GAinDC
Jr. Member
Posts: 1,328
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« on: March 04, 2024, 11:31:56 AM » |
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« edited: March 04, 2024, 03:28:07 PM by GAinDC »
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My first attempt at political fan fic! Enjoy these dueling scenarios and let me know what you think:
Democrats Defy Expectations, but Don't Escape the Six Year Itch.
Republicans have retaken the U.S. House of Representatives and have expanded their majority in the U.S. Senate after voters, weary from six years of the Biden Administration, a lagging economy, and continued controversy around the legal troubles of former President Trump, powered a strong Republican performance.
At press time, Democrats have lost 15 seats, with several outstanding races yet to be called. Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan lost narrowly to Peter Miejer, the first Republican elected to the U.S. Senate from the state in decades. Meanwhile, Republicans flipped the governorship here and in Wisconsin, where Governor Gretchen Whitmer, widely believed to be the 2028 presidential front runner, was term limited, and Gov. Tony Evers opted not to run for reelection.
However, Democrats’ losses so far are below what many pundits and polls predicted – in what some are calling a replay of the 2022 midterm cycle. in many races, Democrats showed surprising strength, a sign that Trump's hold on the Republican Party, his legal woes, and his ongoing refusal to once again accept defeat in the extremely close 2024 election, also weighted heavily on independent voters. Sen. Jon Ossoff of Georgia, widely believed to be headed for defeat against Republican nominee, Governor Brian Kemp, is headed for a runoff. Many voters claim Kemp's reluctance to forcefully repudiate Trump after his repeated attempts to overturn the state's election results raised questions about his independence and integrity in Washington -- qualities that became central to his brand as Georgia's governor.
Still, the effects of this year's economic recession and elevated unemployment clearly harmed Democrats and gave Republicans a fresh attack on the Biden Administration's record.
"I am still very concerned by President Trump's hold on the Republican party, even while under house arrest," said Randy Jacobson, a single dad and accountant from Milwaukee, "but Biden is the President now, and Hakeem Jeffries is the Speaker. They touted their jobs record in the last election, and this year, they failed to keep up that momentum. I think that now we need a better balance in Washington to reduce spending and get our economy moving again."
Other voters also blamed Democrats for not acting quickly or forcefully enough to restore abortion rights. "[Democrats] said in '24 that they would restore Roe, but women are still waiting," said Carmen Gonzales from Las Vegas. "I voted this year, but many of my friends didn’t, and my faith in the party has dropped."
Former Speaker Mike Johnson, widely believed to regain the gavel, has made the economy his top priority. But lingering divisions within the party over Trump, AI, climate change, and the remnants of Project 2025, threaten to derail his focus from the very beginning of the next Congress.
Amid New Voting Restrictions, Job Losses, and Ongoing Legal Questions, Midterm Voters Express Fatigue and Frustration with MAGA
Democrats are headed for a clear victory in this year’s midterm election, despite – or perhaps due to – a push by President Trump and his allies to enact stricter voting laws in response to the disputed 2024 election.
Over the last two years, MAGA strongholds like Florida, Ohio, and Oklahoma passed “anti fraud” laws deemed necessary by Trump but decried as suppression and downright fascist by Democrats and other Trump critics. A key component of “Project 25,” several of these laws also allow for alternate slates of electors, a key controversy in the 2024 race Trump narrowly won.
Weighed down by these polarizing laws and a slumping economy, Republicans so far have lost 25 seats in the House of Representatives, which flips the chamber to the Democrats. However, Speaker Mike Johnson so far has refused to admit defeat and is calling for recounts in several key states where he claims fraud was rampant. President Trump has also echoed these claims.
In the Senate, Democrats held on to competitive seats in Georgia, Michigan, New Mexico and New Hampshire. Rep. Jared Golden also flipped Maine’s senate seat, which was vacated by longtime Senator Susan Collins. In North Carolina, former Dem Rep. Jeff Jackson and Sen. Thom Tillis are stuck in a razor thin contest that is too close to call.
Democrats also celebrated a historic win in Georgia, as Rep. Lucy McBath won the state’s gubernatorial election, becoming the first Black women to be elected governor in the U.S., and the first Democrat elected governor in the state since 1998.
The Peach State, home to over 11 million people, exemplifies the Republicans’ struggles. Trump narrowly won the state in 2024, but many voters expressed anger at the president’s attempts to evade his sentencing after a conviction under DA Fani Willis.
Nancy Glassman, an independent voter from Alpharetta, summed up many voters’ frustrations: “I agree with many of Trump’s policies, especially law and order. However, he needs to practice what he preaches. He was convicted here, and he needs to serve his time. He’s spent so much energy trying to avoid house arrest and attacking people like Willis and Biden that he has kept his eye off of the economy. I voted for Democrats to send a message that he is not above the law and that he needs to focus on jobs – not revenge.”
Meanwhile, Earl Perkins, a small business owner from Tifton, in the southern part of the state, remained loyal to the embattled President. “That whole trial and all the others were a sham, and that’s why voters saw through it all in 2024. He can’t be under house arrest while he’s working hard to clean up the economic mess that Democrats created.”
Asked if he supported Trump running for an unprecedented third term, an unconstitutional overreach but one the President has remained open to, Perkins demurred. “That’s up to Trump. If he wants to run again, I’ll support him.”
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