HERE AT BALLADEER’S BLOG I USED TO RUN THIS ITEM EVERY FEW YEARS. IT’S ABOUT THE WAY BOTH MAJOR POLITICAL PARTIES – AND MANY OF THEIR VOTERS – DRASTICALLY OVERREACT TO ELECTION RESULTS. The words below have reflected my effort to cheer up the losing party and temper the gloating of the winning party ever since 2012. Here we go:
“As an Independent Voter here in the United States you get to see this all the time. Permit me to recap some of the noteworthy – and utterly hilarious – overreactions of Democrats and Republicans to election results of the recent past.
“1986 – THE PANIC: The midterm elections in Republican Ronald Reagan’s second term went heavily against the Republicans. Democrats gloated that this proved that Ronald Reagan had been rebuked for all time and Republicans would have to be ashamed to even mention his name unless they were condemning him. ”
“THE REALITY: In 1988 Reagan’s own Vice President – George H.W. Bush – was elected president by trouncing Democrat Mike Dukakis. *** Republicans gloated that this proved the Reagan Era would go on indefinitely. Democrats panicked about what they could do to be competitive in the future.
1992: Democrat Bill Clinton was elected president by trouncing George H.W. Bush about as badly as Bush had trounced Dukakis.
“1994 – THE PANIC: The midterm elections in Democrat Bill Clinton’s first presidential term went DRASTICALLY against the Democrats and in favor of the Republicans. Democrats panicked and insisted that this meant no second term for Bill Clinton and that in 1996 the Republicans would no doubt have the presidency plus both houses of Congress. Democrats were wallowing in despair wondering how they would ever again be viable in national elections. *** Republicans gloated that the heavy losses would teach Democrats to distance themselves from Bill Clinton and the Liberal Left if they wanted to be competitive in the future.
“THE REALITY: The Democrats GAINED congressional seats in the 1996 election and Bill Clinton won a second term by trouncing Republican Bob Dole.
“1996 – THE PANIC: After losing the presidential election in an embarrassing rout and losing seats in congressional races the Republicans panicked, convinced Newt Gingrich’s Contract With America was to blame for their reverses. Republicans were wallowing in despair wondering how they would ever again be viable in national elections. *** Liberals gloated that the heavy losses would teach Republicans to distance themselves from Conservatives and the Religious Right if they wanted to be competitive in the future.
“THE REALITY: Just four years later George W Bush, a man closely associated with the Religious Right, became president. Republicans gloated that this meant they should make sure to run candidates who wore their religion on their sleeve and who embraced “traditional Conservative values”.
2004 – The Republicans had picked up congressional seats and governorships in the 2002 midterm elections, but going into 2004 Democrats were confident they could retake the White House.
Liberals were convinced the entire country hated George W Bush and thought he was “worse than Hitler” just because they did. Dan Rather exemplified how shady American “journalism” had become by using faked documents to try to bring Bush down. Exit polls supported the notion that John Kerry would defeat George W Bush and become president.
THE REALITY: Bush won reelection, sending Liberals into despair and causing them to make their usual childish claims that they would move to Canada. Democrats paniced and said this proved America had become “Jesusland” as they called it and insisted the United States would be a Christian theocracy by 2008.
Republicans gloated, boasted that America had “decisively rejected” leftism and claimed Democrats would need to distance themselves from the Left if they ever again wanted to be viable in national elections.
2008 – THE PANIC: Barack Obama was elected to the presidency despite the fact that his every opinion and position was a parroting of the kind of Leftism that Republicans had deluded themselves into thinking Americans had decisively rejected. Republicans paniced and felt this proved America was becoming a Communist nation. *** Democrats gloated that Obama’s election meant America was permanently Liberal and would never again be “misled” by religious Conservatives.
2012 – THE PANIC: Barack Obama was reelected, defeating Republican Mitt Romney. Democrats gloated that this proved calling Republicans Nazis was a permanent winning strategy and the Republicans would never again be competitive in presidential races with a candidate who was a businessman.
THE REALITY: If you don’t remember, a businessman candidate named … (checks notes) Donald Trump was elected president in 2016.
2014 – THE PANIC: In the midterm elections of Barack Obama’s second term, the Democrats were massively blown out. Democrats paniced. Republicans gloated and insisted this proved Barack Obama had been rebuked for all time and Democrats would have to be ashamed to even mention his name unless they were condemning him. Republicans felt he’d be forever remembered as the man whose presidency was the nail in the coffin of leftism in America.
So anyway, this was a bit of levity regarding the fact that NO elections – especially not midterm elections – accurately reflect how the next elections will go.
