#midterms 2022

[reverseracism]

#elections #election 2022 #midterms 2022

[fantastic-nonsense]

and that's that on that, folks. Mitch McConnell will NOT be the Senate Majority Leader next January no matter what the outcome in Georgia is next month

#*wild cackling* #midterms 2022 #2022 midterms #us politics

[marvelsmostwanted]

It’s midterm Election Day!

What are midterms?

Help get out the vote:

- Sign up to call or text to remind people to vote

- Drive someone to the polls

- Support the Every Last Vote fund to help overcome voter suppression efforts

- Share a positive, progressive message on social media (it may seem small, but it helps to stop hate & disinformation from spreading!)

- Thank a poll worker!

Some last-minute reminders:

- If they say you are not registered to vote at the polls, do not leave! Ask for a provisional or affidavit ballot.

- Call the Election Protection Hotline 866-OUR-VOTE or 866-VE-Y-VOTA with any questions or concerns. See other numbers above.

- And of course… if you are in line to vote, stay in line! They must allow you to vote as long as you were in line before polls closed.

- Finally, it may take days or even weeks to calculate the election results. Be patient and remind others that this is normal and expected.

Resources:

- Am I registered to vote?

- Can I register on Election Day?

- Where is my polling place?

- What’s on my ballot?

- Get a discounted Lyft to the polls

#love you all sorry to be a pain just don’t want to lose my democracy or rights etc etc #midterms 2022 #midterm election #2022 #us politics #gotv #vote #voting resources #how to vote #where to vote #mine

[linddzz]

Why Are People Happy (or like, at least Not Freaking Out) About the USA Midterm Results?

(or in my case exhaling a held breath as I slightly lift my finger off the "oh fuck me and my spouse should worry for our future survival if we stay in the country" button for now)

So for newer voters there is the very valid question: why the hell are people acting like this is a victory for progressives/Democrats when they'll likely lose the House and barely hold on to the Senate?

Short Answer: because by historical pattern and all the usual indicators, anyone who even slightly caucused with Dems should have been trounced, and the fact that they weren't trounced has the far hardline right shaking.

To borrow from a great Reddit comment I saw; the GOP is freaking out because this was like a pro boxer went up against a sick six year old, and the boxer may have scored higher in the end but the six year old beat the shit out of them in the process.

For decades the pattern has been that the president's party loses at LEAST 20-40 seats in the midterms. Add in that Republicans tend to turn out more for midterms, gerrymandering, and the fact that in the past swing voters are swayed by inflation and gas prices and...it should have been so much worse. With how everything was stacked up this ended up being a historic turnout for an incumbent executive branch, the career politicians pay attention to shit like that.

And yeah with how things are, "holy shit it could have been so much worse" is worth something.

So I'm not like, popping bottles and cheering, but this to me is a great example of Voting as Harm Reduction in Action.

Voting did not Fix It. It can't. Voting will not stop fascism, strike that expectation from your mind and also really see that that is not what voting's role is in an action plan. Voting is the Minimum. Meaning if you can't do anything else you vote, but you don't rely on voting and expect it alone to fix problems.

(long post with more of a breakdown below. Tho this isn't a breakdown where I pulled sources and exact numbers. It's more of a General Take Away.)

The ultimate proof that this wasn't great for the far right is the fact that they're very openly freaking out. Go to the far right outlets and they are losing it. It has been loudly shown that they can't assume they can point to inflation and get away with OPEN pushes for total take over.

On one hand, we very VERY likely gained a couple more years to fight (either to stop a fascist take over or to at least set things up to save more lives, or to even reduce the power hold a fascist take over could keep.) On the other hand, people like Nick Fuentes are now openly saying "we are the minority and these results show why we need a dictatorship." Whether it's a good thing they're saying the quiet part even louder or not remains to be seen.

(My optimistic take is it may be a good thing, as it's way harder for moderates to accuse progressives of hysterics when the wackos won't stop saying the quiet part out loud and are in fact saying it louder. I kind of WANT the wackos to be louder and louder, there's now good evidence that freaks voters out.)

The More Definitive Good:

-The GOP majority is not NEARLY what they were wanting, and a lot of their moderates are spooked. The status quo holders are seeing that hardline regressive politics like the overturn of Roe is BAD for them, and they can't rely on "but the gas prices." The GOP generally falls in line together yes, but remember how much they struggled to pass big change legislation when Trump was president? They're gonna have even more inter-party tensions now as the hardline right gets frustrated that they can't impeach Biden every week and the status quo moderates get more hesitant to back up policies that they KNOW won't be popular with their constituents. They will not be able to coast whatever they want through. Even if they end up flipping the House AND Senate it will not be with big enough majorities to do whatever they want.

-Listen if nothing else, if you're a petty bitch like me who enjoys a nice dish of shadenfreude, its probably gonna be very funny watching McCarthy struggle to keep his party on track if they retake the House.

-Cannot possibly stress enough that the fact that it's STILL not 100% certain the GOP will flip the house is buck fucking wild.

-GenZ turnout is giving me hope that the Youths are properly viewing voting as a minimal first step in an action plan and not as a "if it doesn't fix it why bother?" scenario. If voting is all you can do, do that so you can help give people who are fighting better ground to work on and more time. Stay involved in local elections especially!

-For me at least, this has let me take my mental finger off the PANIC AND FLEE NOW button so I can focus slightly less on survival for immediate family and more on helping others.

-Speaking of, LOOK UP HOW TO HELP YOUR NATIVE AMERICAN COMMUNITIES. The Indian Child Welfare Act is on the line at the supreme court. Look it up, look up how you can help.

Best Case Scenario Outcomes/Dreams

-Trump vs DeSantis actually does turn into a GOP civil war. Will this fight be good in the long run? I don't know but I know that at this moment it's very fun watching them claw at each other. Thoughts and prayers towards an ongoing GOP civil war. The established GOP wants Trump gone and see this midterm as proof he's bad for elections, but he's not going to go easy. I'm gonna be like Cersei Lannister looking out my window sipping wine watching them fight.

-GOP realizes "being seen as the social regression party is bad for us" and they stop being obstructionists. Best case here is they open up to climate legislation. That or they buckle down harder and piss everyone off more. Either way is likely to work out for progressives. Ultimate Dream is a GOP civil war and party shakeout leading to a conservative party with like, disagreements on tax policy and regulations being the biggest thing to worry about in the future.

-Bigger Dream; this is a death knell for the rise of Christo-Fascism. They overshot their reach with the Roe overturn and the power hold the hard right Christian block has on the conservative party goes downhill from here. This is more of a dream and not a realistic expectation though.

-I don't hold as much hope here but there's a CHANCE that this also signaled to Democrats that they can be more pushy and not suffer for it. Biden is a political beast and I wouldn't be surprised if his more openly progressive (by his standards) moves recently were to test how voters would respond to it. If Dems payed attention (big if) they got the message that people want more action.

-Trump probably lost the political backup he hoped for if he gets indicted. There's a GOOD chance that the establishment GOP won't stop the legal freight train about to hit him even if they get both House and Senate. I think it's silly to say "it's over for Trump!" but it's fair to say his tower is less protected than he likely hoped. It's likely the establishment is less afraid of his power than they were even after 2020.

-can you imagine if he made a third party and wrecked the GOP voting base? Like to charge reblog to cast.

-If nothing else; between Alex Jones, Elon flailing like an idiot and maybe taking down Twitter, and far right pundits screaming in confusion, there is entertainment to be had.

Now What:

-The fight is not over. It will never be over. The hill to fight up is less steep than expected now, but it's still there.

-We will likely not see much passed before 2024. This midterm was less about getting progressive platforms pushed and more about making it harder for regressive policies to pass. It'll be frustrating but with how things were stacked that's the best we could've hoped for.

-The GOP have gerrymandering and can win that way (it's likely how they end up winning the House) BUT more people are aware of it now and districts that should have been EASY wins were closer than the GOP would like. They're likely to try to gerrymander harder, it's now our job to be very very loud about that. Push for districting reform.

-The conservative voting bloc is ALSO sick of the two options. Peeking around in r/conservative revealed a surprising amount of support for rank choice voting. This is an area to plug your nose and work with people towards a common goal. Rank choice is at the moment, the most realistic strategy for breaking up the two party system.

-Hard to swallow pill: the majority of this country is moderate. It sucks. But it is. You cannot depend on the dream of a socialist revolution. Lying down and accepting that as a reason to give up is also not an option.

-Expanding on that; this midterm may be a sign that the moderates are more politically aware than they used to be, and that they're more persuadable towards progressive policy than I had expected. Try to keep that up, because it makes it harder for the hardline right to try to push their shit quietly.

-There will almost certainly not be a time where progressives can relax and say they fixed it.

-Celebrating "holy shit that could have been so much worse" can't be a sign that It's Fixed. I also don't think people view it that way. My big hope is that younger progressives have realized that they can't go "the system is fucked beyond repair so why bother."

-Celebrating increments and enjoying some shadenfreude can be good for your mental health. Shitting on people for celebrating "oh good I don't need to flee the country asap" doesn't really help anyone.

-There was a ZERO chance this midterm would have given total big majorities to progressives. If you are set on only celebrating Perfect Wins you're going to have a BAD TIME and will burn out fast.

-Fight for an ideal you don't expect to reach. Take every half step you can, push for bigger leaps. Do not give ground for the sake of not reaching the goal.

-If DeSantis is smart he will moderate his "anti woke" openly social-regression talk. Don't let him get away with remaking his image as "the nice safe moderate compared to Trump." Pull out the petty shit he did with Disney, point out every way he is JUST as low and mean.

-GenZ: the far right is now terrified of you. Good. Keep em scared.

#politics #usa politics #midterms 2022 #added a working readmore

[odinsblog]

“Democratic centrists suffered setbacks that should keep them in check

Because the Republican Party is so terrible, I want Democrats to win any seat they can. That said, I am often leery of the tactics of some Democratic candidates, particularly from the party’s more centrist bloc. Many of those tactics failed this week — which should ensure that they don’t spread within the party.

Rep. Tim Ryan, running for a Senate seat in Ohio, sharply criticized Biden’s student loan cancellation and implied (inaccurately in my view) that the Democratic Party is writing off states that don’t have lots of college graduates.

If Ryan had won in this red state, his approach would have been hailed as what Democrats must do to win, even though it’s really just pandering to moderate and conservative-leaning White men. But Ryan lost to Republican J.D. Vance by about 7 percentage points.

In Florida’s U.S. Senate race, the Democratic candidate, Rep. Val Demings, emphasized her tenure as Orlando’s police chief and repeatedly rebuked activists who have called for defunding the police. I hope Demings’s crushing defeat (by more than 16 points) shows Democrats that whatever electoral problems they have related to crime, policing and race, those aren’t going to be solved by trying to out-cop the Republicans.

Democratic policies did even better than Democratic candidates

South Dakota voted to expand Medicaid. Kentucky rejected an antiabortion amendment to its constitution. Missouri voters legalized marijuana. Democratic candidates resoundingly lost in these states.

There were a lot of progressive ballot initiatives this year adopted on those issues and others, in both red and blue states. This continues a pattern — Democratic policies were passed by referendums throughout the 2010s even as Republicans kept winning elections.

I would trade in a heartbeat Michigan and Minnesota going blue at the state level and all of those successful progressive ballot initiatives in exchange for Democrats keeping the House and Senate. Congress is just hugely important. I’m not sure a party can consider it a good election cycle if it loses a house in Congress, as still seems very possible for Democrats.”

— The 2022 Midterms in Review (by Perry Bacon, Jr.)

(continue reading)

#politics #midterms #centrism #2022 midterms #neoliberalism #when will southern dems learn? #you cannot out conservative republicans #i mean - not ​unless your name is bill clinton #but i digress #midterms 2022

[saltyfilmmajor]

*Voting Matters*

#it’s been what 10 minutes since polls closed in est #what a night so far #election #midterms 2022 #us politics

[not-safe-for-democracy]

via IG: blue.commandr

#vote blue #progressive not regressive #midterms 2022

[profeminist]

BREAKING: MSNBC just called Hobbs for AZ governor. Back to your hell pit Kari Lake!

#kari lake #arizona #politics #katie hobbs #fuck maga #anti fascist #midterms #midterm #midterms 2022

[alarrylarrie]

Good news so far:

-Wes Moore wins and becomes Maryland’s first Black Governor-elect.

-Maura Healy wins and becomes first lesbian ever (and first woman in Massachusetts ) Governor-elect.

#us politics #midterms 2022

[arson-goku]

#midterms 2022 #us elections

[lastoneout]

HAPPY FUCK FASCISTS DEMS CONTROL THE SENATE SATURDAY

#midterm elections #midterms 2022 #current events #nevada #LETS FUCKING GOOOOOO

[maxbegone]

I am immensely stressed about tomorrow, it’s not even funny…

Please vote. The wellbeing of so many people depends on these midterms. I’m actively trying not to think the worst, but given the state of this country right now, news outlets, and all forms of media, anything can happen.

If you’re feeling anything tonight, you’re not alone. I just encourage you to vote, rest, and stay off the internet tomorrow if possible.

Stay safe.

#midterm elections #midterms 2022

[fantastic-nonsense]

the universe is sending out some interesting Election Day omens

#us politics #space #astronomy #midterms 2022

[marvelsmostwanted]

And 4 days that felt like a lifetime later… Democrats officially keep control of the Senate! 🎉

Still some work to do in Georgia because 51 sounds even better than 50, but this is great news!

(Also, we should add Puerto Rico and DC during the lame duck session… just because we can. Right? It’s what the other side would do… plus, it’s the right thing to do!)

#dc already voted on this in 2016… and pr statehood is v popular #they deserve representation #it’s time #us politics #midterms 2022 #mine

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Fetterman getting hugs from his kids when he was declared the winner.

* * * * 

If I Should Need to Name, O Western World ——— If I should need to name, O Western World! your powerfulest scene to-day, 'Twould not be you, Niagara—nor you, ye limitless prairies—nor your huge rifts of canyons, Colorado, Nor you, Yosemite, with all your spasmic geyser-loops ascending to the skies, ap- pearing and disappearing, Nor Oregon's white cones—nor Huron's belt of mighty lakes—nor Mississippi's stream: This seething hemisphere's humanity, as now, I'd name—the still small voice preparing— America's choosing day, (The heart of it not in the chosen—the act itself the main, the quadrennial choosing,) The stretch of North and South arous'd— seaboard and inland—Texas to Maine, The Prairie States—Vermont, Virginia, Cali- fornia , The final ballot-shower from East to West— the paradox and conflict, The countless snow-flakes falling—(a sword- less conflict, Yet more than all Rome's wars of old, or modern Napoleon's:) Or good or ill humanity—welcoming the darker odds, the dross, the scene's debris: —Foams and ferments the wine? It serves to purify—while the heart pants, life glows: These stormy gusts and winds waft previous ships, Swell'd Washington's, Jefferson's, Lincoln's sails.

WALT WHITMAN. Camden, N. J., Oct. 26, 1884

#midterms 2022 #Fetterman #Pennsylvania #vote #voting #democracy #American politics

[odinsblog]

Predictions for the midterms?

The only prediction I feel comfortable making is that a majority of white people (50+ percent) will vote for Republicans, and invariably, instead of framing the story as, “why do sO many white people so reliably vote for such a regressive, cruel, hateful political party?” the onus, the blame and ultimately the responsibility will be placed upon Black voters and other non-white voters for “not showing up” enough. Ofc we all need to do what we can, but I’m tired of carrying the ball all the time and then getting blamed for the casual racists and evil ass white nationalists voters who fucking love oppression and hate women. It just feels to me like we need to flip that particular script, ya know?

Anyway, if you are able to and haven’t done so already, please go out there and vote every single Republican politician out of office before the polls close today

#anon #ask #answered #politics #election day #midterms 2022 #gotv #sorry - ordinarily id be all over this political season but ive been a lot busier than usual #but im not gone