MIDTERM AFTERTHOUGHTS

OK, so there was no Blue Tsunami, but flipping 20-some GOP seats in Congress is more than just a drip from a leaky faucet. With the House of Representatives in Democratic control, there is AT LAST a check on this madman. There is at least ONE branch of Government that is going to be doing its duty.

Still, it was disheartening to see how many Americans felt it was OK to cast a vote in support of an egotistical ignoramus who has become the hero of every racist, white supremacist, and neo-Nazi in the country. Sometimes I wonder if I’m secretly Superman, that I can see things that so many people can’t.

I firmly believe Bob Mueller’s report will disclose numerous crimes committed by the President. The House will vote to impeach, but whether a GOP-controlled Senate will vote to convict is clearly up in the air. After all, we found out last night that there are enough voters dumb enough (or morally apathetic enough) to re-elect two indicted GOP Congressmen – Duncan Hunter (stealing campaign finances for private use) and Chris Collins (insider trading while in office). So who can say whether the “Law & Order Party” will muster the ethics and the courage to condemn their own Criminal-In-Chief?

It is clear from the numbers that several crucial races were decided by a razor-thin margin. So many 50.4-49.6, or 51.2-48.8 final tallies. Face it: This country is basically split in half - politically, spiritually, intellectually, morally – however you want to label it, it’s just about split down the middle. How long can it go on like this? Are we not very nearly in the same position as the America of the late 1850s, half against slavery but half so much in favor of it that they were willing to rip the country in two? Maybe Lincoln was wrong after all – maybe he should have let the Secessionists go their merry way. It feels a lot like we are there again; it’s hard to see how the two factions can be reconciled. Especially since, in the present case, we have, not an angel, but a devil at the helm.

Despite the good news in the vote last night, I can’t help but feel great concern for what is going to transpire in the next 2 years. The master con man will never change his ways. We’re in for 2 years of childish name-calling, blatant lying, and polarizing policies from the Oval Office. Maybe Nancy Pelosi will live up to her full potential and cause him to have a stroke. Probably not; this guy is like the cockroaches infesting his buildings in Manhattan: easier to detect than to kill.

But I maintain that Trump will NOT be re-elected. Take careful note of the fact that the 3 states that pushed him over the top in 2016 REPUDIATED him last night. The elections in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, the states which helped Trump squeak out his electoral win, went all blue last night, including governorships. The GOP will not get any gerrymandering help there to stack the deck next time around. Speaking of which, is there any doubt that voter suppression tactics by Kemp in Georgia helped him steal his election from Abrams? Fair fight, right? And he still BARELY won.

More than anything, I think I’ll be very happy if I don’t spend the next two years fretting and frothing over politics every day! But it’s hard, when you’re a moth. . . and that flame looks so interesting.

POSTSCRIPT

As of today, Nov. 29, 2018, that "20-some" flipped House seats has grown to 40! Feeling like more of a wave.