A Few Final Notes Before Tuesday's Midterm Elections

Well, election day for the 2018 midterms is finally upon us...I plan to vote, how about you if you're registered and haven't already through absentee ballot or early voting?  I have repeatedly hammered through the idea that if people as an electorate would regularly and dutifully get out and vote, regardless of the intensity of their own feelings about the election and its candidates and issues, then we would have a much smoother-running and more representative government with greater continuity.  Instead, the off-year elections (midterms) see voter turnout precipitously drop off, especially among the younger, 18-29 age group.  It's ludicrous that Democrat Barack Obama could win Florida in 2008, Tea Party Republican Rick Scott eek out a razor-thin victory for governor in 2010, Obama win Florida again in 2012...and Scott get reelected two years later!  Had folks not stayed at home for those mid-term elections in 2010 and 2014, I doubt that Scott would have ever had a chance for election.  And regarding the increasingly hostile, toxic atmosphere now permeating close races...

Let's take two races going on in my local area: the US House of Representatives District 3 seat, which includes Gainesville, is currently held by Republican Ted Yoho, who is running for reelection.  His Democratic opponent is Yvonne Hayes-Hinson.  But since Yoho seems comfortably ahead in this race, you see nary an ad...much less an attack ad...from either side.  But in our State Senate District 8, the incumbent, Republican Keith Perry, is in a closer race against Democratic challenger Kayser Enneking.  Both strike me as very nice, decent people who want to implement their respective ideas for the greater good...but you wouldn't know this through their ads vilifying each other.  So why be mean like this?  Some will blame the political campaign consultants and the politicians...I blame the people out there who won't bother to vote unless they can get an emotional rush out of the experience.  And in a close race, the easiest way to ratchet up your side's turnout is to raise their irrational anger, fear, and contempt levels against the other side.   And, sad to say, it often works...sure did in 2016!

As to how well President Trump will do in urging voters to support his Republican Party candidates, keep in mind that he himself has publicly stated that this election is all about him.  But in 2016, both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton had very large disapproval ratings...ultimately what won it for Trump was that more voters disliked Hillary than him in a very small number of key states.  But voters aren't choosing between Clinton and Trump for president this time around: it's Trump and whether you like him or not...he's not as likely to be as appealing standing on his own.  On the other hand, I'm not convinced that pro-Democratic voters will actually rise up in the numbers they need to swing the election enough to give that party control of the House of Representatives. And they might as well forget about retaking the Senate: the Republicans are due to gain some seats there.  No, like Michael Moore, I'm pretty skeptical about what will happen this Tuesday...

Since Tuesday is Election Day, I think I'll conclude by making a prediction...partially formulated by what happened in 2016.  It's this: regardless how the elections turn out, President Trump will claim personal victory and total credit for himself...and then go on to state that it all was rigged and that there was massive voter fraud.  Then he'll order another phony investigation, just like he did in 2017.  You know it's coming...