09 November 2017

Toxic

Tuesday was an off-year election in the United States. Only a handful of congressional races were contested for unscheduled vacancies.

So almost exclusively state and local races were up for grabs this week. The issues decided had little to nothing to do with Donald Trump.

Nonetheless, Trump's toxicity spread to downballot races in all but the most conservative regions of the country. In state after state, race after race, Democrats soundly defeated Republicans. Trump's name was not on any ballot, but he nonetheless poisoned thousands of candidates.

In certain local elections in some Northeast regions, Democrats had never won a race as far back as the early nineteenth or even the eighteenth century when parties barely existed in the United States. But Tuesday saw a massive rejection of Republicans simply because of their association with the President. In some northeastern counties that had always voted solidly for the GOP, every last Republican on ballots was defeated.

Not surprisingly, media coverage of Trump's humiliating night was extensive. The New York Times (link here) and Politico (link here) both had good wrap-up pieces.

Talking Points Memo had a great line in their thoughtful analysis (link here): "The moral of the story for Republicans is that Trumpism is toxic." And The Daily Beast wrote about how the much-feared Trump whisperer Steven Bannon was brutally humbled (link here): "The moral of the story for Republicans is that Trumpism is toxic."

Clearly, "toxic" was the word most often used to describe the President in article after article.

Now we have to continue this momentum and more into next year's midterm races, when the entire House of Representatives and a third of the Senate are up for re-election. Celebrate Tuesday's victories but get ready to work for more.

Stay tuned.

3 comments:

  1. Anonymous07:44

    Democrats made major inroads here in the "Republican" counties surrounding Philadelphia. It was incredibly gratifying.
    -Scott

    ReplyDelete
  2. TOXIC is THE word to qualify «45» and not only in USA.

    In many countries, including mine, Canada, «45» is TOXIC in many ways beginning with the NAFTA négociations.
    After decades of friendship and good economic trades between our countries, «45» with his ignorance of all what it means, is jeopardizing this relationship.

    «HE» seems not to be aware that this trade balance is «POSITIVE» for USA that is selling more to Canada than the contrary.

    But, the worse issue is his toxicity on international relations.
    NEVER a president acted this way toward the other nations.

    USA isn't getting «great again».
    «HE» is doing the inverse.
    USA is isolating themselves and is letting other world leaders taking the lead.

    Keep hoping in inpeachement and putting more Démocrates in Congress and Senate.
    Anyway, even with a majority of Republicans in the chambers, «45» DIDN'T achieve anything.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous04:35

    Es increíble el grado de desagrado que provoca.Amigo venezolano,Cucuta

    ReplyDelete

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