The conventional wisdom, going into this evening, was that Dems were going to get their butts kicked. The polling averages all showed significant GOP leads. Certain blue-state governorships, and a few normally-safe Democratic Senate seats, thought to be in jeopardy. While the Dems were thought to have a decent shot at keeping the Senate, the House was likely gone, and this was shaping up to be viewed as a massive repudiation of the party and of President Biden. We were too woke, too concerned about the plights of minorities both ethnic and sexual. Not concerned enough about the needs of “normies”, of “real Americans”, as though Democratic voters don’t really count. And pundit after pundit, I’m sure, had articles ready to go about how the Democratic Party needed to tack hard to the center, to tell Black Americans once again to wait, to tell labor to quit whining and get your nose to the grindstone, and to prepare for the ascendency of a new gilded age, a new Jim Crow, or possibly even worse.
While the GOP may still end up with control of the House—it looks like the Senate will stay in Dem hands, with a one-seat pickup not unlikely and a two-seat pickup still possible (though Ron Johnson most likely will survive, unfortunately). No governorship has so far moved blue to red; even the one in the most peril (Oregon’s Tina Kotek, who has had to deal with a strong third-party spoiler on the ballot) has a narrow lead. And if the GOP does seize the gavel from Nancy Pelosi—the margin will be a handful of votes, not 30 seats or more.
So all things considered, an excellent night for Team Blue.
And we’ve got the kids to thank for it. A round of applause for Gen Z who did what liberal boomers failed to do in 1968 and 1972, what my generation failed to do in 2000, and what many Millenials failed to do six years ago. They showed up at the polls and kicked some major ass.
A round of applause.
Which means—instead of centrist wankers writing about how the Dems need to throw their base under the bus once again—I will write about how the Dems need to reward their young supporters. And you don’t have to subscribe to my Substack (which I don’t have anyway) to read it!
* First of all, if we get the House—a federal law guaranteeing the right to choose. Fuck the filibuster, get it done. Possibly SCOTUS might toss it out, but do it anyway. Dobbs is why they showed up. We need to ensure, as much as we can, that their faith is rewarded.
* Second, Gen Z (and our millenial cohort, which also did well for us but weren’t as much of a surprise) need FAR more representation in the party’s organizational structure. Time for a few old warhorses to step aside. This country, like any country, should belong to its young, who will have to live here for a long time, not to the older generation with one foot in the grave. And like I’ve said previously—seniority rules may be a good way to run a union, but it’s not a good way to run a political party.
* Third and last (for now), we need to listen to them, including here at Kos. I’m a gen Xer, north of 50, and I still feel like I’m one of the younger ones here. Blogs don’t really seem to be a zoomer thing, but the issues and battles that motivate them might be different than the things that motivate us old fogies. This might end up being a transformative election in US politics, much like the aftermath of the 1960s, when the old fights and coalitions that defined our politics might become obsolete. What that will look like, I don’t know.
I’m proud of my oldest son, who voted in his second election, and whose old man was proud to hand-deliver his ballot to him (I live in the Portland area, he goes to college in Eugene, 100 miles away). My other boys are too young to vote this time around, but will be voting in 2024—and were very interested in this election.
But tonight, Old Man Withers was defeated by a bunch of young kids, and their dog too. And we must honor, respect, and repay this service to our country, with action and not empty words.
Onward!