D +70 seats in house
Senate retaken
....and parity in state governorships.
It does seem hackish but I'm not a registered Democrat. I think Trump is the spark that brings about a huge increase in Civic participation, especially for an ascending generation that by 2018 will eclipse Boomers for the first time ever.
What you have is a situation where the perfect storm is forming for many different reasons and not just the reason aforementioned above. Had any other Republican been elected, it wouldn't of happened tho.
Maybe if Jeb/Christie/Kasich had been elected and tried to govern from the center, no one would've cared, but do you think that if a Tea Party candidate had been elected and implemented far-right policy reforms with Goldwater-style zero compromise (unlike Reagan/GWB who tried to compromise), no one would have noticed?
Probably not if they behaved themselves. Bush lied about Iraq then got re elected and increased GOP majorities in both Houses in 2004. Why? Because Bush was affable and cunning.
Trump is not....he just makes things up as he goes along and it's obvious.
The thing about Trump is that he's fundamentally a repulsive human being and hating someone is a far greater electoral motivator. No matter what Trump does, even with good intentions, it's seen as a scam or con and there's nothing the GOP can do to change voters perceptions of that. The tax bill is one example....maybe the bill isn't that bad, but because Trump is unpopular, a known huckster, and wealthy, people assume it's a con job to enrich himself. No other GOP candidate would of brought such suspicion or evoked such distaste
Trump's personality and behavior are really 90% of people's motivation to vote against the GOP. Most people don't even care about the policies or positions. It's just: " uh, that vile man!"
