Post 2022 Election Results/Reactions

42) The “Red Wave” that wasn’t

I have been spending some time in a cigar lounge near my house. It’s a friendly blue-collar place with a lot of retired firemen and retired cops.  It has a very old school Italian feel, but it has some diversity, especially for Saturday UFC Fight Nights. 

Sports is the dominant theme in this lounge, among other topics in a male dominated environment. But, politics does get discussed some, even though the official rule is a “no politics” lounge. 

Yet, even with that, I would certainly say among the people in there that vote blue instead of red, I’m certainly in the minority. Yet, I quickly have been able to identify my political bedfellows/friends there. 

I don’t want to say “know thy enemy” as I find all the guys there are guys that would give the shirt off their back for their friends. Not only that, but it’s an environment that kind of pre-dates the internet era. People aren’t trolling each other or dunking on each other. 

Some people might want to tip-toe around certain political topics. Others might be open to discussing it in a nuanced way. I’m not sure how many of them truly love politics. Save for one friend I made who was telling me how he used to be active in his democratic town committee. 

Being in this type of social atmosphere reminds me why a lot of people hate politics, and partially why I have pursued other interests that deviate from politics. Although to me it is still a great hobby and passion.

For Social Movements to be considered "A movement" they actually have to work

 

The social science/political science student in me likes gauging the temperature of these gentlemen and what they think of the national political landscape. 

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I have other friends too that are more partial to team red, even if a number of them claim their political independence and thumb their nose at the whole idea of party affiliation. 

For myself, I tend to learn more from people that present a contrasting view from my deep held beliefs. They allow me to see where I stand, and crystalize my views. It also gives me the freedom and space to change my mind. 

Locally, I have found some of the most impassioned feelings towards how the Democrats governed versus Republicans. I get that. A Governor has a lot of influence on how a State is run.   Breaking down this election on a more local level is a fascinating “case study”, especially for my home-state of NY. 

There will be a follow up to this piece that does look more closely at politics at more of a local/micro level, than a national/macro level.

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Nationally I’m already hearing Republican party members discuss their feelings of Trump compared to Ron Desantis. Surprisingly (or maybe not so surprisingly) among hardcore Republicans, there still appears to be a loyalty to Trump that I still don’t quite get. 

Maybe that has to do with the fact that the “GOP really got their ass handed to them” this election, and people haven’t fully processed it, yet. So, people still don’t know what to make of these results. 

But as a democrat looking in, I am fascinated to see what the GOP will do about Trump, and how Desantis is going to do on a national stage.  Some theories I have heard though is that Desantis knows he’s still young, and he would step aside from Trump. I don’t really believe this. These two men are natural rivals, and already seem to despise each other. 

The whole idea of politics with “blue team” v “red team” and showing total loyalty to each other because you are on the same team, is just absurd. 

My feeling is that people that like Trump like him for how he seems relatable and he’s just a comforting presence in certain people’s lives. Desantis outside of Florida is still a bit of an unknown. Even if people know his name, they might not be able to identify his voice or his face out of a crowd.  

So, if you ask me - it’s too early to tell how the Republicans will deal with their leadership vacuum. Amazingly their most steadying hand is “Moscow Mitch” McConnell, a man who is as old or older than Trump, Biden, Pelosi and all these people in party leadership. 

As for Kevin McCarthy, he is the epitome of an empty suit! And that’s saying something, as we have a lot of empty suits down in Washington

If Republicans want to stick with Trump, by all means, they can. He’s the gift that keeps on giving. Democrats should have been crushed in this midterm election, and instead we are staring at very similar numbers in the next congress as we do in this current one. 

Democrats have a great chance to increase their Senate majority by one seat in a Georgia run-off election in December. And the House of Representatives, still has yet to be called.

With a little bit of luck, maybe the Dems eke out a net victory and actually keep the House. But, either way, this election was ultimately good for our country, even if many people choose not to admit it, or are unable to see it. 

Peace & Love

-JPJ

PS - Check out my most recent post prior to this one, in anticipation of the “Faux Red Wave”.

Midterm Elections 2022