GA-06 and SC-05 election day & results thread

[hueylong]

Among early vote, signs that Ossoff campaign has succeeded in turning out more Asian and Hispanic voters. Black vote is up by more than 7000, though black voters account for a smaller overall percentage of the early vote than they did in April (about 1.1% less).

[hueylong]

Regardless of outcome, we're sure to see a ton of hot (and hyperbolic) takes. Should be amusing and/or really frustrating.

[hueylong]

Depressing and still somehow encouraging.

[hueylong]

Politico's model only looks at fully completed precincts.

[hueylong]

Pelosi is good at her job.

Demonstrably far more competent than Ryan, in that she can actually get her people to fall in line and vote and pass legislation on a consistent basis.

That's why she's there, and why she'll likely be there for the foreseeable future.

[hueylong]

Not just gonna be one of those people who smugly dissect everything about Ossoff's campaign with their perfect 20/20 hindsight, but one thing he could've done better (from everything that I've seen, which is quite a lot) is really hammer Handel on some of the comments she's made. She's said some disgusting and unpopular stuff, but I don't think Ossoff utilized that enough. Like, it's not unreasonable to expect that calling LGBT relationships/adoption less legitimate should hurt a candidate, considering support for gay marriage and LGBT rights are literally at all time highs. Add in her gaffes like 'livable wage' and man it seems like he didn't capitalize on this aspect enough.

[hueylong]

Worst part of a Handle victory (besides the inevitable obnoxious Trump tweets) would be Republicans in Congress feeling far more confident about going through with Ocare repeal. Everything else is secondary - still nothing to suggest anything but a positive environment for Dems and morale may dip for a little while but rebound soon enough.

[hueylong]

Worst part of a Handle victory (besides the inevitable obnoxious Trump tweets) would be Republicans in Congress feeling far more confident about going through with Ocare repeal. Everything else is secondary - still nothing to suggest anything but a positive environment for Dems and morale may dip for a little while but rebound soon enough.

For me that would be the best part ...

Great! For tens of millions of Americans it would prove disastrous.

[hueylong]

If Republicans do go through with full repeal, they will absolutely pay. No amount of screaming about Pelosi will help when people start literally dying because of the changes they've implemented. They're still riding on the shock that was November and this result will only add to their confidence and legitimize (in their eyes) the idea that they are immune to consequences. Misguided, obviously. You're always invulnerable - until you're not.

[hueylong]

The result in one district is in no way indicative of the national mood. The entire point is to take multiple results and extrapolate from there; you're supposed to consider them all collectively, not cherry-pick to justify what you believe to be true because you want to feel good. If we do that (not cherry-pick), then we see a clear national shift toward the Democrats. One disappointing result doesn't change that. I'm disappointed and sick of 'moral victories' myself, but looking at this analytically, I'm optimistic about the midterms and other future elections.

[hueylong]

Trump's approval ratings continue to decline, there are multiple crises which are going unaddressed because of this administration's incompetence, the Republicans are inexplicably messing with healthcare and are intent on passing a bill with <20% support nationwide and virtually no support whatsoever from any major medical organizations, important positions related to national security and emergency preparedness/responsiveness are still unfilled, Trump is already facing pressure from a gleeful Putin who's fully aware of our president's incompetence, he's facing the biggest political scandal since Watergate and is now personally under investigation, and all of that is just scratching the surface.

Yeah...

MAGA, am I right?

[hueylong]

Trump's approval ratings continue to decline, there are multiple crises which are going unaddressed because of this administration's incompetence, the Republicans are inexplicably messing with healthcare and are intent on passing a bill with <20% support nationwide and virtually no support whatsoever from any major medical organizations, important positions related to national security and emergency preparedness/responsiveness are still unfilled, Trump is already facing pressure from a gleeful Putin who's fully aware of our president's incompetence, he's facing the biggest political scandal since Watergate and is now personally under investigation, and all of that is just scratching the surface.

Yeah...

MAGA, am I right?

None of that will matter when Democrats can't win because less and less people vote.

I don't know what you mean by this. Democrats are excited and turning out, and they won't be the only ones motivated to vote if and when the Republicans decide to go all the way with their monstrosity of a bill.

Side note: Ossoff isn't going anywhere. There's a mass tendency among political commentators/observers to discount first-time candidates who lose in this fashion, but he's talented and this isn't the end for him by any stretch of the imagination. Handel herself is surely enjoying her victory tonight, but to be blunt she was a loser before this. I think if he plays his cards right he has a bright future.

[hueylong]

The Dems just lost a sh*t-ton of money, lmao.

Individuals, sure. But the party as a whole is totally fine monetarily. The financial effect is basically negligible going forward. Huge portion of Ossoff's war chest came from many small donors across the country. So maybe some people are sitting at home tonight and feeling like they wasted $20. That's really it. No big deal. Situation isn't bad because 'omg Dems just spent a lot of their money and wasted it', there will always be more money. It's bad solely because the amount of money spent obviously did not improve Ossoff's chances.

[hueylong]

Why are dems so self loathing? You complain that you never win anything, but you know what winners don't do? Constantly feel sorry for themselves and bitch about how they're doomed and can never come back

I've said the exact opposite, as I believe have many other posters. I'm actually very optimistic about our long-term prospects as a party (though I remain dreadfully pessimistic about the overall future of the country). You're right, this attitude is annoying and totally unproductive. Self-reflection is one thing, but I have little patience for the miserable self-deprecation my fellow Dems so frequently indulge in.

If Senate GOP passes repeal bill that even slightly resembles version that passed the house, they're finished after that like Dems were in 2010. It truly is as simple as that. Spoiler alert: People don't tolerate others messing with their healthcare, especially when they make it considerably worse. To deny that basic point shows a basic failure and inability to learn from the past.

[hueylong]

1) Oh man, Bush lied about Iraq and its turning into a quagmire
2) Oh man, Bush totally trashed the economy. GOP will NEVER be elected again

These two things directly led to the Democratic landslide of '08, so... yeah. They were fatal errors both politically and from a more policy-oriented POV. I can't even tell if you're being serious right now. Also, I was specifically addressing healthcare and the history of attempts at healthcare reform which invariably end up exacting a serious price for the party taking action.