Encore of Revival: America, November 12, 2018

This was an astonishing victory for Republicans for any year, especially a controlling party midterm. Senate Republicans have rarely held this many seats since the FDR days except Reagan and W Bush. Losses in the House were among the lowest losses for a controlling party midterm. By gaining seats in the Senate, Republicans are winning the long game. We are headed for a possible supermajority by the end of Trump’s second term. In the next two years, House Democrats will have just enough power to be irritating, but not enough to make any difference, other than helping Trump get re-elected in 2020.

Democrats are darned if they do and darned if they don’t. Trump’s appointees can be approved faster and impeachment in the House would die in the Senate. Opposition party power is good for presidential elections. Trump’s best course of action would be to deliver the strongest Conservative proposals so Democrats can go on record as obstructionists. The best course of action for Democrats would be to talk and vote like Republicans, which has always been historically favorable, proven with Democratic Rahm Emanuel -led “blue dog” victory in 2006.

Results are still being counted. At last count, Democrats gained 30 seats in the House and had control of the House by 7. Most of those states had Democratic Senate and gubernatorial victories. In this victory for Democrats, nothing seems out of the ordinary. The election results appear to be real and fair; Democrats won the House fair and square.

The question of some after-election counting and recounting, however, seems sketchy. The Arizona Senate race looks like a lost cause for the Republican candidate. Arguably from Senate voting records, the Arizona seat up for grabs was not gained by Democrats except in name only. That Senate seat will be up the election Trump leaves office. But, that’s a different story from a cluster of recount fiascos in Florida and Georgia, where recounting is a matter of procedure, not questionable results. The losers in those elections are pushing in hopes that close results can easily be tipped. If recounts were to change those results, that would open bigger questions, bigger objections, and bigger investigations. So far, the number of ballots in question would not change the results; miscounts would.

Even with the ground Republicans took, Democrats outspent Republicans by roughly $300M. Ironically, Democrats campaign on a platform of opposing big money and suspect business man Trump of trying to buy the presidency. The spending was bad optics for them.

Trump’s proved helpful on the campaign trail. Many Republicans who pushed him away lost. Senate Republicans defeated incumbents in Florida, Indiana, Missouri, and North Dakota. Senate Republicans also held vacant seats in Tennessee and Utah. 26 Republicans retired, more than any midterm year since 1974, the greatest retirements being 27 in 2008.

FDR holds both the greatest midterm gain and midterm loss since his time as president. After FDR, the greatest midterm loss was Obama’s first midterm. The greatest midterm gain in the Senate was Trump, the second-greatest being JFK with +3. This was a favorable midterm year for Republicans. But, already you read that right here at Pacific Daily Times before the election. So, while Republicans had a historic election, Pacific Daily Times has set a new standard for accuracy in the media.

Election results 2018 by state, county and district | Politico

Here are the House seats Democrats have flipped so far in the 2018 elections | Vox

Governor Election Results: Democrats Retake Several States | NY Times

History

Why the President’s Party Loses Seats in Midterm Elections | Thought Co

List of U.S. Congress incumbents who are not running for re-election in 2018 | Ballotopedia

There is a wave of Republicans leaving Congress, updated again | CNN

Here Are All The Republicans Retiring From Congress In 2018 | Five Thirty Eight – ABC

Party divisions of United States Congresses | Wikipedia

Before the Election

Democrats outspending GOP in quest to boost numbers at the Washington Legislature | Seattle Times

Trump’s live speech in Missouri with Hannity & Limbaugh (YouTube – American Patriot)

Hannity: America, you can shock the world again | YouTube – Fox News

Nate Silver gives Democrats 88 percent chance of taking House: ‘It aligns with my intuition’ | WA Times

After the Election

Record $5.2 Billion Midterms: Democrats to Outspend GOP by $330 Million | Breitbart

Jeff Flake: Republicans must move beyond the cult of Trump’s personality | WA Post

President Trump: I Retired Jeff Flake. I Did The Country A Great Service 11/7/18 | LIVE ON-AIR NEWS – YouTube

Sessions resignation ignites fierce political reaction: ‘This is a red line’ | Fox News

Trump slams CNN’s Acosta for press conference performance: ‘You are a rude, terrible person’ | Fox News

Late Count, Re-count

The status of the Arizona, Florida and Georgia vote counts | CBS News

Missouri U.S. Senate Election Results | NY Times

Hawley comes to Washington with question marks — and clues | St. Louis Post-Dispatch

The Latest: Florida counties begin recounting ballots | AP

Rick Scott: “Rampant Fraud” In Senate Election Process | RCP

McSally-Sinema update: As uncounted ballots dwindle, Kyrsten Sinema’s lead grows again | USA Today – AZ Central

Sinema continues to lead McSally in Arizona Senate race as vote tally grinds on | Fox News

Florida teacher finds ‘provisional ballot box’ in storage area | NY Post

No, those ballot boxes found in Broward don’t contain votes, officials say. | Miami Herald

Armistice Day Centennial

Macron rips nationalism as Trump looks on: ‘Patriotism is the exact opposite of nationalism’ | WA Times

Macron goes head-to-head with Trump in speech commemorating the end of WWI… | Daily Mail

Bad Weather

Trump condemned for missing Armistice ceremony at US cemetery because of ‘poor weather’ | Independent

Woolsey Fire Doubles To 83,275 Acres, Destroys 177+ Homes And Forces Evacuation Of 265,000 | CBS – LA

Winds Subside, Giving Firefighters a Narrow Window of Calm | NBC – LA

Scorched earth from space: Stunning satellite images show brutal path of California wildfires | Daily Mail

‘Like the gates of hell opened up’: Thousands fled Paradise ahead of Camp Fire | USA Today