Stephen Moore is an excellent analyst of the US political scene. He’s also playing on Team Reality when it comes to the election result. As such, he dug farther and found that America took no turn to the left or it would have been reflected down ballot. It seems that many split their tickets and voted against the president but for Republicans in general. There in evidence was that 10 percent of Republicans who never quite signed onto the Trump team. But the general result was a slim repudiation of the president, not of the party or conservatism.

Moore offers details, “It’s not exactly clear how it happened. No one expected it, least of all the media and pollsters. But that promised big blue wave of Democratic victories across the country turned instead into a red tidal wave from coast to coast. Most progressive ballot issues in the states — from tax increases to racial preferences — also came crashing down. A big reason for this turnaround in the election was the massive turnout for President Donald Trump on Election Day. The irony is that Trump’s coattails pulled hundreds of Republicans over the goal line — but they didn’t save him from a razor-tight defeat.” But a defeat it was.

Close

“So, how deep were the losses for the Democrats? In the U.S. House, Nancy Pelosi thought her troops would gain 10 to 12 seats. Instead, the Republicans flipped 15. But the real carnage was in the statehouses. Hold on to your hats; here is the latest from our allies at the American Legislative Exchange Council. The GOP gained a total of 192 House and 40 Senate seats. Republicans flipped control of three chambers. As a result of these big and improbable wins, Republicans now have majority control in both House and Senate chambers in 31 of 50 states. Democrats have control in only 18 states. That’s a map of the USA that looks awfully red throughout middle America, with only the rusting Northeast and the West Coast colored blue. The American Legislative Exchange Council president, Lisa Nelson, estimates that Democrats outspent Republicans ‘at least 3-to-1 in the states.’ ” That means redistricting will go GOP and with it congressional and state legislative boundaries. That’s a massive Republican win.

 

Moore comments on state ballot questions, “Speaking of money, voters don’t want politicians taking more of it from them. In Illinois, Colorado and California, major tax hikes lost, and tax cuts were approved by voters. Racial preferences, rent control and pro-union measures went down in flames in California — the cradle of progressive wacko ideas.”

Are the Democrats getting the message, according to Moore? At least one of them is, “Even Democrats admit that their party’s embrace of socialism was a major turnoff to voters. Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-Va., won her race, but she isn’t a happy camper. ‘We need to not ever use the words ‘socialist’ or ‘socialism’ ever again,’ ” she says. Democrats, she angrily continued, “lost good members because of that.’ ” Well, maybe not good. But she gets the drift.