The electoral needle moves out of the red

It is the morning after the 2018 midterm election and the sun has in fact risen in the east and now is shining on a 242-year-old republic which will no longer be governed under one-party control.  Democratic House of Representatives candidates have won the requisite number of seats, some of which are still in the final vote-counting process, to end GOP-control of that chamber of the Congress.  Even still, the GOP retains control of the Senate which was not unexepected.  Both of these results were widely predicted by multiple polling sources over the past few months and in the runup to yesterday.  While many are predicting Congressional gridlock on the horizon, there are many more who are satisfied as such a situation is the best we could hope for when GOP leadership has made clear that their intent is to dismantle the nation’s social safety net via funding cuts.  Moreover, majority shift of one chamber of the Legislative Branch to the opposition party is going to place an essential constitution check on a rogue executive and hopefully mute many of the effects of chaos government.  It is definitely a much different political landscape today than when the sun set last night.

Some of those Democratic Congressional wins came in very unlikely places, one being right here along the Mother Road’s most conservative stretch.  Someone should call the defeated Congressman Steve Russell in Oklahoma City and ask him if having an “R” next to your name on the ballot is still a mere formality for a victory on Election Night.  Mr. Russell was unseated by an ever so narrow margin by what some are saying was the longest of longshots of the 2018 Democratic candidates.  Kendra Horn‘s 5th Congressional District victory underscores what I have been telling all the GOP incumbents/candidates/watercarriers since so many Democratic candidates emerged to oppose previously often unopposed and comfortably entrenched incumbent Republicans:  We know we cannot match you dollar for dollar.  We are going to make you match us in drop of sweat for drop of sweat.  My hat is off to all the Dem operatives in OK CD 5 who made this upset possible, and they all know who they are.

Congresswoman-Elect Kendra Horn

Late last night while watching the local election returns scrolling across the bottom of the TV screen and listening to all the national election pundits discussing the looming implications for the current *administration in its near-future dealings with a Democratic controlled House, I indulged in a feeling of smug satisfaction and concocted a new Election Night potent potable.  RRS readers, here is the recipe for my latest designer drink.  It is a cold weather consumable consisting of piping hot peach tea sweetened with a packet of stevia and a shot and a half of peach schnapps with a little fruit garnish on the rim.  Brothers and sisters I give you the Im-Peachy-Weachy!

The Im-Peachy-Weachy

As it turned out, I needed a potent potable to help me absorb the reality of the electoral results in my beloved home state.  Despite some of the worst results from a governor and all GOP-legislature in state history, a decided majority of voters doubled down and opted for all intents and purposes for a third Mary Fallin term.  Business hot shot Kevin Stitt won a decided victory over the tried and true veteran Oklahoma public servant, Drew Edmondson.  For all the revenue failures and budget and education crises we have endured, too many voters desired for more of the same by a margin of 54 to 42 percent.  In addition to the Democratic gubernatorial defeat, all Democratic statewide office candidates went down to lopsided defeats in addition to the four other Congressional Democratic challengers and all down-ballot Democratic office seekers.  This left me scratching my head and asking myself many questions.

Facebook meme

The bleak electoral news for the Sooner State was not without a few well earned bright spots.  High school history teacher and fellow George Washington University graduate, John Waldron, handily defeated his GOP opponent in HD 77, keeping the seat in Democratic control.   There were two pick-ups by the legislative Democratic Caucus, one being a once hotly contested seat in House District 71.  The first new representative-elect is a veteran broadcast journalist, Denise Brewer.  The second is another member of the Teacher Caucus who ran in the very red House District 79.  Melissa Provenzano is a lifelong educator who is an excellent addition to the legislature.  These at least offset the one Democratic loss in the Tulsa area, that being Karen Gaddis, the incumbent who won the special election last year for House District 75.  It was duly noted Dr. Gaddis’ opponent spared no expense in buying TV time to play the “Liberal” and “Radical” fear card.  Aside from this defeat, all other incumbent Democrats in the OK 1st CD won reelection.

As I noted above, I was left asking myself some existential rhetorical questions regarding other legislative races where seemingly strong Democrats were handily defeated by Republicans some of whom by any reasonable metric are weak even by high school student council election standards.  I mean in what universe does any Oklahoma voter:

– Reject a career Marine with 35 years of service who retired as a Major General in favor of a non-veteran career politician?

Major General Darrell Moore, HD 8

–Reelect to a 4th Congressional term a plumber who promised to serve only three terms and thinks there is four branches of government?

-Reject a life-long Oklahoman whose status an Air Force veteran was smeared because he wasn’t Audie Murphy in favor of a non-veteran native New Yorker?

-Reject a career educator and Army veteran who has impressive credentials, passion and drive simply because he is not a Republican?

Craig Hoxie, HD 23

And the list goes on but such is the reality of the state in which we call home.  I shudder to think what will have to happen for the needed great awakening to break the voting pattern that is giving us all perpetual broken government and a state that is becoming with each election an increasingly less attractive destination and difficult place to reside.

Now for some personal thoughts and reflection on the 2018 midterm election cycle.  One thing I noticed last night is that so many candidates whose campaigns failed were almost all the ones who got started late.  This is no intended slam on the candidates themselves as all were citizens of high caliber who had passion and demonstrated caring and enthusiasm for their sought goal until the polls closed.  I can name all the names but I’m sure they all know who they are.  At this point it appears that the heavy turnout and support for State Question 788 back in June that passed with 57% support is an outlier, an aberration as that same coalition did not seem to support many Democrats, all of whom I met are staunch supporters of improving the measure.  If we are to continue to move the electoral needle away from extreme conservatism (whatever that may mean now) and get back to a modicum of functional reason in government both in Washington and at NE 23rd and Lincoln in OKC, the time to begin for 2020 is now!  The three keys to success in two years deal with:

1.) GROUND GAME

2.) GROUND GAME

3.) GROUND GAME

More on this as the quest for change in 2020 takes off and for some of us it is already well underway.  Such is the our collective World of 2018.  Let the record show for future reference where we all stood when the polls closed.