Yes! Also, but only for people who die before 2020. For the rest of us, No!
- The Midterms certainly had historic importance.
Reports from before the Midterm election appropriately recognized that the outcome could hardly be more important for the future of our deeply affected and distressed national institutions, under Trump, his appointees and his GOP enablers. The Washington Post put it very directly, speculating about Why 2018 may be the most important election of our lifetime, and noting the potential for the outcome to signal the beginning of the end for Trump and Trumpism.
Yea, Team Democrat! Go Blue! Sis Boom Bah! Rah! Rah! Rah! But . . . .
Actually, the upcoming primaries and general elections of 2020 will be the most important of our lifetimes.
- The 2018 Midterms Set the Stage
To be sure, this topic probably is only worth discussing because of the Democratic successes of the 2018 Midterms. If Trumpism had romped to victory in 2018, it is unclear whether our democratic institutions would have survived two more years of voter endorsed, unified GOP rule under Trump.
Democrats enjoyed many historic achievements in 2018, in numbers of candidates, in number of voters, in diversity, in progressive ideas and in political control, all over the map. Yet, at this point, Democratic gains remain primarily defensive. Democrats scored historically in their ability to investigate and shed light on some of Trump and the GOP’s worst corruption, abuses and terrible policy ideas. We also gained historic powers in a few State capitols. Still, until 2020, Democrats face widespread, insurmountable GOP obstruction of our ability to immediately roll back the Trumpian corruption and abuse, much less enact our own, superior policies. We must still wait for our party to capture more levers of Federal power and expand Democratic influence in State Houses all over America.
A long game is necessary. Not to ignore life and death consequences of politics, it can and should be a wonderful game. Politics could be my favorite game. You win by having the largest team and there is no limit on how many players you can have on your team. You have a single match and find out which team won on and after election day. Great fun and an outcome worth playing for hard. Ideally. Theoretically.
But none of that is so, unless the playing field is level. It isn’t, though. The field hasn’t been level since at least back when the (erstwhile) Hammer of the GOP House Tom Delay, showed national Republicans how to tilt things when he engineered the Great Gerrymander of Texas Congressional seats in 2003. Since then, the GOP has conjured a mythological fraudulent voter to deceive their base and further tip the playing field in GOP favor, actual voter sentiment be damned. Meanwhile, in Presidential elections, that vestige of slaveholder negotiation, the Electoral College, keeps its own thumb on the scale, also in favor of disproportional GOP influence.
- The Midterms were Spring Training. 2020 is the Regular Season.
So, nothwithstanding Democrats notable 2018 victories, it becomes even harder, now. That means that for the 2020 Election, we are all women and minorities: Democrats must strive twice as hard to do half as well. The kind of work, progress and enthusiasm that underlay the 2018 victories for Democrats must be bumped up a lot for 2020. We must field even more and even better candidates, for more offices, at every level. We must unify behind a quality, articulate, experienced and principled progressive Presidential candidate who can offer America a clear choice against Trump. We must raise money like crazy.
With regard to fundraising, a special case may exist for 2020 — Democratic no-PAC, small donor fundraising. The record breaking pace Democrats set for 2018 needs to be boosted significantly for the coming Presidential year. However, Democrats’ need for such funding may occur against a backdrop of a faltering economy, even a recession, in no small part resulting from GOP policies and Trump’s tariffs, as the election approaches less than two years hence. Ordinary folks face a lot of demands on their limited income, in the best of times. Whatever passes for the GOP brain trust must have figured out that small dollar fundraising by the Democrats is a problem for them. Some of them may welcome the economic slowdown that probably awaits America in the next two years, if it dries up the disposable income people draw upon to fund Democratic candidates.
So, buckle up, Buttercup. A long, hard, expensive slog lies ahead. The time to start your own campaign or start searching for primary candidates to support starts now. In the meantime, set aside whatever nickels and dimes you can to help small-fund the campaigns of the candidates who will soon become known. It only seems like 2019 is about to start. Actually, 2020 is here, now. The. Most. Important. Election. Of. Our. Lifetime.