The Post spoke with Christie Roberts, executive director of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, who said the key to treading water in this difficult environment was simple: “Our theory of the case from the beginning was we assumed that this was going to be a very tough election for us,” she said. “We had to utterly discredit and disqualify our opponents.”
And that’s where Trump came in. After all, who could possibly be better at finding awful human beings than the worst human being on the planet? The Washington Post:
The Democrats planted early stories about past criticism of Trump by former North Carolina governor Pat McCrory (R), aiming to push Trump to endorse someone less electable in the state’s Senate primary. (The successful nominee, Ted Budd, went on to win Tuesday.) They built up the idea in the press that Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R) might run for Senate, prompting Trump to lash out and make clear his opposition; Ducey passed on running.
They handed out other hit pieces against Ohio GOP chairwoman Jane Timken and Pennsylvania Senate contender Dave McCormick, mining their old public comments for any criticism that might raise Trump’s ire. The committee even subscribed to a service that allowed for constant monitoring of right-wing radio, so divisions could be picked up early and amplified.
The Post described this strategy as “opposition research as psychological warfare, directed at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club and Bedminster, N.J., golf resort.” And in at least one case—and maybe two, depending on the final results in Arizona—the GOP’s homegrown toxicity and penchant for elevating awful people likely saved Democrats a Senate seat. Imagine if New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu had run against Sen. Maggie Hassan instead of Trump-backed, flip-flopping election denier Don Bolduc.
Ultimately, the GOP candidates Democrats most feared facing, like Ducey and New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, declined to enter the race, giving them a fighting chance to hold the Senate. Sununu, the most popular politician in his state, had been targeted early by the DSCC with attacks on his abortion record. He ultimately blamed fellow Republicans for his decision.
In fact, Sununu had tentatively decided to throw his hat in the ring, but Republicans’ stalwart devotion to all things evil seems to have dissuaded him: “I was going to run,” Sununu said in October before acknowledging that senators in his own party made him think twice. “Man, they are the worst used-car salesman you ever heard. They said all the wrong things. I had one U.S. senator start talking about how much vacation time they got.”
Ultimately, Trump’s Macy’s balloon-sized specter may have driven a skittish nation into the arms of Democrats, but the ochre abomination also gave us a direct assist by helping secure a slate of truly awful candidates—Dr. Mehmet Oz and Derp Herschel Walker spring immediately to mind—who ran terrible campaigns. And Walker’s not even done embarrassing himself. How many new abortion stories do you suppose will come to light about Walker in the next month? I’ll put the over/under at a baker’s dozen.
By the way, this is a pretty good video summation of my mood leading up to the midterms and through Tuesday night:
Yes, The Simpsons always predicts the future—one way or another.
And here you thought the midterms were over. Oh, no. Raphael Warnock is still defending his Senate seat, and what happens next could determine control of the chamber for the next two years. If you can—and if you aren’t too tired of saving America—rush a donation to Warnock now. Let’s finish up strong!
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Check out Aldous J. Pennyfarthing’s four-volume Trump-trashing compendium, including the finale, Goodbye, Asshat: 101 Farewell Letters to Donald Trump, at this link. Or, if you prefer a test drive, you can download the epilogue to Goodbye, Asshat for the low, low price of FREE.
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