Will Democrats take the house?

[dgiharris]

Saw this posted somewhere today. If it's accurate, puts a little perspective on it.

View attachment 244873

meh, other factors were involved,

both 1994 and 2010 were on the heels of a recession...
Doesn't matter what party is in office, if it is during a recession then your midterms are extremely vulnerable and you will lose big...

GOP left America in a huge bind 2010 and simultaneously opposed Obama at every turn, so yeah, the country wasn't doing so well. But despite the GOP being a concrete block around Obama's neck, he still managed to drag the economy from a bear market to a bull market so kudos to him.

 

[jayem]

Saw this posted somewhere today. If it's accurate, puts a little perspective on it.

View attachment 244873

Would you rather have your right arm amputated above the elbow, or below? You lose less tissue with the latter, but either way you've still lost the functionality of your upper extremity. Republicans have lost control of their legislative agenda for the next 2 years. The margin makes little difference.

 

[jayem]

The biggest problem I have with the health care debate is that Obama was the only administration to actually try to crunch actual numbers and use actual data while simultaneously acknowledging actual problems and actual mistakes...

All the GOP does is wave the invisible hand about saying "Oh, do it this way and competition magically lowers the price..." which is absolute garbage because your standard Supply vs Demand curve does NOT apply to health care. Demand for health care is literally infinite, I mean, how much are you willing to pay to keep your child alive? Unlike other goods and services you can't afford to wait 6 months or a year for the price of a treatment to go down before you buy it... There are a million other reasons why a for-profit model for health care is just flat out wrong... Sure, it is awesome when you are rich and have money, but when you are middle class or lower then no... it isn't awesome...

When the GOP took complete control and had to put up or shut up they couldn't put up. All of a sudden, they had to make good on years worth of "Obamacare sucks and we could easily do better" rhetoric and lo and behold they couldn't do it. Not only couldn't they do it, they couldn't even come close...

If the GOP held themselves to the fraction of the standard that they love to hold Democrats to, things in this country would be way better. But they don't. They rail against the Dems for XYZ but then when the GOP does XYZ it's A-okay...

I'm so disgusted

Every poll I've seen indicates that health care was the single most important issue for the voters. What would be beautiful is if Republicans and Democrats, from both chambers, in equal numbers, form a health care study group. Have completely open hearings. Get opinions from all the stakeholders-- providers, insurers, employers, drug and medical device manufactuers, medical economists, medical ethicists, medical scools and educators, and of course, ordinary citizens and patients. Study all the different health care needs and approaches. Take enough time--at least a year or more. Be completely open to the public about it. And try to come up with a bipartisan consensus plan for a new health insurance system that checks as many boxes as possible, at as low a cost as possible. This is the right way--and really the only way to do it.

 

[jayem]

True, but they gained an adversary in a place of power who will now demonstrate their shrill insanity for the next two years as opposed to just yelling and whining about it.

Something else tangible to run against in two years.

I'm glad the Dems won the House. With some exceptions, I'm not fond of Democrats (neither am I fond of Republicans. With some exceptions.) But I intensely dislike the attitude of the political "bases." Which your post seems to embody. It's that ugly, uncompromising, ideological zealotry that's more concerned with power and destruction of the opposition, than with doing right by the American people. Both sides are guilty. I'm hoping against hope that the Dems controlling the House will force the parties to COMPROMISE. It's how our government was designed to work. The bases can go to the hot place.

 

[Gigimo]

Republicans have lost control of their legislative agenda for the next 2 years.

And they only have themselves to blame for being spineless and foolish.

 

[Mountainmanbob]

"apology tour".

Yes the goats and I remember that old tour well.

Actually Obama's last tour that one done these last few weeks here to support the Democrats rather sad he's not very encouraging for the country truly he is the divider.
M-Bob

 

[Mountainmanbob]

And they only have themselves to blame for being spineless and foolish.

It was hard explaining your post to the goats.

That's just how they are goats and how they act and what they say.

Goats don't understand that behavior.

M-Bob

 

[Gigimo]

It was hard explaining your post to the goats.

That's just how they are goats and how they act and what they say.

Goats don't understand that behavior.

M-Bob

The only reason the House turned is because so many Pubbies decided to retire all at the same time for 2 reasons, Trump was such a "meanie" and they believed the MSM and the faux Blue Wave story.

 

[ToddNotTodd]

LOL. Ok, sure. Brainwashed much?

Yes, yes I think you are.

I mean, just look at the tantrum he threw today...

 

[dgiharris]

Every poll I've seen indicates that health care was the single most important issue for the voters. What would be beautiful is if Republicans and Democrats, from both chambers, in equal numbers, form a health care study group. Have completely open hearings. Get opinions from all the stakeholders-- providers, insurers, employers, drug and medical device manufactuers, medical economists, medical ethicists, medical scools and educators, and of course, ordinary citizens and patients. Study all the different health care needs and approaches. Take enough time--at least a year or more. Be completely open to the public about it. And try to come up with a bipartisan consensus plan for a new health insurance system that checks as many boxes as possible, at as low a cost as possible. This is the right way--and really the only way to do it.

If pigs could fly...

Seriously, I wish that the above would/could happen, I really do. Unfortunately, the extreme Right has made it their mission that "anything" remotely socialist is considered the Devil. If they do it in Canada, if they do it in Europe, if the Left advocates for it at all, then it must be opposed at all stops NO MATTER WHAT...

Health Care is very similar to abortion, it has become a political hot button issue in which the battle lines have been drawn, the trenches dug, and the Right refuses to budge.

Which is a shame...

I have to give the Right kudos for their ability to get their base to believe counter to their best interest in regards to Health Care.

 

[jayem]

The only reason the House turned is because so many Pubbies decided to retire all at the same time for 2 reasons, Trump was such a "meanie" and they believed the MSM and the faux Blue Wave story.

Nonsense. IIRC, the Dems flipped 29 Republican-held House seats. Even if the incumbents were retiring, why didn't the Republican candidate keep the seat? And why did Dems flip 6 governorships? Including a woman who defeated a staunch Trump supporter in Kansas--a very red state? It's because of suburban women voters. Most of the flipped House districts were the suburbs of larger cities. And suburban, college-educated, and younger single women, along with minority voters, despise Donald Trump. Dems won something like 62% of female voters. The Republican party--sadly--is becoming the party exclusively of rural areas, older married women, and white men. And all are shrinking demographics.

 

[mark46]

The Republicans lost more seats in the House than in any election since Nixon was president.

Repeat 10 times.

 

[KCfromNC]

Would you rather have your right arm amputated above the elbow, or below? You lose less tissue with the latter, but either way you've still lost the functionality of your upper extremity. Republicans have lost control of their legislative agenda for the next 2 years. The margin makes little difference.

Plus they've lost control of using the House Intelligence Committee to leak information to Trump's defense team.

 

[USincognito]

And we all know how reliable those polls are, or did you forget 2016

Looking at 538's preditions:
2018 House Forecast
Democrats had an 87.9% chance to win the House.
Democrats had an 80% chance to win 21-59 seats (31 so far, looking like 35+)

And just found the Cook Political Report prediction:
Five Takeaways From Democrats' House Triumph
Democrats appear to be on track to pick up in the neighborhood of 35 to 38 House seats — more than the 23 they needed for a majority — and well in line with our pre-election outlook of a gain between 30 and 40 seats.

 

[USincognito]

It is statements and proclaimations like this that make me seriously scratch my head

1968 was the middle of the Vietnam war, and you know... ummm... not sure if you've read a history book but that was an abysmal time for America.. Pretty freaking bad...

but according to you that was a great time???

Did you read my parenthetical?

Just so my comment doesn't seem to flippant, I did acknowledge that 1968 was a particularly bad year. And yeah, not only have I read a history book, I majored in history and have remained a student of the subject my entire life.

Vietnam went from bad to worse and the protests were getting worse as well. The DNC convention was a farce and obviously we had the assassinations of MLK in April and JFK in June along with plenty other bad.

But the Civil Rights Act continued to mature, Apollo 7 was the first manned Apollo mission and Apollo 8 circled the moon. Nearly all television was broadcast in color, and Mr. Rogers Neighborhood went national. Two iconic big planes, the C-5 and the 747 were introduced into service. The U.S. won the most medals at the summer Olympics and the inaugural Special Olympics were held. 2001 A Space Odyssey, Night of the Living Dead and The Planet of the Apes were released.

I'd say on balance, and given how tough much of the rest of the world had it like the Vietnams, Czechoslovakia, Malaysia, etc. we had it pretty good.

 

[Gigimo]

Nonsense. IIRC, the Dems flipped 29 Republican-held House seats. Even if the incumbents were retiring, why didn't the Republican candidate keep the seat? And why did Dems flip 6 governorships? Including a woman who defeated a staunch Trump supporter in Kansas--a very red state? It's because of suburban women voters. Most of the flipped House districts were the suburbs of larger cities. And suburban, college-educated, and younger single women, along with minority voters, despise Donald Trump. Dems won something like 62% of female voters. The Republican party--sadly--is becoming the party exclusively of rural areas, older married women, and white men. And all are shrinking demographics.

Some of them were going to be flipped no matter what, history shows that. I just think it wouldn't have been that many if all those incumbents hadn't retired. A lot of voters may have stayed home because they didn't like the replacement for what they said or didn't say (budgets, healthcare, taxes........)

Two things have changed drastically over the years one is people found out they could vote for handouts ("what other states money can you bring back to us") and 2 they will vote for an eloquent speaker (even though they may not know what they're talking about). Now that those are in the mix you never know what's going to happen come voting day.

 

[KCfromNC]

Is this supposed to be a dig at Democrats? Because the Trump tax bill was exactly that, favoring poorer red states over wealthier blue ones.

It's funny how conservatives' feverish concern over double-taxation with regards to inheritances (where it's not even applicable most of the time) and investment dividends suddenly vanishes when it comes to state and local taxes paid by Democrats.

More evidence that the only real motive the GOP has is to annoy a large percentage of the voting public. Thank goodness this country is set up that empty land has more political power than those citizens do.

 

[dgiharris]

Just so my comment doesn't seem to flippant, I did acknowledge that 1968 was a particularly bad year. And yeah, not only have I read a history book, I majored in history and have remained a student of the subject my entire life.

Vietnam went from bad to worse and the protests were getting worse as well. The DNC convention was a farce and obviously we had the assassinations of MLK in April and JFK in June along with plenty other bad.

But the Civil Rights Act continued to mature, Apollo 7 was the first manned Apollo mission and Apollo 8 circled the moon. Nearly all television was broadcast in color, and Mr. Rogers Neighborhood went national. Two iconic big planes, the C-5 and the 747 were introduced into service. The U.S. won the most medals at the summer Olympics and the inaugural Special Olympics were held. 2001 A Space Odyssey, Night of the Living Dead and The Planet of the Apes were released.

I'd say on balance, and given how tough much of the rest of the world had it like the Vietnams, Czechoslovakia, Malaysia, etc. we had it pretty good.

I guess it is a matter of semantics. There is a difference between good, relatively good, and comparatively great vs just great...

Imagine an awesome chef cooked a world class meal, all 6 courses are decked out on the table... but then, someone walks on top of the table to the middle and takes a dump right...

that world class meal is now ruined... You don't say, "Well, this meal is still great minus the giant turd ..." No. That isn't what you say...

Well, every era of America has a giant turd right in the middle of that awesome table...

Don't get me wrong, I do like America... I like the evolution of Civil and Women's Rights. I mean, we went from slavery which is pretty freakin bad to a Black President 145 years later so hey that is something.

But I have no desire to live in any past era of America. Most women and minorities do not because we had no rights back then. So when some old white guy (i.e. Trump) goes on and on about how 'great' America 'used' to be we women and minorities more or less just take that as a slap in the face. Because for us, it wasn't great and for us we thank our lucky stars every day that we weren't forced to live through those times. And those of us who were, are lucky that they NOW live in THESE TIMES.

So the phrase "Make America Great Again" is actually a very very bad phrase because for almost 1/2 the population, America was never great and references to the past greatness of America is intrinsically offensive to us...

 

[mark46]

Let's see. Who does NOT want to go back to the good old days of the 50's and Ozzie and Harriet?

African-Americans, women, Hispanics, Asians, Jews, Catholics, and Muslims.

That is well over 50%.

The reality is that the folks who want to go back are those old folks who think that they could have power again, or those who have power now and are afraid of losing it to those who are not white and old.

And, yes, for many this is a serious delusion. Poor whites are much better off now than they were in the 50's.
=====
The few who would truly benefit from going back would be those who had high paying factory jobs that have been replaced through automation. Those jobs are NOT coming back.

..
So the phrase "Make America Great Again" is actually a very very bad phrase because for almost 1/2 the population, America was never great and references to the past greatness of America is intrinsically offensive to us...

 

[USincognito]

Since you're here maybe you can answer this question do people who live in Blue states like paying more taxes?

Do you seriously think he can speak for 175,000,000 people?