On Memorial Day, Yahoo celebrated something different: the rise of the Democratic Party.
In its View section, the site ran a story and video featuring Rachel Maddow and guest, NBC National Political Correspondent Steve Kornacki, about the Left’s comeback.
Liberal Maddow expressed her no-doubt hope for the future:
“November 2016, Iowa Republicans accomplished something they had been trying for and failing at for nearly 20 years: they finally took control of the entire state government…Before 2016…the Iowa Senate was ever-so-delicately still controlled by Democrats. It had been for years. Until November 8, 2016.
“Here was the DeMoines Register, in response: ‘It’s official. Iowa has become a red state…The majority of voters chose Donald Trump to be president of the United States…Republicans will take control of the Iowa Legislature in January. The outcome of Tuesday’s election has left many Iowans feeling fearful about the future of this state.'”
Note: Republican victory = reason to fear.
Maddow then asked a question which, to her, would obviously be on the tip of every American tongue:
“And you can feel the sort of implicit next question: Is that a permanent status? Is this who we are forever?”
Moving along with her Ode to Victory, she pointed out that, about seven weeks after the presidential election, a special election was held to replace a Iowa senator who had passed away. A Democrat won that distrcit by 48 points. Furthermore:
“Since then, if you look at all the special elections that have taken place across the country, that’s kind of been the pattern. It’s been very clear which party has the momentum. Since the 2016 presidential election, Democrats running in special elections overall have seen an average shift in their favor of 12 percentage points …. That would be a huge Democratic tide, right? … Since the Trump/Clinton race, Democrats in special and regular elections across the country have taken away a total of 44 seats previously held by Republicans. And many of them in the unlikeliest places.”
Where? Places like Oklahoma and Kentucky. And — say it ain’t so! — Alabama. Democrat Doug Jones filled Jeff Sessions’s old shoes.
Is the pendulum already swinging? Has Trump fever killed its host?
According to Maddow, Republicans aren’t just sick; they’re scaredy-cats:
“Even where Democrats haven’t actually been winning, they have been spooking Republicans even in red states and red districts.”
Rachel got excited:
“In the special election to replace (Kansas Congressman) Mike Pompeo when he got promoted into the Trump cabinet, the Democratic candidate came within 6 points of the Republican. Didn’t win, but OOH! that’s close for a district that red!”
Maddow is leaning on the everlasting rock of left-wing uptick:
“So the math is stark — it’s clear. it has been all year…Does this mean that Democrats will get Congress in November?”
She asked Kornacki, “How significant is this sort of net swing?”
He fed her loving words of left-wing triumph like grapes to a Roman ruler:
“They are pointing overwhlemingly in one direction…What it says to me is clearly, definitely, I’m convinced the Democratic base is energized in a way we haven’t seen in a long time…and is, barring something totally unforeseen is gonna be that energized headhing into November.”
Hmmm…”clearly, definitely.” That’s cute. But so is this:
And also:
And this:
Plus this:
Political elections in the United States do indeed swing to and fro. However, if there’s one thing 2016 taught us, it’s that Democrats should never say “clearly, definitely.” Clearly, and definitely, they don’t understand the pulse of the American voter.
Check out my story on a very unusual candidate who’s poised to be part of the Democratic wave: Chelsea Manning.
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