I think that it would have been a loss to the Republicans either way. But, like you, I think it’s better that Jones won this election. My reasoning is different, though.
This election wasn’t just about red v. blue. It was about noxious beliefs versus decency. Decency won, though just barely, and those noxious beliefs that have so long been espoused by those in power are now under attack.
Will that help bring a big blue wave in 2018? I hope so. But the fresh air and sunshine brought about by this election will persist well beyond 2018 or 2020.
Next question is, will Moore run in 2020? Will he run for Governor or Senator? Is Ivey one of the not-Tea-party-enough Republicans the Moore-istas want to run against in the primary?
Above is the OP. I applaud your optimism for even posing this question. I wouldn’t have thunk it possible, but your vision of there even being a possibility is worthy of applause. The actual outcome demands it!
I think there was a time in parts of the South where things used to be better than they are now. I might have said 90s instead of 80s, but back then people in the South would elect moderate left Democrats. People like Anne Richards, Lloyd Bentsen, and Bill Clinton all won back in those days. That all changed in the 90s. I suspect that if Doug Jones and Roy Moore ran with their same records back in say, 1986, Doug Jones would have likely won by 20 or 30 points, even in Alabama.
Thanks for asking! Yes, I feel elated and last night was wonderful. I spent the evening lifting weights with the NYT real-time results pulled up on my phone and followed the roller coaster ride with everyone else I’m sure.
I know any other half-sane republican would have won by 10+ pts, but I have a little more faith in humanity now that there is proof actual deal breakers exist. It helps also that today at work I found out a few of my conservative colleagues actually had write-in votes (at least two for Nick Saban, one for some marine that was running as a write-in candidate) so maybe my guilt-trip-filled talks with these guys had some sway.
It seems like it fell apart in 1994 when Newt Gingrich made his contract with America. I’m not really sure what exactly changed on the ground that made the regular voters in the South give up on electing moderate Democrats, but if I had to pin down a date that’s the one I would give.
That’s not because the politics wasn’t less toxic, but because in the 80s and 90s Democrats were more willing to compromise with white grievance. Even in his national campaign, Clinton was pro death penalty, wanted to reform affirmative action and welfare, and tough on crime. When a REpublican favored those things, he was accused of dog whistling. When a Democrat did it, they were moderate.
The South actually continued to elect moderate Democrats after that. It really didn’t end until Obama was elected President. Then they pretty much all got fired. I think that has more to do with a Democratic Party that doesn’t feel like compromising with the South’s culture anymore. In many ways that’s actually admirable. The baleful influence of the South on Republican politics is a good part of what made it harder and harder to be a Republican.
No. Jones will not be able to join the Senate before the end of December because the result will not be certified yet. But McConnell would have the option of holding up the Senate vote to wait for Jones. Harry Reid did that in 2010 when Scott Brown was elected in a special election. McConnell is not likely to follow Reid’s lead.
Lots of nice clips of McConnell, Collins, McCain, and others demanding that Reid wait because the Brown election was a referendum! Let the people be heard! Now Collins says there’s no reason to wait for Jones to be able to vote.
Ummm … not really. Because of Brown’s election, the House just passed the Senate version of the ACA (avoiding the need for another Senate vote on the bill, which the Republicans would then be in a position to filibuster) and then they amended it via reconciliation, again to avoid a filibuster made possible through Brown’s victory.
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