Gains and Losses: A Blue Wave or a Blue Fizzle?

Back when I was a student at Ole Miss, I had a really, really good statistics professor. He later moved on to Cornell from the south, but he was very patient with me, very funny and engaging, and pointed out the use and misuse of statistics. His last lecture focused upon the use of various methodologies for use of stats:  fadiddle, fadaddle, and finagle and their approaches.  Easy to remember and apply these days.

So, was the Blue Wave a total bust? Was the Blue Wave a resound success? Was the Blue Wave a moderate success?

It all depends upon who you are listening to, with respect and apologies to all of my grammar teachers from of old.

If you listen to the president*, mid-term elections was a success. I think he categorizes it as such because he did not lose as many to the opposition as did his successors, Clinton, Bush, and Obama. Curious way to spin losses.

If you listen to the Republicans, it was a bust.  Afterall, they flipped three seats in the Senate in Indiana, Missouri, and North Dakota, and lost one in Nevada. They won (maybe they have and maybe they haven’t as of yet) in key states of Texas, Florida, and Georgia.

If you listen to us Democrats, it was a resounding success and a referendum against the current resident of the White House. No, we did not win Texas although Beto made Ted sweat. Ted won by a much smaller margin than during his last election and he lost some traditional red strongholds. Florida squeaked by in a contentious election that pitted races against each other. Georgia is still up for grabs and there appears to be a run-off in early December. There are multiple complaints of voter suppression that must be looked into.

Here are more successes for us Blues:  a run-off featuring Mike Espy in Mississippi; gained seven Democratic governors across the country (this will be important in the fight to set districts more appropriately); gained 27 seats in the House and many in traditional Red strongholds; here in Texas the House picked up a dozen seats and two Senate seats, and we flipped four major appeals courts; and across the country summary reports nation-wide gains. See this link for a visual display of gains. 

See this link for a discussion and the numbers nation-wide. It is impressive. 

What among other things does this mean? It may mean these things for me and no one else.  First, the economy is good, and it still rests upon gains under Obama, and people like that, regardless of what some of my friends say.  Second, people are growing weary of the president* and his shenanigans as he embarrasses us before the country and before a watching world. Third, people are weary of the vituperative style and the violence and dissonance that it includes. Fourth, people want a return to civility and less angry rhetoric from our elected officials. We want more across the isle partnering to solve domestic and global issues. Fifth, we want an end to the unethical dealings of the current administration. The number of indictments against the president* and others is mind-boggling. Sixth, we want sensible gun control, and many of us want military type weapons off the streets. Seventh, we want meaningful immigration policies that allow asylum and for opportunities for families to stay together and for people wanting to come to America to come without being seen as criminals. And eighth, because this list could go on for a while, many of us refuse to believe that the people coming up from Honduras are to be labeled “an invasion.” An invasion? Women and children, and adult males, to the tune of 5K an invasion, while our border is managed by the Border Patrol and the military?

And the number of women and people of color elected? That is way too huge to be left as a footnote in this lengthy post.  I'll save that one for another day. Please be on the look out for it. 

So, bottom line, the Blue Wave was not as large as we had hoped, but it has been substantive nonetheless and we believe our future is bright. Or in my own words, speaking only for myself since this is my blog and I speak for no one but myself, “I believe our future is bright. We have shone the light in dark places and the American people by and large disapprove of the current administration’s handling of things.”

Lord, rescue us from ourselves.