Another election, another overall defeat for the Republicans.
Like so many elections in recent years, be they state-
wide or national, the GOP has managed to snatch
defeat from the jaws of victory, losing elections which
were not only winnable but slam-dunks! Remember the
Red Tsunami of '20? If you don't, it was an eminently
forgettable non-event, so don't feel so bad. It seems that
no matter how badly the Dems screw up or are caught
doing something against our Constitutional law, the more
the Republican Party is unable to successfully message
the minuses of the Democrats and the Republicans'
own positives to create a clear contrast between the
two parties and their candidates.
To begin, there's Virginia. The Republicans were forecasted
to keep the House of Delegates and win the state Senate.
They lost the former and failed to take the latter.
Congressional Democrats in 2022 carried all seven of the
state's swing districts. Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin,
who won the state's governorship in an upset over then-incumbent
Terry McAuliffe (D) in 2021, deserves praise for investing his political
capital to try to turn Virginia from blue to red, even though the overall
effort was not successful. Here are some of the reasons:
National Democrats contributed millions of dollars to cast Gov.
Youngkin in an unfavorable light, and jabbed at down-ballot
GOP candidates on abortion, trying to convince Virginia voters
that the Republicans would try to outlaw all abortions in the
state, never mind the fact that Youngkin got Virginia Republicans
to rally around a 15-week limit with exceptions.
The Dems won a Loudon County seat in a district which Gov.
Youngkin carried by just a fraction of a point in 2021.
A Democrat candidate there ran as a champion of abortion rights.
In these recent years Northern Virginia has become downright
friendly to Democrats and the left in general while turning hard
from the Republicans and anyone who smacks of the right-of-
center. The rest of Virginia is somewhat better on the whole but
is very wary of the GOP.
Kentucky was a disaster, where abortion also had a significant
role in the re-election of the lefty-but-feints-to-the-center Gov.
Andy Beshear. Keep in mind that President Donald Trump
carried the state by more than 25 points in 2020. The secret of
Beshear's success? In his campaign he ran ads that lied about
the GOP being amenable to forcing rape survivors to give birth
to their rapists' children. More abortion hair-'em scare-'em. It
didn't help any that Republican Daniel Cameron was inconsistent
regarding the abortion exceptions he would support, trying in vain
to appeal to as many voters of varied views on abortion as at all
possible. That's what happens when one tries to be all things to
all people, especially in politics.
Pennsylvania saw a pro-abortion candidate, Daniel McCafferty
run for a seat on the state Supreme Court and win with this plank.
Ohio was especially heartbreaking with the voters there
approving a ballot measure making the right to an abortion ---
at all stages of pregnancy --- an iron-clad part of Ohio's
constitution, with a winning margin of 56% - 43% (!), in a state
which has just a few years ago went from being a swing-state
to a red state (!!).
Republicans are losing these races due to poor messaging and
trying to go for the home run when a bunt would be more prudent.
They should, therefore, seek to make gradual gains, compromising
on what can be gained at the moment rather than going for the whole
prize at once. They should be satisfied with a slice of the beef from
the bull and enjoy the dinner one helping at a time instead of coming
up to the bull and start digging in, trying to feast upon its meat all
at once; the Republicans should instead go for incremental gains.
All or nothing is a poor goal to strive for, as it often leaves one
with not all but nothing.
All of this is happening while President Joe Biden, the Dems' ageing
and faltering leader, has been consistently stuck with an approval
rating of around 40%, facing criticism from many quarters for
incompetence and corruption, the worst inflation in over forty years,
poor foreign policy and military decisions, promoting "wokeness",
trying to gaslight the electorate about it all, and the Democrats
not at all serious about replacing Biden at the heard of the ticket
next year and sending him off to pasture.
This can change, fear not. However, it will take a change in the
Republicans' outlook about themselves and how they campaign,
which will require a long, hard look in the mirror, and decide for
themselves that they are sick and tired of constant defeat.
Simply and succinctly, they have to want to change.
MEM
