# 2018 US midterm elections **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [November 9, 2017, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2018-us-midterm-elections/801125 "2017-11-09T17:09:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2018, 9:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2018-us-midterm-elections/801125/161 "2018-09-12T09:44:09Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > No he isn’t just “enforcing an existing law”. Signing up for Obamacare - something which _people were legally required to sign up to_ - does not make one “likely to become a public charge”, and yet it’s one of the disqualifying elements of the new policy. Let me get this straight. Legal residents are targeted _because_ they obeyed U.S. law. A favorite meme of right-wingers is that government regulations are inefficient or contradictory. Examples like this show that it is often the right-wingers themselves who are responsible for such contradictory policies, often intended as deliberate sabotage to government or to humanitarian ideals. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2018, 9:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2018-us-midterm-elections/801125/162 "2018-09-12T09:53:56Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > Are you certain that all 49 Dem senators are going to vote “no” on the “misogynist and perjurer, manifestly nominated by a criminal to protect himself from prosecution”? That not a one of them wants to “enable this despicable criminal”? I’m not. I think a few of them will gladly provide votes 51-55 to confirm him. It’s a fait accompli at that point. Nothing is certain but I really doubt that any would provide the 50th vote. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2018, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2018-us-midterm-elections/801125/163 "2018-09-12T11:16:15Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > Let me get this straight. Legal residents are targeted _because_ they obeyed U.S. law. Yup. Although it is a tangent I’ll just note that since that last post the Trump administration has been revealed to be: 1) [denying passports to Hispanic US citizens living near the border](https://edition.cnn.com/2018/08/30/politics/us-denying-passports-to-american-citizens/index.html), and 2) [detaining Vietnamese refugees who have been living in the US for over a quarter of a century](https://www.courthousenews.com/federal-judge-oks-refugee-lawsuit-against-trump-administration/) despite a standing diplomatic agreement (and longstanding practice) that such refugees would not be deported. Anyone with first- or second-generation immigrants in their family who think it won’t happen to them might want to consider [the words of Pastor Niemöller](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_they_came_...). ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2018, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2018-us-midterm-elections/801125/164 "2018-09-12T12:58:55Z")
Democrats running for the Senate and House are embracing Obamacare: [30 seconds that tell the story of Democrats in 2018 | CNN Politics](https://www.cnn.com/2018/09/12/politics/democrats-health-care-2018-ads/index.html) ---
**Author:** ![CaptMurdock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/captmurdock/32/11736_2.png) [@CaptMurdock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptMurdock)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2018, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2018-us-midterm-elections/801125/165 "2018-09-12T14:51:42Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Democrats running for the Senate and House are embracing Obamacare: [https://www.cnn.com/2018/09/12/politics/democrats-health-care-2018-ads/index.html](https://www.cnn.com/2018/09/12/politics/democrats-health-care-2018-ads/index.html) “Nice team spirit, Morty.” About f’ing time. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2018, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2018-us-midterm-elections/801125/166 "2018-09-12T18:04:37Z")
Another good midterm poll for Dems: [New polling shows disastrous warning signs for Republicans ahead of the midterm elections](https://www.aol.com/article/news/2018/09/12/polls-election-2018-midterms-democrats-take-control/23525202/) ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2018, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2018-us-midterm-elections/801125/167 "2018-09-12T18:48:18Z")
Can’t just win the old fashioned way of getting more voters. Have to overcome money, voter suppression, voter oppression, cheating, and more money. And it has to be a clobbering, nothing less than a 2x4 right in the chops is going to get their attention. Want to see what lengths the Republicans will go to? Keep an eye on Texas, you will see. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2018, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2018-us-midterm-elections/801125/168 "2018-09-12T19:09:32Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > a few Dems in red states could vote yes on Kavanaugh. Especially if they are running this year. It’s not a lock all 49 vote no on him. I keep hearing that (esp. about Doug Jones of Alabama) but I don’t understand the reasoning. Anyone who votes YES on Kavanaugh would lose massive support among their Democratic base. Most Republicans would still vote for the Republican in the election, regardless of the Democratic candidate’s voting record. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2018, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2018-us-midterm-elections/801125/169 "2018-09-12T19:21:24Z")
Jones only barely beat a child molester. Alabama is not turning blue. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2018, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2018-us-midterm-elections/801125/170 "2018-09-12T19:27:45Z")
Ms Collins assures us that he assured her of his benign intentions regarding _Roe_. Either she believes him still, or she is a miracle of anatomy, a human who can stand without a spine and digest food without any guts. But as has been noticed before, the Republicans don’t want total victory on this, they want to rouse up the “pro-life” forces just one more time! And then, one more time. How to they inspire such voters if they’ve already won? What if they pop the champagne corks, close their checkbooks and stay home? ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2018, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2018-us-midterm-elections/801125/171 "2018-09-12T19:51:43Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > But as has been noticed before, the Republicans don’t want total victory on this, they want to rouse up the “pro-life” forces just one more time! And then, one more time. How to they inspire such voters if they’ve already won? What if they pop the champagne corks, close their checkbooks and stay home? So very true. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2018, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2018-us-midterm-elections/801125/172 "2018-09-12T19:59:12Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > Yeah, just before Uranus went retrograde. He’s retrograde, all right, but he ain’t _my_ anus. ---
**Author:** ![ShadowFacts](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shadowfacts/32/2934_2.png) [@ShadowFacts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShadowFacts)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2018, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2018-us-midterm-elections/801125/173 "2018-09-12T21:44:55Z")
[Poll: Midwest Abandons Trump, Fueling Democratic Advantage For Control Of Congress](http://www.wbur.org/npr/646816285/poll-midwest-abandons-trump-fueling-democratic-advantage-for-control-of-congress) ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2018, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2018-us-midterm-elections/801125/174 "2018-09-12T21:55:19Z")
If Doug Jones is trying to act like a Republican in order to appease his constituency, he’s an idiot. It was only an extreme fluke that enabled him to win, and that only barely. He’s got a snowball’s chance in Alabama of winning re-election no matter what he says or does, so he ought to be spending what time he’s got doing as much as he can to implement the agenda that he thinks is best. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2018, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2018-us-midterm-elections/801125/175 "2018-09-13T04:47:56Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > If Doug Jones is trying to act like a Republican in order to appease his constituency, he’s an idiot. It was only an extreme fluke that enabled him to win, and that only barely. He’s got a snowball’s chance in Alabama of winning re-election no matter what he says or does, so he ought to be spending what time he’s got doing as much as he can to implement the agenda that he thinks is best. Pretty much what I was thinking. Other than those from mega-blue states, he’s practically the freest Dem in the Senate to do just what he thinks is right. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2018, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2018-us-midterm-elections/801125/176 "2018-09-13T11:16:24Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > Jones only barely beat a child molester. Alabama is not turning blue. I’ve posted the following figures before, but will do so again, lest anyone think that ignorant Whites in Dixie have morphed into humane beings: White men with no college voted for Moore over Jones, 79% to 19%. White women with no college voted for Moore over Jones, 73% to 25%. That’s right. **Uneducated white [Southern Men](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVRxdPWV3RM) preferred the child molester over the Democrat by more than a 4-to-1 margin.** Even among uneducated white women the margin was almost 3-to-1. Senator Doug Jones, it will be recalled, was the prosecutor(\*) who finally sent Ku Klux Klansman Thomas Edwin Blanton Jr to prison 38 years after he murdered four black girls (and injured 22 others) in the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing of 1963. (\* Jones was still a U.S. Prosecutor in 2001 but had to resign when the GOP took over. I guess he immediately went to work for the State of Alabama where murder of black people was, by then, a crime.) ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2018, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2018-us-midterm-elections/801125/177 "2018-09-15T21:13:24Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > Ms Collins assures us that he assured her of his benign intentions regarding _Roe_. Either she believes him still, or she is a miracle of anatomy, a human who can stand without a spine and digest food without any guts. No miracle, that’s a standard medical procedure among congressional Republicans these days. It allows them to get their head up their own ass. > [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Pretty much what I was thinking. Other than those from mega-blue states, he’s practically the freest Dem in the Senate to do just what he thinks is right. There are none as powerful as the powerless, with nothing left to lose. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2018, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2018-us-midterm-elections/801125/178 "2018-09-19T12:56:09Z")
Older voters leaning Democratic this year, for a change: [Is the GOP having a senior moment in 2018? | CNN Politics](https://www.cnn.com/2018/09/19/politics/the-gops-older-voter-problem/index.html) ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2018, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2018-us-midterm-elections/801125/179 "2018-09-22T04:33:20Z")
Six siblings of a Republican Congressman in Arizona cut an ad saying, “Vote for the other guy”: [Rep. Paul Gosar's siblings in new ad: Don't vote for our brother | CNN Politics](https://www.cnn.com/2018/09/21/politics/paul-gosar-siblings-ad/index.html) ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2018, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2018-us-midterm-elections/801125/180 "2018-09-22T05:31:05Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > If Doug Jones is trying to act like a Republican in order to appease his constituency, he’s an idiot. It was only an extreme fluke that enabled him to win, and that only barely. He’s got a snowball’s chance in Alabama of winning re-election no matter what he says or does, so he ought to be spending what time he’s got doing as much as he can to implement the agenda that he thinks is best. Yup. Jones has no chance of winning in 2020, anymore than Scott Brown did of winning re-election. Jones won due to a mix of good fortunes on his side. No matter what he does, he won’t win in 2020. He might as well just do what is right. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2018-us-midterm-elections/801125.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2018-us-midterm-elections/801125.md?page=10)