Tuesday was a good day for me, personally. I’ll get to that presently. But on a collective level, Tuesday was a great day for everybody. It brought much better news politically than many observers had predicted.
The most prominent election-deniers lost their bid to win office, particularly in the swing states. This means that the worst case scenario — a breach of the integrity of the 2024 presidential election —may have been averted, for now.
Republicans appear to have won the House but only by a handful of seats. The problem now for the new Speaker-to-be, Kevin McCarthy, is that his caucus contains so many right-wing extremists, election-deniers, and Trumpers that it will be extremely difficult to control.
Meanwhile, control of the Senate remains too close to call and may remain in doubt until a runoff in Georgia next month.
Historically, in a midterm election like this year’s, the party out of power typically gains many seats in Congress and the statehouses. But perhaps due to the shadow of Trump, Republicans fell way short of that kind of accomplishment.
What is the bottom line? More gridlock when it comes to legislation, which makes President Biden’s major victories earlier this year all that much more important, because they may not be repeated over the coming period.
But the most significant accomplishment is that voters largely rejected Trump and his favored candidates. The trendlines are all wrong for Trump and Trumpism.
And that my friends is a blessing.
***
The reason Tuesday was a good day for me personally was that for the first time in over three years, I was able to drive myself to a doctor’s appointment many miles from where I live.
The weather was terrible that day, windy and rainy. As I reached the Bay Bridge, traffic slowed to a crawl and the windshield fogged to the point of near-invisibility. At that point, it helped that I had grown up in Michigan and learned how to navigate through bad weather conditions as a boy.
Hours later, back home, I felt a small sense of pride that despite my serious health problems in 2019, I’ve been able to fight my way back to the health status I enjoyed before my stroke.
On that point, I was overjoyed to see a fellow stroke survivor, John Fetterman, win his election in Pennsylvania. Forget politics. His opponent had vilified and ridiculed Fetterman during the campaign as he struggled to recover from that stroke.
In this case, the voters sided with the good guy. God bless America!
NEWSLINKS:
Key election deniers concede defeat after disputing Trump’s 2020 loss — Voters in Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania have rebuked gubernatorial candidates who echoed former president Donald Trump’s false claim that the 2020 presidential race was rigged. (WP)
Donald Trump Is Political Kryptonite (Newsweek)
'Not a repudiation': Joe Biden holds off red wave, gets unexpected boost from midterm election (USA Today)
The vaunted red wave never hit the shore in midterm elections (WP)
Warnock, Walker advance to runoff for Senate seat in Georgia (AP)
The midterms are over — what did we learn? (The Hill)
Democrats won elections for governor in the 'blue wall' states of Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, enabling them to defend against Republican-dominated state legislatures on issues such as abortion rights and fair elections. (Reuters)
Democrats Hold Off Steep Losses by Driving Turnout and Winning Independent Voters (WSJ)
Democrat Jocelyn Benson is reelected as Michigan secretary of state (NPR)
Democrats Might Have Pulled Off the Biggest Midterm Shock in Decades (Atlantic)
A predicted ‘red wave’ crashed into wall of abortion rights support on Tuesday (Politico)
Where abortion was on the ballot, midterm voters largely signaled support (NPR)
Despite the Fears, Election Day Mostly Goes as Planned (NYT)
The Midterm Elections Deliver a Stunning Return to the Status Quo (New Yorker)
Kentucky voters reject amendment that would have affirmed no right to abortion (NPR)
Abortion Rights Are Reshaping American Politics (Again.) (538)
New Voting Laws Add Difficulties for People With Disabilities (NYT)
Russia Orders Withdrawal From Kherson, Only Regional Ukrainian Capital It Held (WSJ)
Aerial War Over Ukraine Heats Up as Russia Pounds Cities (NYT)
Afghanistan: the human cost (Le Monde)
Where learning is against the law: A secret school for Afghan girls (WP)
Meta Platforms said it will let go of 13% of its workforce, or more than 11,000 employees, in one of the biggest tech layoffs this year as the Facebook parent battles soaring costs and a weak advertising market. (Reuters)
Meta lays off 11,000 workers; Zuckerberg says his investments didn’t pay off (Ars Technica)
Elizabeth Holmes, the founder of the failed blood testing start-up, was denied a new trial and will be sentenced next week for defrauding investors. (Cal Today)
Finance took center stage at the COP27 climate talks, with U.N. experts publishing a list of projects worth $120 billion that investors could back to help poorer countries cut emissions and adapt to the impacts of global warming. (Reuters)
Cop27: ‘It’s humiliating’ – Indigenous voices say they are being ignored at climate summit (Guardian)
Another powerful storm could soon test Florida, still recovering from Ian (WP)
Oldest known sentence written in first alphabet discovered – on a head-lice comb (Guardian)
VIDEO: Video Shows Total Lunar Eclipse (Reuters)
Newly discovered photos show Nazi Kristallnacht up close (AP)
U.S. Expected to Release 9/11 Commission Interview With George W. Bush, Dick Cheney (WSJ)
Entirety Of Objectionable Human Behavior Explained To Toddler As Person Acting Silly (The Onion)
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