
1
Whatever happens in the short term, in the long term, the old white folk who want to return to the past will diminish. Minorities didn't have it so good back then, so, no desire for them to be 'conservative,' which is really the idea that you want to conserve change.
As a registered Democrat this sounds like positive news. However, there were plenty of results in Nassau County and NJ that counter this view. From what I can see the NYT made no mention of Republicans regaining ground in Nassau in the print edition of the paper. Maybe the NYT reporters should be paying a bit more attention to the suburbs and hour or so drive from the office.
3
@Bob I grew up in Nassau, but have lived in the City for years. The people who vote republican out on LI just don't get it. They all got CRUSHED by the SALT cap that was specifically designed by McConnell to hurt them yet still vote for Lee Zeldin, Peter King etc.
My guess is the NYT doesn't pay attention because the city vote determines the presidential vote.
3
All these indicators of hope are encouraging.
But unless the Democrats come up with a candidate who can ignite the passion of that hope and sweep the electorate’s imagination (none of the current ones come even close), come Nov 2020 we’ll commenting on voter apathy, a lack of broad support and the general unwillingness of the rainbow coalition to vote for anyone who’s not named Obama.
It’s going to be an uphill task...probably a Sisyphean one.
5
@Shreekant
After all that has happened under Trump, if we still have a voter apathy problem then America does not deserve quality leaders and quality government. We deserve to be serfs in a neo feudal society.
The worst candidate the Democrats could possibly field would be orders of magnitude better than Trump and company. We will get exactly what we deserve.
14
Being to the left on social issues and to the right on fiscal ones it is sometimes difficult to decide who to vote for. Looking back in hindsight I regret that I voted for Giuliani for Mayor and there were many times I voted for the lesser of the two evils. I will vote for the Democrat for President in 2020 but if the candidates are either Bernie or EW I will someday look back in hindsight and regret that I had no choice but to vote Democratic.
1
@PeggysmomiI Can we please stop with the GOP being fiscally conservative! IT'S A LIE!
Who gave us the great depression? The GOP! Who gave us tickle down/voodoo economics? THE GOP! Who gave us the Great recession of 2008? THE GOP! Who passed a tax cut for corporations and the 1% that is blowing up the deficit and is going to cause another collapse within the next two years? The GOP!
The GOP has gas-lighted people for decades stating they are fiscally conservative, but they are the complete opposite!
8
Just remember this: nearly half of the voters in Kentucky — nearly all of them in economically depressed, needy rural areas that are heavily dependent on federal funding for their survival — voted for a governor and a political party that vows to slash funding for education and to reject federal funds required to extend healthcare to tens of thousands of uninsured Kentuckians.
You have got to ask yourself: why do these people stubbornly and willingly vote for ‘conservative’ politicians who will only make their lives miserable, while they despise the party and politicians who want to give them a fair shake? How did the world get turned on its head?
413
@chambolle A multi-decade disinformation campaign by the GOP, for starters. Read _What's The Matter With Kansas?_ for a primer.
54
@chambolle That's an easy one. The only "news" they hear tells them the government is stealing from them and it fits their view of being exploited by "the liberal elites". They are warned to ignore all facts in favor of the conservative mantra. And, let's face it. Most all the people that could got out of those areas.
61
@chambolle Books have been written about this issue of voting against your own interests. One I recall is entitled "What's the Matter with Kansas?" I think people want to identify with a candidate and don't even consider their positions on the issues. It's crazy.
30
“The people of Kentucky deserve a fair and honest election.” said the manager for Bevin.
Well, the people did get a fair and honest election and yet these Republicans keep on denying the thruth. Once crooked, always crooked seems to be the mantra of these Red politicians.
172
@Welcome Canada and I truly mean welcome. Unfortunately in dealing with today's Republicans has been unpleasant to say the least, as this need of the GOP to lie, steal and cheat will soon come to an end, as we go forward with Trump's impeachment. As Trump has destroyed American values he has has destroyed the republican party. I truly believe we will come out of this as better nation.
22
@Welcome Canada
Hopefully Amy will also clean McConnell's clock next November.
8
Well, this has given cheating Republicans the time to suddenly "find" 10,000 ballots that were heretofore stuck in a corner and not counted last night. Surprise! 9,900 of them are for Bevin!
We've been seeing this tactic since GW Bush stole the election in 2000.
66
@Sydney That happened in Wisconsin several years ago in a State Supreme Court race. The Republican in charge of the vote tally in Waukesha County found a bag of ballots in the trunk of her car. Not surprisingly, the were mostly for the Republican candidate, and played a big part in a close race. She got away with it too. The Repubs covered for her.
6
You are looking at a preview of the 2020 election. Trump will refuse to accept the results if he loses. The GOP will fall in line and we will have more chaos, a chaos that those (GOP) who don't want elections in the first place will thrive in.
Follow all the diversions Bevin throws up in the coming weeks and you will be living in the future, I promise you that.
28
Trump will cause the election to be thrown into the Supreme Court where we all know what will happen. Because it happened before in 2000 with a court less partisan than the one we have now. With the court on his side and lawyers that can trigger it into action Trump has a guarantee on the next election no matter how people vote. Why do you think they have been packing the court for twenty years? It not about abortion, it’s about nullifying elections.
2
If Kentucky needs a re-count, I demand a recount of 2016 Presidential elections as well.
36
This is a test run for them for 2020. If they win, they win. If the other side wins "hey we might have actually won!". Watch this like a hawk.
15
If the Kentucky Republicans refuse to concede an election that the have clearly lost..
Expect Civil War #2 to spark off in Kentucky..
9
Trump's weakness is now on public display. He failed to get his nominee in the Kentucky governor's race elected, and he didn't even score a point in Virginia's flip to Blue.
Too bad, Trumpy, but you and your party will be toast in 2020.
31
Of course he’s refusing to concede. Republicans have no decency.
37
@Susan Goettsch Following Stacy Abrams I suppose!!!
4
@Sandra Several people here have posted that she did concede. Do you have a different factual reference?
8
Stacy Abrams was not the incumbent.
6
Without systematic Republican voter suppression tactics and their "lost balllots" Bevin would have lost by a far greater measure.
28
This will be a test. Bevin will still lose in the recanvass, then contest the election, and then be declared governor as the Repiblican-dominated General Assembly "resolves" the dispute.
How the people of not only Kentucky, but all of America, respond will be critical. Because if Bevin's coup is allowed to stand, it will set the precedent for Trump's refusal to accept the outcome of the 2020 election.
Mark my words.
16
If the recount still gives Ashear a victory and the legislature attempts to give it to Bevin, that would immediately be challenged in court.
6
@A Centrist That’s scary, but it’s the same theme in the Wisconsin legislature which the Republicans control only by gerrymandering. The Republicans have no regard for democracy.
11
Beshear shouldn't take his victory laps prematurely. Just as Stacey Abrams in Georgia lost to Brian Kemp, who counted the votes, Kentucky's Republican Secretary of State may determine the outcome of this race. As Stalin noted, the people who count the votes decide everything.
4
Watch what Bevin does and you'll see a preview of 2020 if Trump loses. Bevin will have to be "hogtied" and hauled out of the governor's mansion in Frankfort. If the GOP majority denies the office to Andy Beshear, look for suits to start flying faster than Mint Juleps at the Kentucky Derby.
11
It should come as no surprise that the Philadelphia suburbs have turned blue. What is surprising and disappointing is that Virginia is turning blue and Democrat. I guess it was bound to happen with Washington being so close. They plan on passing progressive policies that will continue to make the state more liberal. The moderates seem to have disappeared. Where have they gone? This is such a sad occurrence.
1
@KMW
The moderates have not disappeared. Rather, the Republican Party has jumped the shark.
30
Maybe it was bound to happen simply as a result of the increasingly exposed corruption and disastrous decisions made by the Trump Administration.
39
Must be disappointing that the white nationalism and flagrant anti-Semitism and bigotry the Trump presidency represents is being rejected by most Americans (other than Trump supporters) and pushed back into nowheresville, where it belongs.
54
I just read the summary of an article in the Philadelphia Inquirer. It stated that while in Pennsylvania Democrats picked up seats in suburban Philadelphia, the Republicans picked up additional seats in New Jersey. I don't know if that was the entire state or just suburban Philadelphia districts. However, it is a reminder that the Democrats shouldn't take anything for granted in getting out the vote in 2020 throughout the nation.
1
It may be time for Trump and Bevin to call Giuliani to the rescue. Maybe he can convince the Kentucky State Senate to declare Bevin the winner. If it doesn't, federal aid to the state will stop.
Of course that isn't a quid pro quo. And for those of us who think it is, get over it.
2
The minority has ruled the majority for far too long. It's up to Democrats to show exemplary leadership and policies.
2
The touted decline in Trump/Republican support is well deserved and needs to be exploited by the Democrats. For most of us, Trump's dishonesty and lack of leadership ability is reason enough for his removal from office be it by impeachment of defeat at the polls.
This small step in that direction that occurred yesterday is a good starting point. We badly need to keep it going.
2020!
4
I would expect Matt Bevin to be a sore loser "without providing details"; the head of his party is a sore winner. I think more people are paying attention to politics now and not liking what they see; Bevin's tantrum is but another symptom of the immense problem. Tuesday's election is one dose of corrective medicine. Prepare for more.
3
Whistling past the graveyard.I can assure you that these same suburban voters will not
support Democratic presidential candidates who wish to destroy their healthcare programs
push the green new deal ,increase their taxes and push for open borders,not going to happen.
This is how George Jr. won in 2000.
1
Amen. May this pattern take hold and may these voters help us all rid ourselves of HIS brand of cancer on our democratic republic and constitution.
3
As positive as this news is for the Dems, the remaining challenge will be to convince minorities and young progressives to vote for the ultimate Dem nominee for the White House in 2020.
In a sense, it will be the flip side of a major factor that put Trump in power in 2016: A huge bloc of his voters were brainwashed into hating HRC more than they actually preferred DJT,
Can minorities and young progressives finally overlook whatever flaws the Dem nominee has?
They have a huge responsibility next year, let's hope they finally get a dose of political reality
32
Progressives (young or old) attribute flaws in a candidate as an ultimate betrayal. Also, they love to bash the party. Don’t count on progressives to carry you over the finish line. This why programs such the Young Democrats are so important; get people involved in the organization—not their whims.
9
@Kevin O'Reilly In my view HRC herself alienated vast swaths of the electorate by talking down to them for decades. Long before drumph became the Rep nominee HRC lost lots of us and by making 2016 her coronation rather than a real primary the DNC sealed the deal. It is past time for the Dem political class to sit on the sidelines with their mouths shut and let the electorate decide which Dem is best poised to lead us.
2
@Ed - Sure, keep thinking like that and you get four more years of Trump. Are YOU going to let the electorate decide who it should be? Or are you going to take your ball and leave it is isn't the one who passes your purity test?
7
If you step outside the Fox News Right - Wing bubble, some things are pretty obvious.
Most Americans are decent people.
No matter their party, religion or race.
They appreciate honesty.
They think children belong with their parents.
They want healthcare, clean air and water.
They live on a budget and think the government should do the same.
They like facts.
They believe in the Constitution.
Trump is an affront to those beliefs.
And that crosses over party lines.
People are saying enough is enough.
Running the country like a reality TV show isn't working.
And those people who voted for Trump "because he's a good businessman" are finding just the opposite is true.
The Federal Debt is skyrocketing, and Trump just shrugs.
He's making money, his only important goal.
If most of these people show up at the polls next year, Trump will be defeated.
Vote Democratic in 2020.
Every office, every seat.
6
The most interesting thing that could happen is if there is a recount and Beshear wins by even more. Congratulations to my Northern Kentucky friends (I live in Cincinnati) for standing up against Bevin's bullying and disrespect for educators, and for rejecting his praise for Donald Trump.
4
Yes, the Democratic party is doing well on the local and state levels. But a Warren nomination will scare off a lot of those who voted Democratic in 2019. The 2020 POTUS election is the Democrat's election to lose based on their nominee. JMHO YMMV.
About Time. All it took was public venality and incompetence. Both by the "Stable Genius" and his Stooge's public insults and incompetence. And only by less than 1%. That's Not saying much.
2
If you aren’t wealthy, the Republican Party has nothing for you.
Young Americans aren’t going to support Republican lies about climate change fossil fuel involvement, decimated women’s reproductive rights, gun deaths, racism, sexism, tax inequality,
hypocritical religiosity, low wage jobs with no affordable healthcare or affordable tuition.
A majority of Americans are not FOX church members.
The GOP is headed for extinction.
10
Voters sent a clear message to the Republican party. You have failed to listen to us asking for sensible gun laws and environmental protections and have become the puppets of the NRA and some extremely greedy pharmaceuticals, coal and oil industrialists.
3
Trump frequently said during 2016 that the only way he could lose the election would be if it was rigged against him.
Looks like Bevin is doing a dry run for him preparing for the 2020 election.
If Trump loses in 2020 I can't see him conceding defeat, congratulating his opponent & leaving office gracefully in 2021.
Can anyone see that happening?
6
I’m 83 years old. In over 8 decades of life experience, I’ve concluded: The most dishonest people are usually the ones who crow the most about everyone -else- being dishonest.
575
@O And the guy yelling the loudest about how wonderful he is usually isn't.
43
@O
So true.
An old country proverb: when the man who sings loudest in the church choir comes to visit, make sure your barn door is locked.
31
@O You're correct. It's all about projecting.
15
"If conservatives become convinced that they can not win democratically, they will not abandon conservatism. They will reject democracy.”
- David Frum
Go home, Matt Bevin.
683
@Socrates
He is not going to go home. It is a red state and they (state legislature) will figure out a way to either nullify election or declare bevin as winner.
15
@Socrates
Republicans often employ non-democratic means when they cannot win on their "conservative" platform. They consider "winning" by gerry-mandering, voter suppression and bald-face lies perfectly acceptable.
Case in point for lying. During an October 20th 'Axis on HBO' interview; Senator Lyndsay Graham said he'd consider impeachment if other evidence proving Trump's quid pro quo was presented. Chairman Schiff released Ambassador Sondland's "revised" testimony wherein he swore under oath that there was quid pro quo when Trump withheld Ukraine aid until Zelensky publicly announced a Biden investigation. Yesterday's reaction by Senator Graham... "I won't read Sondland's testimony transcript."
Congressional Republicans are ignoring the Constitution's democratic impeachment process and have chosen party over what's best for America and We The People. So Sad
That's a big contributing factor to why the GOP lost seats in red-state strong holds.
23
@Socrates That's already been demonstrated to be true in the current G.O.P.
7
The essential issue is quite simple. The occupant of the Oval Office is toxic and those members of Congress and others who support him do so because they are cowards. They lack principles and have sold their souls to the altar of no taxes, control of women’s reproductive rights, and more guns on the streets. At the same time they have no interest in governing. Hence, no movement on infrastructure, immigration law reform, and most importantly, health care, to name just a few issues.
People are sick of this. People want their government to work. While the Democrats are surely not perfect, the party in general, believes that government has a role to play in improving the lives of citizens. The Democrats are not science deniers, are looking for solutions, recognize that income inequality is a threat to the nations well being. These are issues the republicans dare not discuss, much less do anything about.
It is time to move this nation forward. Remember it was a progressive agenda that gave this country social security, civil rights legislation, Medicare, ended the Vietnam Nam war. To name a few major programs and events. We have significant challenges beginning with climate change and the Republicans are simply not up to the task. The times are changing and they are stuck in the past.
9
Thank you, Democratic party and new policiticians. Yes, we want government by the people and for the people. Let's make this country a place where all people can thrive.
5
As a Republican for the last 35 years, never have I not voted for a party official until Tuesday. I'm sick and tired of him.
7
hopefully 2019 will extend the national Democratic margins over 2016/2018
Hope all you want. Until the electoral college is abolished, American presidential elections will be rigged in favor of republicans.
5
These results debunks the claim that working to incorporate swing voters is a futile effort,
2
At some point, decency trumps political party. People just will not vote for man who has continually exhibited that he is a poor excuse for a human being.
3
The GOP today is more far-right than most of the right-wing parties in western democracies, even including the ones in Europe.
I like the idea of small government, but the way the GOP has embraced falsehoods and double standards, and willingness to push away everyone and everything in their pursuit of a hardline far-right agenda has made it clear that they don’t deserve to be in power.
5
Most of the article’s analysis is correct, but things can change in 2020 when there is an actual Democratic presidential nominee running against Trump. If that nominee favors radical progressive ideas, such as eliminating private health insurance, confiscatory wealth taxes, slavery reparations, etc, that might well turn off many suburban voters and give some substance to Trump’s shrieks about “socialism”. Nationally, the Democratic candidates have not offered any viable solutions to the genuine migration crisis at the border. Moderate voters are greatly put off by Trump’s hateful rhetoric and actions on immigration, but that does not mean that they favor open borders. These moderate voters are not likely to vote for Trump, but, in a national election, depending on the Democratic nominee, they may decide to vote for an independent or third-party candidate. The other wild card with the suburban voters concerns the issue of race, particularly when it comes to education and crime. For example, progressive educational policies related to restorative discipline practices and ensuring diversity through racial quotas, are extremely unpopular with the suburban voters, even in liberal strongholds like New York City. Same goes for restorative justice policies in relation to crime. If these issues become a prominent part of the presidential contest, a significant portion of moderate suburbanites may well vote for Trump, despite how much they detest him.
5
I take this article with one huge grain of salt. There are countless suburbs across the country and they run the gamut. And every one of them that had elections had their own dynamic. And remember, this is an off/off year with no federal election to spur turnout. Voter turnout in Richmond was a “robust” 24%. And the working class is less likely to show up than upscale liberals in a off/off year election like this.
They did this to us in 2008, when they told us that the Republicans were doomed unless they could make a serious dent in the Hispanic vote. So is this analysis any better? Toss a coin 50-50.
From Conor Lamb's win in the western Penna. special election until now, I've maintained my confidence in the decency and honesty of the vast majority of the electorate in my native state of Penna. I'm heartened by the continued Democratic gains in places like Delaware and Chester Counties, where I grew up. Hopefully, Trump's time is almost up on a stage and in an office that he was unqualified for and was hugely undeserving of.
5
I’m astonished and thrilled that DelCo, my childhood home, broke Democratic for the first time in a generation. When I was a kid the Republican Party even had a stranglehold on school boards, packing them with anti-tax, pro-private school candidates. My dad watched the ill effects of GOP logic - property taxes were too high because they were tied to the schools - as our district slipped from the top of the regional, state, and national rankings and property values fell; one of the main attractions of my middle/lower-middle class hometown was the absolutely excellent schools. This was truly a town where education was moving my generation forward, preparing us for university educations or technical careers that ensured our place in the middle class. That tradition had ground to a halt by the time the Great Recession hit. Here’s hoping a Renaissance is about to happen!
6
I can hope more people are aware of how badly trump is to our country. The majority of citizens are not doing well regardless of the spin the GOP is putting on it.
We the people have to take our country back from those wanting to keep the power their allegiance to trump gives them.
2
I am surprised so many Republican voters are abandoning their party and Mr Trump. After all they and he have shown themselves to be truthful, honest, upright, dutiful, caring, transparent in their dealings, motivated only by public service goals, accepting of the vulnerabilities of others, discreet, charming, and clearly symbolic of the qualities that have driven America since the earliest years of the Republic. Indeed, if he were alive today Abraham Lincoln would be shining with pride at what his modern representatives had achieved.
I only wish politicians in other countries - like my own - would emulate them. I know some try to - for example Boris Johnson - but they do not go halfway far enough.
Well done to all. A shining beacon on the hill!
4
The key here is that a center-left agenda is winning these suburban votes. A left-left agenda will not in 2020. I hope Warren supporters are paying attention to results and polling data.
7
@Keith
Quite frankly what Warren offers is what a majority of americans want.
4
I'd like to believe more and more typically-Republican voters can plainly see their Congressional leadership lying attempts to save Trump. Case in point is Senator Lyndsay Graham.
During an October 20th 'Axios on HBO' interview with Senator Graham, he said he'd be open to impeachment talk if evidence showed a quid pro quo.
When Ambassador Sondland "revised" his testimony to explain there was a claer quid pro quo, and Chairman Schiff released the transcript of that sworn testimony, what was Graham's response?
"I won't read that."
So Republicans lie, or stick their head in the sand or fingers in their ears, often both at the same time. Republicans willing to read Graham's own remarks (also on video) see the lies. Will they still support Trump? If the 2019 elections in red states like Kentucky and Virginia are indicators.... not so much.
As the impeachment trail goes public, watch how Congressional Republicans react to testimony and evidence, then see if more Republican voters realize the obvious concern. Stated simply, Congressional Republicans will do anything to protect their party over what is best for America, our Constitution and We The People.
13
Not a surprising reaction to the worst president in US history.
16
Conservatives have been "turning the heat up" for the last 50 years thinking that unfounded rage would be the way forward. When the only ideals in a party are unabashed greed, open hatred of anyone that does not look and think like you, hypocrisy, lies and then doubling down on what general society finds repulsive, you're gonna get exactly what republicans have now - a shrinking base, no real way forward and no hope for improvement.
No matter how wishful the thinking, manufacturing jobs of the past are exactly that - in the past. Robots and automated processes are the root cause, not increased taxes. Mining jobs are also not coming back - it's not that mining output is dropping, the mines are simply more efficient. It doesn't take 400 guys to work a coal seam, it takes 40.
17
It's real simple: if you're a Republican than you're still aligned with Trump, therefore I can't trust you.
36
Just mentioning the name Trump to many women I know is dangerous. Trump may be to his base the last bastion to protect White Privilege but there is something about him that upset many women.Trump is definitely not a role model that women tell their sons to be like.
26
@Steven McCain
Nor should they considering trump thinks he can grab women where ever he wants.
And as a man, that was never locker room talk.
3
2020 is here and Trump was defeated. He exemplified a persona too objectionable for many people. A faint hope turned into the possible/probable category.
5
Many suburban Republican voters received tax hikes from the tax changes passed by the Republicans and Trump that restricted SALT deductions.
A tax hike in itself would not be fatal. But the hike was combined with throwing $1.5T in cuts to everyone else; made so that the richest could get even more cuts in the ten year budgeting time frame; and accompanied by jeers and taunts from the deplorables about how these staunch Republican voters were getting what they deserved.
Yet the hike isn’t mentioned here at all.
10
Is The Times foretelling what might happen in 2020? As much as I'd love to think that the outcome of the next presidential election will be a slam-dunk, I'm reminded that this very paper gave Hillary an 85% chance of winning the DAY BEFORE the election, a mistake which I will never forgive The Times from making, and why? Because while in my deepest heart of hearts I didn't think America was going to make the only decent decision possible on that night, but this paper gave me a little hope that I was being foolish. Needless to say.....I've given up on "predictions" from pundits.
13
It's an improvement for the country if this continues. Ask why people like Bill Weld left the Republican Party.
4
The voters decided to make Virginia great again!!
23
The people of Kentucky voted for Beshear because Bevins is so obnoxious, NOT because they are rejecting the GOP. Every other election in Kentucky was won by a REPUBLICAN. Stop calling this a referendum on Trump and the GOP-it was a referendum on Bevins, nothing more.
17
Voters in cities and suburbs are tired of state governments that are arrogant, regressive and seem to hate their constituents. Republican office holders have forgotten that they work for the citizens, not the other way around. And even people who didn’t vote for them are still their constituents. The ill will just oozes out of republicans, especially towards everyone who isn’t an older, white male.
10
This editorial misses an important point about Kentucky:
Beshear won in the suburbs, true, but Republicans won all of the other statewide races.
At least as far as Kentucky is concerned, the take-home lesson is that voters were willing to ticket-split, NOT a wholesale rout of the suburbs.
10
Chester County PA is adjacent to Delaware County, also with 500,000 population, and as of Tuesday's election, it's governmen is 100% Democratic for the first time since baseball was invented. Yes, it was a sweep: both county commissioners, every row office (D.A., Sheriff, Protnothary, Register of Wills, Register of Deeds - Dems won County Clerk, Treasurer, Coroner, Clerk of the Courts in 2017), every Judgeship. Chester County Government is purged of the Republican Party.
WAIT! There's More: In East Whiteland Township, until recently a toss-up, Dems won every precinct (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6) Charlestown Townwship, too! A sweep for Zone 20!
WAIT! There's More: In East Whiteland Precinct 3, turnout: 534 ballots cast - 35% more than 2017 and 42% more than 2015. In 2015 Dems cast 85 straight party ballots (vs. 68 Reps); in 2017, Dems cast 115 straight party ballots (vs. 72 Reps). Yesterday, Dems cast 200 straight party ballots! (vs. only 88 Reps). In every contest in East Whiteland Precinct 3, Democratic candidates carried > 60% of the vote - averaging margins of 2:1.
This achievment is the result of patriotic men and women taking the message to their neighbors that we will work to wrest American principles from the chokehold of the vile, venal, vacuous Republican leadership, finally exposed by Trump (though Bush-Cheney set the dials). Now, it is certain, our future must be, can only be redeemed by citizens who awaken to their civic duty.
18
Another lesson that Dems will win when gun control and access to abortion are on the minds of voters.
3
Kentucky’s election was not a referendum on how the Democrats will fare in 2020 in red states where Trump won by a large margin in 2016. Beshear kept his message local and avoided national politics. He is a moderate. Am hoping the Democratic Party and the voters who support it, will recognize the value of moderate candidates in these polarized times.
11
The Republican Party has jumped the shark.
Faced with declining ratings, they installed a reality TV star as president -- in a desperate attempt to keep the show alive for one more season. But it is time for this show to be cancelled.
34
In order to avoid another humiliating loss like the Kentucky governorship, I would advise Trump to get out there and stump some more. Stump for all he's worth.
He didn't stump enough for Matt Bevin and look what happened! He needs to visit the suburbs and tell the suburbanites that getting their health care taken away is a good thing. Good for them, good for the president and good for America. Also Pence must pitch in, show the voters the caring face this administration, and turn on some of that Indiana charm.
Most importantly, they shouldn't worry that their mere presence will energize an already fervent Democratic base. That would be weak and cowardly even to consider. Just lay it on the line and tell the folks that if a Democrat wins the next election it will be considered the worst thing that ever happened to anyone in history. That will surely clinch the deal.
11
@GBM
Trump campaigning is what the republicans don't want. Being tied to him is a losing proposition.
3
Democrats! Victory is in the center! And we need to prove that our government can work - meaning no more straight party legislation. Find the center, or we are doomed to hatred, and paralysis.
9
"Caustic persona" says it all. Trump poisons everything.
15
Isn't that special, the only party to be actively involved in and indicted for voter fraud schemes complains of irregularities resulting in their resounding defeat.
You cannot make this stuff up.
67
Typically irresponsible of Bevin to claim “irregularities” without giving any details let alone citing any evidence. Republicans are anathema to democracy. They are completely devoid of ethics and decency.
149
@Andrew
as well as allergic to election results.
19
Straight from the trump play book. Imply with zero facts to back it up. So predictable
29
@Andrew
Weren’t they the ones overseeing the vote?
8
any irregularities are probably due to Republicans doing all they can to undermine a fair election in favor of themselves. But they lost and now they are crying. Do the people of Kentucky really want such people in charge of their state?
27
The new GOP mantra:
If you can't beat 'em, cheat 'em!
87
@JLC Actually the NFL Patriots already have a lock on that one.
7
@JLC
Not so new.
1
Trump will do the same if he loses
24
@Mal Stone
When...
1
Abraham’s in GA is lauded for claiming (with no evidence) that the election was stolen from her. Bevin’s not so much. Love the biased media!!
5
@Nyalman
No evidence? Her opponent was in charge of the elections in which he was a candidate. Doesn't get worse than that.
8
There were well-documented shenanigans in GA. Whether or not they were enough to affect the ultimate outcome is debatable, but Abram’s concerns aren’t baseless.
12
As a centrist who used to vote for the GOP on a semi-regular basis, I can say without any question that it's extremely unlikely I'll ever vote for a GOP candidate again for the rest of my life. The GOP has just gone insane. They have no solutions for anything. It seems the entire reason the party still exists is to lower tax rates for the wealthy and to make sure the fossil fuel industry is free to pollute as much and as often as it pleases. No thanks....
541
@Chris
It amazes me that more GOP voters have not come to this, respectfully, obvious conclusion.
53
@Chris
Don’t forget controlling everyones’ sex lives!
30
@Chris - the Republicans have made huge success from Gerrymandering. They have twisted the electoral system into a shell of itself, as they are now doing with the Supreme Court. We need a centrist party, but I'm not holding my breath.
12
Meanwhile, Trump is in Monroe Louisiana telling the crowd he’s the "spokesman" of the ignored masses who are looked down on by the "elite"...
Democrats must seize the middle. It can be done. It must be done. Suburban voters and rural voters have more common ground than differences.
14
The problem will fix itself. The newly elected Democrats will implement programs that many people won't like, and there'll be a lot of complaining. Are states that are 100% Democrat-ruled happy and harmonious? No, there's a lot of fighting between interest groups, and between leftists and centrists.
The Democrats are under the illusion that if they get enough minorities and young people, the whole nation will turn into one progressive socialist state. But many young people and minorities will turn out to be conservatives, just as happens with everyone else. If the GOP magically vanished, a new conservative party would split off from the Democrats within a couple of years.
2
Except that Trump lost the popular vote even though many Democrats stayed home. So, the Democrats are a majority in this country. They just have to get out and vote.
13
“I want Republicans to be put back in office next year,” she added, referring to Mr. Trump and G.O.P. members of Congress.
Don't worry Martha, Moscow Mitch will FIX it for you.
16
There's a WWII movie starring Errol Flynn called "Edge of Darkness" about an uprising in a Nazi occupied Norwegian fishing village. In it there's a scene when the partisans have retaken the port, and one of them, I think played by Edith Anderson, rings up the commander of the German garrison in his HQ and says "We've captured the port and we're coming for you next." Well Mitch, we're coming for you next!
25
Can we move up the 2020 election to tomorrow?
14
There's nothing the MSM is better at than drawing false equivalence and belittling any win by the Democrats.
This paradigm without a doubt helped put Trump in the WH.
The NYT, WaPo, and all the broadcast outlets as well.
Case in point; The 2018 Blue Tsunami;
CNN's Jake Tapper at like 10:00 PM was saying the Dem win was weak, a disappointment, a backhand win for Trump, not a blue wave at all, and in fact a defeat as compared to what they expected.
?!?!
The election night was not even over yet, and when the counts were finally in the Ds flipped like 6 governorships, state houses, and flipped a historically high number of house seats in spite of a hugely GOP gerrymandered electoral map.
Others were parroting the same tripe.
They are doing it again, BTW.
Beware.
8
This is where we Democrats will win or lose the 2020 election. Run on a center-left platform and we win. Run on a far left platform (such as replacing private health care with Medicare for All) and we will lose. I would like a single-payer health care system, but we're not going to get it with the next Congress and it will cost us the election if we campaign on that platform.
17
@Joe Sweeney
All I ever hear is what's too far left, but never what policies constitute center-left, which is deliberately left as vague as possible by GOP-lites like Biden, Buttigieg, and Klobuchar so as not to upset their corporate backers. Well, what is a "center-left" Democratic platform? Is there such a thing?
9
@Joe Sweeney Agree Joe a 100 percent. Baby steps to the goal of giving America back to her people.
2
I disagree. Most Americans want and need Medicare for All. Americans do not get a good return on their expensive for profit health care.
4
It is customary in an election where the results of a race are very close for the candidate who has the fewer vote count to ask for a recount. We have seen both parties do this in previous elections. Matt Bevin is smart to this. It may not make a difference but why not be certain.
2
Nobody likes to lose, but admitting defeat shows strength of character. I can see why Kentuckians voted Bevin out.
23
@Stephen So did you say the same thing about Stacey Abrams when she refused to concede her GA loss?
4
She conceded ten days later- after having a much stronger case for voter suppression.
9
The Republicans need to follow the lead of the Democrats and canvass the neighborhoods to get out the vote. If they need to hire people to do this, then so be it. They must also stress the differences between them and the Democrats. They must repeat over and over again how the progressive policies of the liberals will destroy our country. President Trump is an expert at this and the other Republicans must follow suit. Not everyone is as liberal as those folks in Virginia which was once a reliably red state. Those days are gone and may never return.
3
We saw how the Republicans “get out their vote” in August 2017 in Charlottesville, Virginia.
32
Republicans already do that. But voters are reacting to the Trump actions- read the article again. They’ve seen his decisions and don’t like them.
17
Hum, progressive policies will ruin the country? Like lead free drinking water, quality PK-12 education, affordable college, UHC, clean air, progress on climate change, INFRASTRUCTURE.... yep, that and reproductive rights and sensible gun laws will surely be the destruction of the country while the GOP throws away 244 years of history for a lousy tax break for the Richey-Riches and a lying traitor in the White House? Bring on the Progressives...
8
In my hometown Democrats and Republicans usually unseat each other every two years for the Town Council.
Not this year.
The Democrats had five women and one man on the ticket.
The Republicans had three men and three women on their ticket.
Every Democratic candidate was elected as were the three Republican women.
All three Republican men, including one incumbent, failed to garner enough votes and are out.
As Dylan so astutely observed, "The Times they are a Changin"!
18
Of course the Republican demands a recount —- someone’s not going along with the GOP fix.
Every time a Republican loses an election in America there will be a law suit. They must win and if not there’s a mistake.
The arrogance of corrupted power.
24
Best distinction between Dems and GOP? Party for US or THEM
Three years later:
Better health care?
Better Jobs?
Better future fir family?
No. No. No.
23
@SC
That is what happens when the Republicans have the opportunity to block something. No, No, No that is the answer for any legislation proposed by Democrats. Too many Republicans in Congress is the problem.
2
GOP Definition of "Free and Fair Elections": Only people who are going to vote republican should be allowed to vote.
GOP Definition of "Election Irregularities": People who were not supposed to vote (black, brown, Muslims, progressives) voted in the election.
19
if we went back to hand marked paper ballots, like we should, this would happen so much less. I encourage all to follow Jennifer Cohn on twitter. She has been watching like a hawk. Also, this is the first thread I've seen that many are saying what I've been thinking for months, that the president will not leave the WH willingly. It seems it's a good idea if we start contacting our officials to ask if there is a plan in place. there had better be, or we are in trouble, more than we already are.
10
Let’s see; Mr. Bevin lost by ~5,000 votes so he demands a recount citing irregularities. I guess the vote suppression wasn’t thorough enough for him to win? Maybe Kentucky ought to purge the voter rolls before 2020 because “Moscow Mitch” McConnell will be running, and his Kentucky approval rating is in the low 30s just like Mr. Bevin’s.
11
Republicans already crying foul. How little Democracy means to them.
12
Kentucky Gov went to a dem, with every other office to republicans. I guess you could call that a dem victory. As for the other states mentioned, is it too early for the newly elected to start raising taxes? You'll get what you voted for, good luck with that. You can always retire to Fla.
@baba ganoush
I guess low taxes is the only rational reason for anyone to vote for a Republican.
If low taxes are more important to you than any other issue, including the Rule of Law and the Constitution, then so be it.
Is this the only issue that still unites the disintegrating Trump Republican Party?
14
Isn’t that the truth? The GOP could be drinking leaded sewer water but “ by, golly, my taxes are lower”...so it’s all OK....geez
5
this is the next dirty way Republicans will use to avoid losing power. gaming the system at every turn. egged on and advised by the dirty tricks pros.
9
All of the Republican politicians are cry babies starting at the top with Trump being the worst. Listen to Fox News sometime and you will see show hosts, guests (including politicians) whining and complaining 24/7.
17
Analysis of the typical Trump voter:
A person who wears a brown stocking on one foot and a white one on the other and then says he has another exact pair at home.
4
What do Republicans expect? They lie, they’re in bed with the NRA, they cancelled everyone’s health insurance, they appoint anti rights judges, they jail innocent children on the border. Americans aren’t stupid. They can see when they’re representatives are hurting the country.
18
So let's see.
Elections last year gave Oregon's governorship and both chambers to Democrats. Republican response? Hide out somewhere in the hills, so legislative sessions can't be convened.
Elections in Wisconsin and North Carolina last year gave governorships to Democrats. Republican action? Start passing lame duck laws that take control away from the new governor for all sorts of important things.
So now an election in Kentucky didn't work out for Republicans, and we get this.
Sorry to be so blunt, but these people are sickening.
228
@original
And we are supposed to vote for a moderate to bridge the gap and win people over who vote for people like this? That's like telling the thief, enforcer and assassin to continue to rob, murder and extort you after they were put on a time out.
11
@original
Thank you-well, and accurately said!
9
The Republicans need to concede over 5,000 votes is a mandate the people are tired of there corruption and do nothing promises no health care or affordable housing. I had a laugh on the news tonight on tv world news a Pa Republican said we will continue talking about jobs . What a joke . The NYT’s recently had an article that said there may be many jobs but no pay increases. Only for the executives and CEO’s who support the GOP so they can continues slave labor tactics and the CEO’s can make all the money. i hope you all had get a laugh out of that .
20
Throw another conspiracy log on the fire. All in a day's work.
24
Because if you can’t cheat you can’t win. Truth or lies?
14
Like the dominant party in every totalitarian state, today's Republicans are all in favor of elections as long as they're guaranteed to win. Even by their standards, though, Bevin is really a class act.
14
@Fred
As republicans continue to enable the GOP this will only get worse for all of us. Vote for honest people.
Check out and support non-partisan wolf-pac.
2
All the Republicans have to do is keep counting until they win.
Remember Al Frankin?
5
Oh yes, "the people of Kentucky deserve a fair and honest election." The people of the US? Not so much. As long as a Republican wins, Bevin has no interest in making sure it was all on the up-and-up. In fact, investigating possible Russian interference was deemed by the GOP to be a conspiracy against their boy Donald.
24
This seems a typical for Republicans in the Trump age.
If you win, declare it the greatest victory in the history of the solar system.
If you lose, angrily demand the election be held over because it was (and this is the word they always use:) "unfair."
34
Power-hungry babies. That’s the GOP.
6
Banana Republic tactics. Here we are.
6
Why is it that Republicans cannot accept defeat gracefully? Probably because they cannot accept victory gracefully.
37
My little New Jersey town is having a Facebook argument tonight on voter fraud. The ones that work polls and have received training and spend 15 hours at the precinct on Election Day think there is no voter fraud and the ones that watch Fox News think the sky is falling. I encourage them all to be poll workers so they can learn the rules and meet their neighbors.
89
The GOP challenging a close race that they lost. Pay attention, this will be 2020 unless trump is ousted in a landslide. Vote.
35
The Republicans can't seem to realize that it's actions like this taken by Bevin that are convincing people like me vote Democrat.
41
"If conservatives become convinced that they cannot win democratically, they will not abandon conservatism. They will reject democracy." - David Frum, former George W. Bush speechwriter
36
Has Stacy Abrams conceded her defeat yet in Georgia?
8
@John Ramey
Yes she conceded soon after election night, but did say it was due to certain actions by her opponent who was the secretary of state and in charge of the election process which seems to be a conflict of interest.
61
@John Ramey Yes, as a matter of fact she did. 10 days after the election.
16
@John Ramey
She did. Looking forward to Bevin doing the same.
26
I would like to vote for Kentucky's governor for president. A moderate Democrat. IT'S A UNICORN!
5
@Alexis Steve Bullock is your candidate, but the DNC is doing their best to suppress options.
While it’s good to see a Democratic victory, Beshear and his team should strike the term “mandate” from their talking points. Less than 5,000 votes is not a mandate.
7
@Julio Wong
Perhaps then you might want to advise everyone what number would fit the appropriate mandate? If the Republican had won, he and his buddy Trump would have claimed it was a "landslide" victory.
16
So what’s losing by $3 Million in the popular vote?
3
@Julio Wong
I disagree with you; In the 2000 Dubbya claimed a mandate after losing the popular vote and being handed the victory by the GOP majority on the SCOTUS.
Also, Trump claimed a mandate after losing the popular vote by 3 million votes in 2016.
Now, Trump won KY by 30% in '16, but his man loses after Trump made it about Trump??
That's a mandate!
21
It's crucial for American citizens to unite now, both Republican and Democrat, under one flag. It's a simple concept: united you stand; divided you fall. This doesn't mean you should vote for Trump. (If I get my wish, he will be gone in the 2020 election.)
Your country is only a formidable force if you stand together. It's impossible to be manipulated, threatened or bullied if you respect and celebrate each others diversity. Outside influences in your politics will only succeed if you let them.
11
@D M Dimitrov There're some claims that wanting "respect" and "celebrating each others' diversity" is too much political correctness, not telling it as it is, too woke, threatens one's freedoms, etc. and some desire to resist those. Such claims are what we have to deal with - I think we should indeed all get together and sing kumbaya - fake it till we make it!
I'm an anarchist by heart but even I know it doesn't work in reality unless we all behave ethically as you say.
4
@D M Dimitrov I can't see this happening. Republicans are not respecting due process and the rule of law. As long as that continues--notcooperating with a legitimate investigation, refusing to testify, undermining federal employees, and now--in Bevin's case--refusing to leave office--we're going to be divided. Mutual self-destruction may not be a good alternative, but that's the only option Republican leaders who are cynically promoting lies as facts and cover-ups and obstruction as legitimate are offering those of us who would rather go down fighting than capitulate to a nasty strong man.
1
@RamS
Same for capitalism. It only works when people respect each other. At least the libertarian version that never existed.
And liberty. It fails when we lose respect for each other.
1
Why do almost all states still do old fashioned polling booths? What is up with that? We got rid of those in 2011, Oregon in 1998. The chances of polling errors? None. Ballots come to your home, sit on the couch with a glass on wine, read my voters pamphlet & vote! Drop the ballot off at post office or secure mailbox. No bad weather on my couch when voting, no lines at polling stations no fraud. Maybe that’s too easy, and the government wants fraud who knows.
22
@tiredofwaiting Yesterday I did a spreadsheet on voter turnout in my county: Douglas County, Oregon. We have had all vote-by-mail since 2000.
Here's turnout % in recent years for November elections.
2018- 63.72%
2016: 75.94%
2014: 70.97%
2012: 80.38%
Not only that, Oregon was recently rated the easiest state to vote in.
Conclusion: make it easy and convenient and people vote.
16
@tiredofwaiting One party can't win if everyone votes, and will do anything it can to keep that from happening...
14
@tiredofwaiting Because then you can’t force people to stand in line for hours, provide ID, scurry around trying to get to the polling place... in other words, vote by mail INCREASES voter turnout when a certain party is doing everything it can to reduce it.
6
It’s hard to imagine that Matt Bevin could embarrass himself any more than he already has, but he seems determined to give it his best shot. Surprised he hasn’t suggested a rematch in the parking lot of a Waffle House. The people of Kentucky deserve better and that’s what they voted for. I hope they elect Amy McGrath in 2020.
59
@NJlatelifemom I suspect a bunch of current House Democrats may contribute to Amy McGrath. The House. Democrats seem upset that Mitch McConnell won't vote on their bills.
1
Does Bevin think he can go to the Kentucky or federal Supreme Court and get voted in that way? It certainly worked for George W. Bush.
10
He doesn't need top concede. There is no law mandating it. He will be out of power when the new governor is sworn in. if he refuses to leave the governors mansion, have him arrested for trespassing. Simple, humiliating solution.
48
@Michael J
I'd love to see Democrats act like tough no nonsense adults and enforce the law. They always seem to bring Emily Post's "guide to holding a knife" to a gun fight.
1
trump said Bevin's defeat would be the biggest in history and he would get the blame.
trump is wrong, once again. The biggest defeat in modern history would be trump's getting voted out of office. I vote for that!
25
Irregularity Matt? There are OTC nostrums for that.
4
"[Beshear] noted a looming deadline to submit a state budget in January. “The politics part of this is over,” he added. “It’s time for governance.”"
Best wishes on governance, Governor Beshear.
We all need more of that.
43
The only “irregularities” in this instance is that it took more than an hour before Matt Bevin and Republicans cried foul. Mr. Bevin is implying there is voter fraud in order to undermine the validity of the results. Contrary to Republican false claims, voter fraud is fake news. Election fraud, of which Republicans were most recently convicted, is the real issue. I consider Mr. Bevin’s claim to be one more instance of election fraud.
59
@Greg Coming from someone like Bevin the term "election fraud" means "too many of the wrong sort of people actually exercising their right to vote".
26
If you think they're crying foul and trying to undermine the validity of this election just wait till after the 2020 election. Trump will call it a fake election and call for a civil war. He's not going to go down like a man.
22
@Greg We’ll never know for sure without a voter ID law.
Bravo, and be sure to take a look at any self dealing the GOP , which seems to be the only thing they are good at is examined.
9
I’m no psychic but I know how this story will go. The Republicans will try everything to steal this election. I’m not being cynical, just realistic.
41
The Republicans hate democracy, and this is a bellwether not only for what will happen Election Day, 2020, but for what will happen the day after.
34
@Keef In cucamonga
It will continue until the American people hold them accountable. Unfortunately the main group doing so are the progressives. Moderates want to shake hands with this nonsense.
1
Kentucky is a preview of how the GOP will fight the will of the voters in 2020 and they'll have FOX screaming that democratic victories are illegitimate. It's going to get ugly very fast.
35
There's not one republican in Kentucky who knows 709,846 votes > 704,760 votes. No wonder Governor Elect Beshear wants to provide better education programs is Kentucky.
13
@Frank M There's not one Republican who knows 709,846 votes > 704,760 votes.
Fixed that for you. It's hardly a problem limited to Kentucky's Republican base.
6
Mitch McConnell must be sweating by now. His democratic opponent out raised him 4 to 1 last quarter. Even the crowdsource site ditchmitchfund.com pulled in $2.6M vs Mitch's $2.3M.
In the past, politicians never had to worry about individual contributions from out-of-state voters. Now the money to defeat Mitch is pouring in from across the nation. The ditchmitchfund site has detailed accounting of all contributions and disbursements.
27
@Sam Thank you for that note. I hadn't heard of ditchmitchfund, and I don't live there -- but I'll gladly contribute for the sake of my relatives who do and who hate McConnell with a holy passion.
17
But Mitch won in spite of all that.
1
One wonders if the Democrat primary voters will heed the lesson from these wins and realize that the voters they need to win the crucial swing states are flocking to vote for Democrat moderates. Why on earth would they be flirting with a more extreme candidate like Elizabeth Warren and 4 more years of President Trump?
11
@Melbourne Town whats with the rhetorical questions? If you have a point, make it.
5
Bevin is not conceding and is implying irregularities in yesterday's election. This is the shape of things to come in November 2020. Even if his opponent wins by a sizable margin, Trump will not concede, will claim election fraud, and will likely incite his base to start a civil war.
15
There are only two real options here: The GOP regains its composure to the extent that they can reconcile themselves to the fact that Matt Bevin came close to winning, but lost by a rather small margin. Or alternatively, they can concoct claims of irregularities, seek a do-over, or even have the GOP-controlled State Legislature of Kentucky simply overturn the result and declare Bevin to be the winner, after all. This could be a preview of the Trump machinations when he comes up short in the 2020 lection: Contest close results in Swing States and have partisan cronies tamper with the vote counts, turning a blind eye to acts of skulduggary by GOP operatives, while unleashing a blizzard of fabrications about irregularities.
Let's not forget about the actions of the GOP in the 9th Congressional District of North Carolina. In NC, it was the Republicans who perpetrated larges scale fraud and vote manipulation, systematically exploiting the weakest links in the Voting system--namely, the tampering with Absentee ballots, which were obtained by fraud.
20
A recount usually never helps the person demanding it. It ends up giving your opponent more votes as well thereby keeping him ahead. I have no doubt republicans will then claim massive voter fraud (dead people voting, people voting multiple times and their favorite - undocumented people voting). How ironic that the lost party doesn’t know how to lose in a democracy.
11
This is just a glimpse of how it is going to be if Trump loses elections.
10
5000+ votes is not a narrow victory. The 80 votes Bevin won by over Jamie Comer is a narrow victory. Governor: set a precedent...be a gentleman and concede. Poor Andy faces a total Republican state government...so clearly a lot of your own people didn't want you.
14
@Estill
“clearly a lot of your own people didn’t want you.”
A whole lot of people (28K+) voted for a third party Libertarian candidate rather than Bevin.
4
@Vicki but the Republicans claim those who voted for the Libertarian would have voted for Bevin...how do they know?
1
@Estill
They don’t know for sure, but it’s likely. Maybe Rand Paul knows, since he is a Libertarian Republican.
2
Bevins claims "irregularities" because - um - the Republicans weren't able to disenfranchise as many Kentucky voters as they predicted?
23
Trump lost the popular vote by some 3,000,000 but hey, that's how the system works, right?
Beshear wins by over 5,000, which is not inconsequential, and somehow that is questionable and illegitimate.
OK, Republicans.
25
To Mr. Paine I would say the people of Kentucky did get a fair and honest election. The problem Is you and your candidate can’t live with that.
11
Rhetorical question: When did the Republican Party put winning at all costs before fair governance, respect for our election process and respect for the will of the people? Why can none of them accept election results when they lose? They can no longer gracefully concede and go on to work for the greater good. Instead all they can do us whine about imaginary “irregularities”, made up “voter fraud” and then do everything they can to nullify the real election results regardless of the will of the people they are supposed to be serving. The great statesmen of the Republican Party that preceded them must be rolling over in their graves.
9
"Irregularities."
TRANSLATION: "I'm an incumbent Republican governor of Kentucky who lost to a Democrat."
12
In 2015 as a Tea Party candidate Matt Bevin secured the Republican nomination over James Comer with an 83 vote margin. Matt Bevin understands close elections because now he has won one and lost one.
Kentucky remains a Republican stronghold. Both Senators and all but one member of Congress are Republicans. On the state level the Republicans control both houses and won 4 of 5 of last night's statewide races.
In short, Bevin's loss was a spectacular personal failure. He simply lacked the temperament and intelligence to become a successful leader.
27
All States should adopt the simple mail in ballet. More voters, verified and paper trail, can't be hacked and can't be "questioned" by the losing side regardless of party. That's what you call empowering voters, making voting easier for everyone. No more standing in lines or driving to polling places made hard to reach by political whim.
55
@Will Goubert ...the ballet should be forward to every adult age 18.
4
@Will Goubert Yes, I wholeheartedly agree! I will only do absentee.
3
@Will Goubert
They will simply purge the rolls and you won’t receive one. And when you contact then they will claim you had a capital letter or added your middle initial. And you will be denied the vote.
That is the voter suppression going on by republicans all over the US but far worse as there are multiple layers to it. They often target specific regions and certain names. How else can they end up hitting 70% more democrats in voter purges?
5
Governor elect Beshear, should focus on how he will govern. At the same time the DNC should make sure the election isn't stolen with a surprise box of ballots. In any case, the Democratic turnout in Kentucky should be a warning to Mitch McConnell that a change is coming. Virginia has a chance to govern soberly and to drive the Republicans out of politics, much like what has happened here in California.
74
@Joe Barnett
And we should realize the GOP will realize this and instead of change their ways double down.
Meaning they will become more aggressive and brazenly criminal in stealing elections. Who can stop them?
5
@Joe Barnett The surprise ballot box trick was already tried down in south Florida, and it didn't work down there. Amazingly that election official still has her job. As a democrat she gets a pass.
Bevin won't acknowledge that rather than simply vote a straight ticket, many KY Republicans made the extra effort to vote downticket GOP only. If he gets the recount he whines for, he imperils every newly elected office, ALL Republican.
135
The people of Kentucky deserve a 'fair and honest' election ... apparently as long as the right candidate is on the winning side.
280
Didn’t you mean to say “the far right candidate?”
8
@omartraore Stacey Abrams anyone? Seems to work both ways.
1
@M_Dale
because they purged 500,000 people right before the elections.
https://www.ajc.com/news/state--regional-govt--politics/voter-purge-begs-question-what-the-matter-with-georgia/YAFvuk3Bu95kJIMaDiDFqJ/
9
It is like a court case, if you get bad news you appeal. This should not be allowed when the majority is over 1,000. This man is just obstructing the vote, i.e., justice and he should not get away with this. He of course is not gracious so he cannot admit defeat, the way normal people do. Holding the voter hostage for his ego.
362
@JHM His headmaster Trump ignores justice and he gets away with anything with a help of Republicans.
"Gracious" is a foreign word among Republicans.
18
@JHM - Many elections have an automatic trigger level percentage (but never heard of an absolute count threshold like 1k).
However, saw this news on USA today saying that the Kentucky senate could usurp the results and decide themselves:
---
“There’s less than one-half of 1%, as I understand, separating the governor and the attorney general,” Stivers said. “We will follow the letter of the law and what various processes determine.”
Stivers, R-Manchester, said based on his staff’s research, the decision could come before the Republican-controlled state legislature.
Under state law, Bevin has 30 days to formally contest the outcome once it is certified by the State Board of Elections. Candidates typically ask for a re-canvass of voting machines and a recount first.
The last contested governor's race was the 1899 election of Democrat William Goebel.
Stivers said he thought Bevin’s speech declining to concede to Beshear was “appropriate.” He said believes most of the votes that went to Libertarian John Hicks, who received about 2% of the total vote, would have gone to Bevin and made him the clear winner.
There is also Section 90 of Kentucky's constitution, which addresses a "contest of election for Governor or Lieutenant Governor."
Contested elections for Governor and Lieutenant Governor shall be determined by both Houses of the General Assembly, according to such regulations as may be established by law.
---
I am devastated by Bevin's refusal to accept the results of the election. I looked at the close election and thought, my vote does count. I read this and wonder what is happening to democracy. I did not vote for him but had he won I and Andy Beshear would have moved on. Narcissism seems to run these days in the Republican party. Sinclair news had already given Bevin and others including Trump a free prime time campaign rally the night before.
632
@Wanda
Try not to be devastated and democracy in Kentucky is just fine.
Bevin’s refusal to accept the result is like a six-year-old refusing to accept that she has to go to school. She’s still going to school.
Bevin is just doing what Republicans do. Let him throw his tantrum and he’ll go away eventually.
36
@Wanda,
I can surely understand why you are devastated; Republican efforts to nullify Democratic victories and the GOP's refusal to participate in a normal exchange of power in states around the country is very disturbing, as it is with this election. But hang in there - think of the power of the educators who Beshear recognized last night for the part they played in his victory. They will stand ready to push back as will, I think, others across the nation.
And if Bevin continues to carry on, maybe Kentucky will be the place where the people start to mobilize in the streets and say "enough" to this assault on our elections and institutions, and kickstart a national response. These antics are an attack on all of us who vote for a Democratic candidate and deserve a fair election from start to finish and for our votes to count. We need to stand up together on this.
Your vote does count. Your will does matter. Your choice is respected.
It was a wonderful victory and it will hold.
39
@Wanda
Thank you for voting. Unfortunately, you and other Kentucky voters may have to take to the streets to ensure that the electoral results hold.
That's the new political normal in America, and will be so until Republicans are voted out or die out.
22
Honestly, Republicans remind me of spoiled kids who throw tantrums and yell for “DO OVERS!” when things don’t go their way.
But what can I say....they’ve learned from the best whiner, complainer, and Twitterer that the world has ever seen. Sarcasm off.
114
Take the Republicans seriously. Have your people watch and record EVERYTHING they do.
They are not to be trusted one bit.
92
Republicans refusing to follow the election results..
I expect Trump to pull this same crooked move in 2020 when he loses..
105
@paully
I would say, under ordinary circumstances, we should bring in UN observers to monitor the 2020 elections, but that would just add fuel to the fire among the Trumpistas, who would take their findings as evidence of an even bigger conspiracy.
6
@paully - He just stated a couple of days ago about being in the White House 21 years from now and his crowd cheered.
4
he has dropped hints before about 3 terms. I personally don't think it's a hint. why else would conservative officials take part in such a thing? ppl keep asking themselves outloud why they are willing to sacrifice their careers for the president.....indeed, why are they? the only answer I can come up with is that they don't plan on leaving. I hope I'm wrong.
3
".... asked state officials to undertake a check and recanvass of the voting machines and absentee ballots in the race, citing “irregularities” without providing details" .... of course he would make this claim w/o providing evidence.....when has he proven to be honest and ethical?
26
That would be expected from Matt Bevin, now a sore loser.
He will not get a minute more from trump who has his own monumental problem.
trump will say Matt Bevin, who ?
23
Kentucky law allows the legislature to override an election if it is believed it was not fair. That's what Bevin hopes will happen: he just needs more time to spread doubt in the legitimacy of the election, and surely Trump will assist in that.
31
@Sue the Cat That makes absolutely no sense so therefore it must be true.
2
@Sue the Cat
Guess they will need to literally vote out all republicans. Hope Kentucky is learning from this.
1
Interesting law that override the election thing. More and more Republican controlled states are adding similar language to their laws. And with a single party in control of counting the votes (like Georgia) they can guarantee that all close elections go their way. The longer the Republicans are in power the more these poison pills have been quietly inserted into the process. No single disgruntled politician can pull the trigger on these systems, what they need is the national meme generating power of a Fox News giving them the cover to steal elections. These systems are really sitting in wait for national election outcomes that need to be changed. They will be there in 2020 when for the first time they will be called on to go into action. If you thought the spectacle of a 3 million vote steal in 2016 was shocking wait till you see what they have planned for 2020. This is a trap waiting to be sprung built out of decades of manipulations to law and the judiciary. And when it closes what are the Democrats going to do? Cry and not open the champagne like last time?
I'm always astounded by close contests. How is it that so many recent elections result in these photo finishes, where the same results could have been achieved by just flipping a coin? If your strongly held beliefs are exactly countered by someone else's strongly held beliefs, is there any basis to those beliefs at all? And, if those results are achieved by chicanery at the polls, then why not just give your guy an indisputable edge rather than resorting to months of litigation and acrimony over "noise"?
2
Mr Bevin needs to do the right thing and honor the results of the election. He’s using a classic play right out of the Republican playbook: claiming the election was fraudulent. There are no recounts in Kentucky so it’s time for him to go. Mitch is next.
45
Yes Mr Bevin, there were "irregularities" - a Democrat won. How did he overcome all the Republican gerrymandering and voter suppression?
And now Kentucky, time to ditch Mitch.
210
What are the precise rules in Kentucky for this situation?
5
@Jim
The precise rules for when one candidate gets more votes than the other? I believe the candidate with more votes gets to win and govern.
172
@Jim: it's complicated, but essentially, a candidate can request a recanvassing, which is a review to insure that all voting procedures were followed with no irregularities.
To go to a recount, the aggrieved candidate must show proof or cause of voting irregularities; it can't be just be vague assertions.
The problem in KY is that the state legislature is in Republican hands, and the President of the state Senate is already claiming that his body -- the state Senate -- may step in and decide the election.
Here are the details from the Louisville Courier-Journal:
https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/politics/2019/11/06/beshear-vs-bevin-legislature-could-decide-race-senate-president-says/4174103002/
19
@Jim
One bourbon, one scotch, and one beer.
21
A prelude to Trump's behavior in 2020....
278
Multiply by 100
23
@KC which is why Dems must turn out in droves. A large, clear victory. VOTE BLUE 2020!
16
Spot on, and why he needs to be impeached and removed from office before the election.
1
Bevin proves himself to be the fool that Kentucky voters think he is.
151
Great to hear the great people of the great state of Kentucky know what’s up! Nice work Kentucky! Woot!
45
Can't wait for the Kentucky legislature to strip the incoming governor of power, just like in Georgia.
Republicans give sore losers a bad name.
59
@John Harper ...and like in Wisconsin
17
@gymbob and in NC. Republicans won’t hold votes if all Democrats are present.
3
Davis Paine, Mr. Bevin’s campaign manager, said in a statement, “The people of Kentucky deserve a fair and honest election.”
Today's republican party views an election as fair and honest only when they win. A party retaining virtually no respect for our system and the voice of the people.
307
@Andy
And we the people can see an attempt to hijack the vote and have the republicans in the legislature claim some sort of nonsense so they can keep this criminal around. Should be a lesson to vote all republicans out if this happens.
6
I imagine Republicans are genuinely surprised when they lose an election after all the effort they devoted to gerrymandering and voter suppression.
514
A few years ago, Republicans tried rigging, er, gerrymandering a district by combining two adjacent counties in western Kentucky with part of one county in the central part of the state, some 180 miles away, and separated by about seven counties. How’s that for a fair and honest election, compliments of our Republican friends.
75
@Rich F.
North Carolina once had a congressional district like that. Except they were clever and connected the two parts along a very thin sliver for dozens of miles along Interstate 85.
7
@Natalie in Pennsylvania where I live, the State Supreme Court struck down gerrymandered districts and radically changed our Congressional races last year. My new district had 10 people running in our Democratic primary and 6 were women. Our winner of the Democratic primary, Mary Gay Scanlon ended up running against a Republican woman before winning the general. A couple of the state reps who won last year were Democratic women. My county, Delaware County has several state rep districts represented by women (Leanne, Margo, Jennifer, Maria Donatucci and Joanna McClinton) and this year all 3 Democratic County Council candidates to get endorsed by the Delaware County Democratic Committee were women. The striking down of gerrymandering in PA and the overwhelming number of women who not only voted but actually ran is the real story in the Philly suburbs.
6
I agree with Paul - the GOP enacts voter laws that suppress many voters or just randomly remove them from the voter rolls as well as there tricky gerrymandering, all so that they can ensure they win. When they lose it's cry baby cry and false claims of, you fill in the blank. In the age of Trump we have a party that has devolved into immature little boys who refuse to play fair. Shame on them.
61
@Vicki we had gerrymandering and then the PA League of Women Voters and a bunch of plaintiffs sued under our state constitution and the state Supreme Court ruled our Congressional districts unconstitutional. Which is why my congressional district no longer looks like Goofy kicking Donald Duck. I had more choices for representative in last year's primary too. I'm now represented by a woman.
1
"Gov. Matt Bevin of Kentucky, the Republican seeking re-election, formally asked state officials to undertake a check and recanvass of the voting machines and absentee ballots in the race, citing “irregularities” without providing details."
The "irregularities" is that enough voters in Kentucky wised up to his nonsense.
146
@Bob R I saw something earlier - different news source - that suggested there was an issue with the absentee ballots. It could take some investigation before this is resolved.
@Bob R recanvass vs recount, that comes at a price for Bevin for sure. I would have felt so much better with a larger margin win, but let's save that for Mitch. Please stop the Moscow Mitch stuff, it just aggravates the locals, usually they stay home. They wouldn't know a Russian if he opened an aluminum factory in their own back yard.
12
@Margo
Interesting that you recall the claim, made by none of the many news sources I have googled about this, but don’t remember the source ...
7
Yes, Virginia -- it is time for sensible gun control (univ. background checks, assault weapons ban, waiting periods, ...).
Gov. Northam -- please get these done asap. And lead the way to national policies, after 2020.
29
Why doesn’t Bevin use Trump’s favorite lie and claim that the election was “rigged”?
Bevin is testing what Trump will claim, if he, Trump, loses in 2020: Claim that “irregularities” rigged the election against him.
Of course, Bevin does not and cannot provide details because that would expose the lie behind his claim.
46
The Kentucky legislature will take Mr. Beshear's win from him.
Wait for it. The Trump GOP takes no prisoners.
11
@Susanna
That’s why VA was so glorious tonight. When the GOP became the problem, they kicked them out.
9
@Susanna
Not this time, we saw what happened in other states and the people will go for these pathetic GOP throats, this time the democrats will take no prisoners.
5
I suppose everyone was waiting to hear the words "recount", "election fraud" and "irregularities" ! This president should have published his playbook, it would have been a best seller with his republican cronies.
12
Quick, Republicans, there's still time to steal it! You've certainly had a lot of practice.
30
Give them time. They are in no hurry. They can steal this election any time they want.
Bevin is widely seen as a “little Trump.” I see his post-election maneuvers as a dress rehearsal for the 2020 Presidential election. Watch carefully, and learn.
42
By contesting the vote it would seem that mr. Bevan is admitting that he's incapable of running a free and fair election. If the governor of the state isn't responsible, who is responsible?
N. B. UNSPECIFIED "irregularities".
Is mr. Bevan so out of touch that he doesn't have any idea? Or does he need a day or two to try and figure out some way to make some up?
77
The mistake LBJ made when he lost the first Texas Senate election was to not sit on the ballot boxes to keep them from being changed!
SIT ON THE BALLOT BOXES!
19
In the absence of Bevin's "Irregularities" one wonders how just much larger his loss margin would have been.
30
For Demos to hold on to these and similar electoral wins, they need to figure out, of all the conflicting needs and wants of Americans--to quote Jeremy Bentham--what will bring "the greatest good for the greatest number".
6
@john clagett What about Repubs... seems all they need to do is show up....
1
Mr. Beshear's victory in Kentucky may be an anomaly but the GOP's response to it is not. If they can't win through voter suppression and gerrymandering, they claim voter fraud (without offering any evidence) and attempt nullify the result in the legislature (see WI, NC, MI).
545
Meanwhile, when republicans are caught red-handed committing voter fraud, they all shrug and continue like nothing happened.
44
@Paul
Exactly correct. Now the Democrats have got to stand firm. Beshear claiming victory is a good start, but the Democrats must be willing to fight these GOP efforts just as fiercely as the GOP will press them.
19
@Pat
To get democrats that fight back you have to stop electing weak ones that are paid opposition to bow their heads.
2
People should be aware that Bevin is talking smack about the election results being invalid because of 'irregularities' and allies in the Kentucky Senate are talking about some obscure provision that allows THEM to decide who the winner is.
We are in the new trump era where trumpists don't accept legal elections and will quite boldly cheat and lie to win. Look at what happened in Georgia with Stacey Abrams. Stay alert.
730
@Cyntha This is the face of what is to come with Trump when he loses.
88
@Cyntha
Exactly correct. This is the new GOP strategy when they lose: scream about election fraud or "irregularities" and call for a run-off or recount or any other way they can get a second bite at the apple.
And @JHM is also correct about Trump, although that will be on a scale previously unimagined.
44
@Cyntha
In which case MILLIONS of us need to mobilize in KY. We CANNOT let the republicans steal this. We CANNOT let them steal any more elections. We have to draw a line in the sand.
93
Great news from Kentucky! Great news from Virginia! One thing though.
Old and wise heads have counselled the Democrats: don't go crazy, guys. Appeal to the middle of the road--or (if you must glide a bit leftwards) do it gently, tactfully.
I gotta say: I agree with these guys.
I STILL remember--and will till my dying day--the enormous excitement that pervaded the Democratic party when George McGovern captured the nomination in 1972.
"Never thought it would happen!" exclaimed jubilant young people. I should know. I was in my early twenties.
Mr. McGovern--an honorable man, an upstanding public servant--
--was eaten alive by the GOP come November.
Of course, his dire warnings about the Watergate break-in were amply justified by events. I'm not for a moment disputing that.
But in so many areas he was considered "off the wall." "Way off in left field."
The GOP had him for breakfast.
I know--I KNOW--and don't we all?--the GOP is priming their SOCIALIST moniker for November of 2020. I know likewise: the country has probably moved significantly leftwards since 1972.
But maybe not as much as all that.
And let me be frank. No matter WHO the Dem's nominate next summer--
--I'm VOTING for that person. Be under no illusions about THAT.
But I want you guys to WIN in November, 2020. Not LOSE.
And you COULD lose. You really could.
Just ask George McGovern.
92
@Susan Fitzwater Spot-on. I was one of those wide-eyed kids who campaigned for McGovern, too. Now it's 2020. We cannot blow it.
19
They said exactly the same thing about Trump right before he won the Presidency. I guess times changed, and past performances could not guarantee future success.
6
@Susan Fitzwater I voted for McGovern despite his whiney voice, despite Eagleton ("I'm behind him 1,000%...") despite the fact Nixon was a highly intelligent President (JFK actually got his father to contribute to Nixon's Senate campaign). Warren is a terrific campaigner and very well organized. She is considerably to the left of me, but I expect some moderate movement in the general . Whoever is nominated will be attacked as a Socialist or as Corrupt and will be endlessly lied about by the GOP. Biden isn't up to it. Pete isn't experienced enough--yet. Harris is a disappointment. Bernie's time is past. Enthusiasm is THE key to turnout.
13
Good to hear that Democrats are gaining political power in Virginia and Kentucky. Hopefully, Texas may be turned blue as well. We will see.
119
@Casual Observer
Texas is turning purple, but don't count on it for 2020. Same with Georgia (my state).
NC is already purple. AZ is now in play. Those are the next two states to focus on for 2020, after the usual swing states that everyone knows about.
5
Note that neither is a an identity politics "progressive". the writing is on the wall, want to win, think middle america..
24
The victories both states were not landslides, the victors have a simple majority and not a super majority that amounts to a mandate to just do as they want. They should work on firming up more popular support as they go forward. If they take the winner takes all approach, they will not gain more support and may lose some.
22
@Casual Observer This is what Republicans say every time a Democrat wins. It's up to Republicans, now, to start working with Democrats and to stop obstructing. If they don't, Republicans will keep losing elections.
1
@Sydney
The people in the middle 40% are sick of Trump but not every Republican is an egregious jerk like Trump. Try to sneak things into law which only a minority on one side or the other want and don't expect to keep the support of the people in the middle.
@Casual Observer you mean like the resident of the White House?
While heartening, I agree with the column that the Democratic victory in KY was a local phenomenon. The main takeaway here is that Trump in trouble in the suburbs. That bodes well across the map.
225
@Peter
And for a long time. What Republicans haven't figured out yet for some reason is that the suburbs that they have so carefully gerrymandered for the last 20 years have new occupants--the next generation--and they mostly lean to the left.
160
@Morgan
Climate change
Health care
Decency
All policies or characteristics lacking in the party of ‘NO’
29
@Morgan
Which means that elections as a general notion are problematic for them.
We haven't yet seen how ugly this is going to get, but the storm clouds are all looming.
9