It’s easy to say that it’s too early, eighteen months out, to predict how the 2018 midterms will turn out. It’s harder to admit that it was nearly impossible to correctly predict the outcome of the 2016 presidential election even on Election Day. The Republicans seemingly wounded themselves during the government shutdowns and debt ceiling debates during the Obama presidency, but that didn’t exactly translate to any accountability moments at the ballot box. Quite the opposite, for the most part.
So, yeah, the House Republicans seem to have imperiled their majority, but who can say? I’m not arguing in favor of agnosticism in political punditry, but humility is definitely called for.
Do you think that the House bill delaying some effects until after the 2018 midterms means they might get away with it (due to not causing enough pain to voters soon enough)? I’d imagine the Senate version will also seek to delay the damage.
Or will passage of ANY final bill, even if it’s written to include delays, begin wrecking the ACA infrastructure and systems now because of insurers pulling out, etc?
Not that I want damages to happen earlier, but I’m hoping there will be accountability in 2018.
I’m worried they’ll be able to mask the damage enough given their gerrymandering to stay in the majority.
Don’t worry. They can’t ‘get away with it’ for long.
Single-payer will, must arise, ineluctably, from the commingled ashes of the AHCA and ACA.
Thesis. Antithesis. Aufhebung.
Regardless of what Congress eventually does on this issue, it’s up to each and every one of us to create accountability in November 2018. Between the Federal Executive and Legislative branches, it will remain an extremely target rich environment. There’s more of us; we can and, frankly, should win this fight. But we’ve got to learn to do what works. Bitching about Barack Obama’s speaking fees will not get it done. History teaches us this.
I don’t know about no accountability.
After 25 years of constant vilification of Hillary, 7 investigations into Benhazi!, Comey pouring cement onto the electoral scales and the f**** R’s STILL lost 6 seats in the House and 2 in the Senate.
I think it somewhat fair, if you’re going to posit might have beens, that WI and PA senate seats go D and at least 3 other House seats go D without the Oct 28th letter.
Of course all this is woulda, coulda, shoulda.
There is also the idea of the “Magical President.” The President is held accountable for everything that happens in government and out. Hell, even Trump believes that being president is being a semi-divine monarch. If you understand how Washington works, this is absurd. But this is the American voter we are talking about.
Rep. Shitkicker (R-VA) will lose his seat because people are pissed at Trump and Trumpism, more so than the specifics of any bill.
I fear that the Republicans have figured out how to cheat-and-win and will do so again-and-again. At the risk of sounding like a crazy conspiracy theorist (which I am), UnhackTheVote has identified some very strange anomalies with the voting results that need to be further investigated. For example, there were dozens of precincts in Wisconsin that had 95%+ voter turnout (which is very unbelievable) and several instances where the voter turnout exceeded the number of registered voter (which should be impossible). Interesting, but less convincing, are several precincts in PA where the % of election-day voting was exactly the same (0.6666667%). That may just be coincidence but it seems very bizarre.
I feel that with 2016, every analysis needs to start with “Republicans/Russia stole the election” and we need to be ready for them to try and do it again every time.
There are no more fair elections.
As I’ve said before, I think we’re barreling toward a Civil War in this country and the only solution is to split the country in half as peacefully and amicably as possible. Republicans, consumed by fascism, have been programmed to hate Democrats; we are “evil” in their minds. Democrats, on the other hand, have empathy so we naively believe that we can still work together but we have to play by the rules and within the system. Meanwhile, R’s are going to lie, cheat, and steal to maintain power; the faster that Democrats realize that and fight back the better.
The American people need to do the work to figure out what is going on and to help others figure out who best, not who perfectly, serves their interests, and turn themselves and others out to the polls to support those candidates. Each and everybody in this community has a role to play.
Will you help stem the tide which is attempting to sweep white supremacy and fascism into long-term dominance of our Nation’s institutions? Time to decide.
In extremely related news, the Russian government is now laundering its propagandizing of the French electorate through the notoriously racist 4chan chatrooms, *and WikiLeaks is attempting to help them.
This is all very clarifying.
Julian Assange has also become an ally of conservative media, making many appearances on Hannity’s show on Fox and more on Hannity’s radio program:
Not a supporter of progressive, transparent governance. A repeated supporter of white supremacist political candidates.
When you’re trying to smash US hegemonic imperialism, you take your allies where you can find them, even if it’s the Ecuadorean embassy in London.
Sometimes a laser-like focus on the true class enemy comes with a price.
Yes, Davis. But Hannity is A-OK with US hegemonic imperialism. We could claim that Assange is interested in tearing down the United States status quo in that area, but it he thought or thinks Trump will lead our policies away from hegemony, he’s one deluded motherfucker.
“When you’re trying to smash the campaign of the US’s first viable female POTUS candidate and the lives of non-caucasians…” might have been a more accurate start.
Granted, it wouldn’t have been as funny as yours.
2018 is a long way off. Also, the GOP rarely punish their own and vote regularly even when they are being massively screwed because of racism. Then there’s widespread gerrymandering. Past is no longer prologue anymore. 2018 will not be a 2010 re-run wave election. The GOP will lose a handful of seats in the HOR but probably few or none in the Senate. Getting back the Presidency is the only way to stop a complete conservative oligarchy takeover and the effective end of the American experiment.