Re: A 2018 wave is building, but will it fizzle?

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Eris wrote: Sun Oct 28, 2018 11:27 pm
K9s wrote: Sun Oct 28, 2018 11:18 pm Dang! Voting numbers are historically high nearly everywhere! I worried that it would slow down after the first few days, but they were up 200% by last Thursday. Weekend lines were hours and hours long.
Apparently the way to improve Americans voting apathy is to get us to hate each other. :sarcasm:
I cannot speak for everyone, but I think that fear is a big motivator these days. Too much Klan out in the open these days.

I think Charlottesville (and Family Separation and Pulse and Parkland and Pittsburgh and the MAGAbomber) motivated a LOT of people. Charlottesville was when I realized it wasn't going to get better and that a lot of people were in danger. Family Separation convinced me that they were actually willing to do anything regardless of human decency. I guess most of us thought it would never really get this bad, but now we all really know.

I think everyone knows that they truly might shoot refugees at the border or protesters at marches. We get 2018 and 2020 to make this right by voting. I hope that works.
It is an unfortunate human failing that a full pocketbook often groans more loudly than an empty stomach.

- Franklin D. Roosevelt

Re: A 2018 wave is building, but will it fizzle?

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Nate Silver has a podcast on his site talking about their forecasts of house, senate and governors races. He openly stated "truth in advertising" that statistically 3 senate races, 4 governors races and 25-30 house races could be wrong in their forecasts, where those candidates had a 50% or greater chance of winning. The errors could favor either party. As we know polls can be wrong and all wrong in the same direction, but the alternative is just flipping a coin (50/50 odds) the same as political pundits.

Nate Cohn at NYT/Upshot also talks about the uncertainties.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/26/upsh ... lican.html
"Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts." - Daniel Patrick Moynihan

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Every race seems to "tighten up" as election day draws near. The big difference in 2018 is the historic voter turnout. That puts all the polls in doubt. We won't truly get a sense of the American opinion until November 7. I hope it works out. Dems are fighting against the tide in the senate, so it was always going to be an uphill battle in 2018. However, 2018 may be remembered as the year of the real "forgotten men and women" voted.

Without evidence (except my own limited experience), I am going to predict a blue backlash in the deep south. It may not turn MS, SC, or GA purple, but it will be something to talk about. I think Floridians are sick of the racist garbage and violence, so I expect that state to turn more blue than expected. I would not be surprised to see a blue wave in Georgia & Florida or to see Mike Espy win in Mississippi. I still don't know about Texas.

Finally, without evidence, I will predict a blue tsunami in 2020. While Trump may be reelected, the 2020 Senate races do not favor the Retrumplicans. Two more years of Trump may be too much for the people to bear.
It is an unfortunate human failing that a full pocketbook often groans more loudly than an empty stomach.

- Franklin D. Roosevelt

Re: A 2018 wave is building, but will it fizzle?

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K9s wrote: Mon Oct 29, 2018 11:30 am Every race seems to "tighten up" as election day draws near. The big difference in 2018 is the historic voter turnout. That puts all the polls in doubt. We won't truly get a sense of the American opinion until November 7. I hope it works out. Dems are fighting against the tide in the senate, so it was always going to be an uphill battle in 2018. However, 2018 may be remembered as the year of the real "forgotten men and women" voted.

Without evidence (except my own limited experience), I am going to predict a blue backlash in the deep south. It may not turn MS, SC, or GA purple, but it will be something to talk about. I think Floridians are sick of the racist garbage and violence, so I expect that state to turn more blue than expected. I would not be surprised to see a blue wave in Georgia & Florida or to see Mike Espy win in Mississippi. I still don't know about Texas.

Finally, without evidence, I will predict a blue tsunami in 2020. While Trump may be reelected, the 2020 Senate races do not favor the Retrumplicans. Two more years of Trump may be too much for the people to bear.
I hope you're right, the South is changing slowly. 2020 will be different for the senate because more Republican seats will be open and there could be some Republican retirements.

Discussion at CNN on early voting which doesn't tell us anything but campaigns use it.
https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/28/politics ... index.html
"Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts." - Daniel Patrick Moynihan

Re: A 2018 wave is building, but will it fizzle?

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highdesert wrote: Mon Oct 29, 2018 12:23 pm
K9s wrote: Mon Oct 29, 2018 11:30 am Every race seems to "tighten up" as election day draws near. The big difference in 2018 is the historic voter turnout. That puts all the polls in doubt. We won't truly get a sense of the American opinion until November 7. I hope it works out. Dems are fighting against the tide in the senate, so it was always going to be an uphill battle in 2018. However, 2018 may be remembered as the year of the real "forgotten men and women" voted.

Without evidence (except my own limited experience), I am going to predict a blue backlash in the deep south. It may not turn MS, SC, or GA purple, but it will be something to talk about. I think Floridians are sick of the racist garbage and violence, so I expect that state to turn more blue than expected. I would not be surprised to see a blue wave in Georgia & Florida or to see Mike Espy win in Mississippi. I still don't know about Texas.

Finally, without evidence, I will predict a blue tsunami in 2020. While Trump may be reelected, the 2020 Senate races do not favor the Retrumplicans. Two more years of Trump may be too much for the people to bear.
I hope you're right, the South is changing slowly. 2020 will be different for the senate because more Republican seats will be open and there could be some Republican retirements.

Discussion at CNN on early voting which doesn't tell us anything but campaigns use it.
https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/28/politics ... index.html
The South isn't slowly changing. It is rapid and ongoing. White voters in GA are only 54%, and that is because they vote at higher rates. If Dems get Black voting rates above 30% in this election, they win. That is why the voter suppression issue is a main issue. The Republican candidate purged over 1 million voters (70% black, 82% minority) before he ran for Governor (while he is in charge of elections here). Faux News and the Republicans say voter suppression is an overblown issue so that the rest of the country will look away... nothing to see.
It is an unfortunate human failing that a full pocketbook often groans more loudly than an empty stomach.

- Franklin D. Roosevelt

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I won't believe it's a win till we win.

It's taken 40 years to get Democrats and leftists off their asses to go out and vote and stop the Republicans. Now the alligators are up to our asses and about to chomp down on them, hard. So people FINALLY figured that out! I just worry that a win will cause Dems to go moribund again. "Oh, we fixed it! Time to get back to our Tomato, Kale, Egg white and gluten-free pastry!"
"Even if the bee could explain to the fly why pollen is better than shit, the fly could never understand."

Re: A 2018 wave is building, but will it fizzle?

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YankeeTarheel wrote: Mon Oct 29, 2018 2:33 pm I won't believe it's a win till we win.

It's taken 40 years to get Democrats and leftists off their asses to go out and vote and stop the Republicans. Now the alligators are up to our asses and about to chomp down on them, hard. So people FINALLY figured that out! I just worry that a win will cause Dems to go moribund again. "Oh, we fixed it! Time to get back to our Tomato, Kale, Egg white and gluten-free pastry!"
Ummm.... chicken and waffles, thank you very much! Who the *bleep* eats Kale and Gluten Free anything without medical necessity?

I don't think non-Republicans will rest until after Nov 2020. After that, win or lose, we will see what happens. Hopefully voting and marching will become a habit.
It is an unfortunate human failing that a full pocketbook often groans more loudly than an empty stomach.

- Franklin D. Roosevelt

Re: A 2018 wave is building, but will it fizzle?

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Here's what I love....you have record turnouts. we can confidently interpolate dems are voting much stronger than usual by comparing 2010 and 2014 turnouts. you have dem house polling pretty strong across the board. So if dems are turning out record numbers it would be much more likely they would flip state and fed seats, NOT house seats given the shear levels of gerrymandering. Then inversely, how can you have confidence in gerrymandered districts in any kind of dem gain, but then lose governor and senate seats?

it literally makes zero sense to me any way you slice it.
Last edited by Bardo on Mon Oct 29, 2018 6:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Is anyone else just holding their breath until Nov. 6? I can't wait to hear the results and am afraid to look. Kind of like Nov. 8, 2016. If we don't see some kind of wave, I don't hold out much hope for this country. So many people have been canvassing, calling, and voting that if we can't get some thing done now, I don't think we have a chance in 2020.
"...just smash your piano, and invoke the glory-beaming banjo!" ~Mark Twain

Re: A 2018 wave is building, but will it fizzle?

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GoldenRetrieversRule wrote: Mon Oct 29, 2018 6:18 pm Is anyone else just holding their breath until Nov. 6? I can't wait to hear the results and am afraid to look. Kind of like Nov. 8, 2016. If we don't see some kind of wave, I don't hold out much hope for this country. So many people have been canvassing, calling, and voting that if we can't get some thing done now, I don't think we have a chance in 2020.
Holding my breath? Yes. I also believe that local races are very important this time. State Gov, AG, Senate, House are all very important. I also believe we will take the US House. No matter the outcome, 2020 is just as important as 2018. I won't get really worried unless the Trump wins and the Republicans hold Congress in 2020. 2018 is an uphill run for Dems. They need to minimize losses and win where they can. Every little bit helps.
It is an unfortunate human failing that a full pocketbook often groans more loudly than an empty stomach.

- Franklin D. Roosevelt

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Nate Silver has a good article, "The Battleground In The House Is Really Big — And That Makes Life Hard For Republicans".
All of this sets up what could be a feast-or-famine evening for Democrats next Tuesday. They have a huge number of opportunities to win Republican seats — around 100 of them! And yet, it would be hard to circle more than about 12 or 15 of these districts that can safely be predicted to wind up in Democrats’ hands. If things go roughly to form nationwide, Democrats almost certainly will get there. But even a modest pro-GOP polling error — if Republicans were to beat their polls by 2 or 3 points across the board — would revert the overall race to being a toss-up. Conversely, even a modest, pro-Democratic polling error could send their number of pickups careening into the 50s, or higher. The wide ranges in our forecast reflects the uncertain conditions on the ground.
https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/th ... publicans/
"Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts." - Daniel Patrick Moynihan

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Even with a renewed focus on flipping crucial state legislatures and down-ballot races blue, Democrats are finding themselves outspent by Republicans yet again. Numbers from the liberal Super PAC Forward Majority obtained exclusively by Vox show that Republicans are out-fundraising Democrats more than five to one in key state legislative races including the Pennsylvania and Michigan Houses. Democratic candidates are also being outspent by nearly five to one in the Florida House and Wisconsin Senate; nearly three to one in the Texas House; and by two to one in the Arizona Senate. (These figures exclude outside spending.)

Republicans control more than two-thirds of the state legislatures in the United States, and Democrats are desperately trying to win back some chambers. Besides trying to make an impact on state policy, 2021 congressional redistricting is weighing heavily on Democrats’ minds; state legislatures have the power to redraw congressional maps every 10 years, and Republicans had the upper hand the last time around. Even though Democrats are smashing their own fundraising records, they are still falling short of the GOP’s numbers. The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC) has committed to spend $35 million on state races, double what they spent two years ago. “We’re spending $35 million this cycle to reclaim majorities and the DLCC is poised to flip as many as eight chambers and win hundreds of targeted seats, laying the groundwork to flip even more chambers in 2020 ahead of crucial redistricting efforts,” said DLCC communications director Mara Sloan in a statement to Vox. Meanwhile, the Republican State Leadership Committee (RSLC) is pouring up to $50 million into state legislative and other down-ballot state races this cycle. The RSLC spent about $38 million each on the 2014 and 2016 midterms, respectively — more than the DLCC is spending in 2018.

The consequences could be huge. Republicans outspending Democrats on state legislative races is nothing new, and the result is clear when you look at a map of state legislatures across the United States and see a sea of red. “There’s a lot of talk about a Democratic fundraising advantage, and we still clearly haven’t learned our lesson that state legislature elections are going to determine the future of not just our party, but our democracy,” said Ben Wexler-Waite, communications director for Forward Majority, which works to flip state legislatures blue. “We’re very much not seeing that at the state level, which, frankly, two years out from redistricting and 2020, is very concerning.” Forward Majority has spent $8 million on targeted races in six states since mid-September to make up the gap, and other groups are spending as well. Democrats are running competitive candidates in hundreds of districts, with the hope it will make a difference on November 6. But many of these are first-time candidates, going up against Republican incumbents with financial firepower.

Republican candidates (many of them incumbents) have been raising a lot of money in states like Florida and Pennsylvania in particular — about $8.2 million for Florida House races alone, compared to Democratic candidates raising $2.6 million. Republicans in Pennsylvania, reeling after the state Supreme Court struck down their old congressional maps as a partisan gerrymander, are gearing up for 2018 by raising about $4.1 million, compared to $1.4 million raised by Democrats. Democrats are focused on key governor races in 2018, but if they don’t have blue-state legislatures to assist them, that could be a major roadblock to redistricting and state policymaking. Wexler-Waite is blunt about Republicans’ fundraising efforts. “They’re incredibly effective; they’ve totally outgunned us for years,” he said. “They understand how important these races are.” And even though there’s plenty of enthusiasm for Democrats in red states at the top of the ticket this year (think Beto O’Rourke in Texas), Wexler-Waite and others are not confident that will trickle down to state races. “If past years are any indication, we can’t count on people at the top of the ticket to carry us to victory,” he said.

Some are feeling more optimistic about Democrats paying attention to their bench in state races, and are hopeful that some of these statehouse chambers will flip. “While they may be outspending Democrats, state legislative spending for Democrats has been incredibly strong,” said Carolyn Fiddler, communications director at the liberal blog Daily Kos, which is also fundraising for Democratic candidates. “The energy is there for Democrats.” Still, there are many arguing that Democrats need to keep building on their strides past 2018 and make state races more of a priority, as Republicans have done. “This is a 30-year disinvestment,” said Raj Goyle, a former Kansas state representative. “Is there more attention to all levels of government now in the Trump era? Absolutely.” But he added that not prioritizing state legislative races for decades is an institutional problem within the party that can’t be overcome in just 24 months.

A persistent critique of the Democratic Party over the past few years is it spends the bulk of its energy and money on congressional and presidential races, overlooking state legislatures. It’s something the DLCC has been trying to correct this year. With the anti-Trump enthusiasm in the United States, state and local races are something engaged people can run for and have a shot at winning. “Democrats are running the most candidates for state legislatures since 1982,” Sloan said in her statement. “We have more than 5,300 Democrats running, and we’re running twice as many women as Republicans are, and four times as many candidates of color.” Having competitive candidates in state legislative districts is incredibly important, but candidates also need money to give them the ability to personally engage with voters. “The ability for candidates to communicate they exist and the freedom for candidates to knock on doors and meet the constituents is game changing in state elections,” said Daniel Squadron, executive director of Future Now, a group is also devoted to flipping statehouse races, including ones in New Hampshire, Maine, Arizona, Michigan, and North Carolina.

As a former New York state senator, Squadron knows the importance of local campaigning and face-to-face contact from local candidates to voters. “These are legislative districts where if a candidate has a reasonable campaign behind them, they can knock on every door twice,” he said. “The entire battle for control of the chamber costs less than a competitive congressional race.” State politics get very little airtime compared to national campaigns for Congress or president, but they’re incredibly important. Conservatives have been hugely effective in enacting state and local policies on issues ranging from women’s health to gun laws, plus many attempts to pass right-to-work laws targeting unions and bathroom bills barring transgender individuals from using the bathroom that corresponds to their gender identity. Restrictive voter ID bills are also getting a lot of attention in the runup to the 2018 midterms.

Second, many state legislatures draw US congressional maps every 10 years, and Republican legislatures are the root cause of gerrymandered districts in some states. The US Supreme Court recently ruled North Carolina’s congressional maps unconstitutional and is currently considering maps in Wisconsin, Texas, and Maryland (a Democratic gerrymander). The Pennsylvania Supreme Court recently ruled that the state’s maps were a Republican gerrymander and ordered new ones to be drawn. But Democrats recognize this fight extends beyond the courts, and many say they need to elect state lawmakers to have a fair shot before the next redistricting after the 2020 census. “The stakes could not be higher,” said Squadron. “The 2018 state legislative elections will decide who can and cannot vote in 2020, and who controls Congress for a decade.”
https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics ... epublicans

"A persistent critique of the Democratic Party over the past few years is it spends the bulk of its energy and money on congressional and presidential races, overlooking state legislatures." And that's why Republicans can gerrymander congressional districts so they get majorities in the House while their party is getting smaller.
"Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts." - Daniel Patrick Moynihan

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That entire article above is indicative of a serious problem which it completely ignores... Corporate Campaign Financing (aka Citizen’s United).

Dems not raising as much cash as Republicans? -That’s less a show of how popular they are as how much corporate support they receive. In many ways, I’d say that’s a good thing.

How money actually translates into votes is another issue altogether. One hopes we aren’t reduced to “a chicken in every pot” just yet.
"It is better to be violent, if there is violence in our hearts, than to put on the cloak of non-violence to cover impotence. There is hope for a violent man to become non-violent. There is no such hope for the impotent." -Gandhi

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Bisbee wrote: Tue Oct 30, 2018 1:24 pm That entire article above is indicative of a serious problem which it completely ignores... Corporate Campaign Financing (aka Citizen’s United).

Dems not raising as much cash as Republicans? -That’s less a show of how popular they are as how much corporate support they receive. In many ways, I’d say that’s a good thing.

How money actually translates into votes is another issue altogether. One hopes we aren’t reduced to “a chicken in every pot” just yet.
The small dollar donations for Dems outran the corporate Rep donors this cycle. If I have anything to do with it, it will happen again in 2019-2020.
It is an unfortunate human failing that a full pocketbook often groans more loudly than an empty stomach.

- Franklin D. Roosevelt

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And everything I read about historic voting turnout is very good news. I recall an old pundit saying that history has shown us, “When voters vote, Democrats win.”
"It is better to be violent, if there is violence in our hearts, than to put on the cloak of non-violence to cover impotence. There is hope for a violent man to become non-violent. There is no such hope for the impotent." -Gandhi

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Bernie Sanders did well with individual donations, supposedly Trump also did, people give to causes they support but it doesn't happen in every case, hence big donors on the Democratic side and that's been Tom Steyer and George Soros but there are others. We can't always count on union money even though it's allowed under Citizens United, unions are getting smaller. Right now Democrats are energized because of Trump and his policies even though Trump's name is rarely mentioned by Democratic candidates, the elephant is there.

Though I support mail voting, I will miss exit polling as there is a lot of data from the National Election Pool which was composed of all the major networks and AP. We'll see what they come up with to replace it. A lot of voters don't decide until they get into the polling booth and it's interesting for find out how they made their voting decisions.

Politico is out with it's predictions for the House, Senate and governorships so they join 538 and CNN is forecasting midterm elections.
https://www.politico.com/election-resul ... edictions/
"Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts." - Daniel Patrick Moynihan

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Small donors expect to get out and vote, and for who they vote for to do what they say they'll do.
Big donors expect access and for the politician to vote as they tell them to vote.

The math is simple. Convince 100,000 people to give you $25 each and you'll have $2.5 million bucks--and 100,000 "free" votes! And you can spend the money on other things you need, like convincing more people.
Convince 10 people to give you $250,000 each and you'll be expected to give them access and vote as they tell you...and you'll need to spend that $2.5 million trying to convince 100,000 people to vote for you.

Bernie people are STILL Bernie people. Hillary people? Who are they now?
"Even if the bee could explain to the fly why pollen is better than shit, the fly could never understand."

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Small donors also expect something just like large donors, I expect Steyer and Soros expect a lot less than the corporates. The dilemma is do you hold up the campaign until all the small contributions trickle in or get the big money up front and start the campaign. My guess is that the pros go for the big money and supplement with the small donations, you have to be pragmatic.
"Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts." - Daniel Patrick Moynihan

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Early voting among young people in key US midterm battleground states has surged dramatically, the latest data shows, suggesting a potential jump in enthusiasm for Democratic candidates. With six days to go until election day, Texas and Georgia, two traditionally Republican-leaning states, have increased their early vote rate among 18-29 year-olds by nearly five times or more compared to 2014. America’s early voting system allows voters to cast their ballot early, either via postal voting or at designated polling stations, in a bid to increase participation and relieve congestion on election day.

In Texas, young voter turnout is currently up 508 per cent, while African-American and Hispanic – both traditionally Democratic constituencies – vote rates have more than doubled. It comes amid a fierce senate contest between incumbent Republican Ted Cruz, a prominent Trump-supporter, and Beto O’Rourke, a Democratic candidate tipped by some as a future presidential candidate. Elliott Morris, an elections specialist at The Economist, noted turnout thus far in Texas’ 15 biggest counties had surpassed total early voting turnouts in 2014. “Can't overstate how crazy this level of engagement is for a midterm,” he said on Twitter.

A national poll, released on Monday by the Institute of Politics at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, found 40 per cent of 18-29 year-olds plan to "definitely vote" – double the 2014 figure – while 66 per cent of young respondents said they would vote Democrat. Georgia, a state facing voter suppression claims, has similarly seen 19-28 voter turnout up 476 per cent, African-American early voting up 165 per cent, and Hispanic turnout up a massive 571 per cent, according to data provided by TargetSmart.

The numbers also reveal early voting in Texas and Georgia among the over 65s and white people, two traditional Republican blocs, is significantly up, though not as dramatically as young people. While the numbers suggest a surge in early voting enthusiasm – especially among young people and ethnic minorities – the data does not reveal how these groups are voting, or even what the final vote count will be. It is possible a significant number of people who would always have voted are casting their ballot earlier than in previous years, rather than the rise being down to citizens who failed to vote in 2014. Nonetheless, the surge in young early voters will be seen as a boon to Democratic candidates battling their Republican counterparts and a president in Donald Trump who has attempted to cast the 6 November elections as a referendum on his performance. In Pennsylvania, Nevada, Florida and Arizona – all traditional battleground states – young voting so far has at least doubled, and in the case of Pennsylvania, is up four-fold. The four states have also all seen rises in the African-America vote, as well as Caucasian votes and the over 65s.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/worl ... 09916.html

It's good to see young voters at the polls, but we don't know anything about how they are voting we don't have that data.
"Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts." - Daniel Patrick Moynihan

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This is such a strange midterm. Anyone who claims to forecast the outcome is just best-guessing. High voter turnout is usually good for the non-Republicans.

While non-Retrumplican voting is insanely high in GA, the Retrumplican voters are also jacked up and voting. I assume it is the same in TX, TN, PA, NV, AZ, and other states.

We will know some answers next week. Some state races will go to runoffs in December. We will see some surprises and some disappointments. I am in GA and am used to disappointment.
It is an unfortunate human failing that a full pocketbook often groans more loudly than an empty stomach.

- Franklin D. Roosevelt

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Even President Donald Trump isn't prepared to say the Republican Party will hold the House of Representatives in Tuesday's midterm election. In an interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network on Air Force One on Wednesday, Trump expressed confidence that his party would keep control of the Senate but stopped short of saying the same for the House. "I think we'll win the Senate, and I think we're gonna do well on the House," Trump said.
https://www.thisisinsider.com/trump-won ... ms-2018-11
"Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts." - Daniel Patrick Moynihan

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