For the most part, last night’s elections basically confirmed that our country has gone nuts. The big exception was Neel Kashkari’s somewhat unexpected second-place finish in the California gubernatorial primary. Of course, the actual effect of that is probably going to be negative, at least in the short term, because it will prevent the California GOP from suffering the maximal possible losses in November.
In Mississippi, Sen. Thad Cochran was forced into a runoff that he will probably lose. If I had the slightest bit of faith that Democrat Travis Childers might win the general election, I would welcome this development. But, I think it will probably result in nut-job Chris McDaniel becoming a U.S. Senator and that will send a message to every other Republican senator that they can’t afford to be a legislator or appropriator. It’s a recipe for gridlock and nullification.
The hog-castrator Joni Ernst won the nomination for U.S. Senate in Iowa. The idea that she might replace Tom Harkin fills me with horror.
On a personal note, the district of my youth nominated a black women to represent the Democratic Party in November’s election. Bonnie Watson Coleman will be favored to win, and she’ll be the first woman from New Jersey to serve in Congress in over a decade and the first black woman from the Garden State to serve in Congress ever. It’s a very progressive district, but it is far from minority-majority, so this an interesting and welcoming development.
Finally, turnout in California was disgracefully low.
