Posted on 03/21/2018 1:49:56 PM PDT by Kaslin
I'm perplexed why many in Republican circles are rationalizing and dismissing the gravity of the Democratic victory in the recent special election in Pennsylvania's 18th district.
My sentiments are more with Newt Gingrich, who is cautioning Republicans to view this as a wake-up call to a possible disaster in the fall elections in which the Congress could flip to Democrat control.
Pennsylvania's 18th congressional district is a poster child of Trump voters. As widely noted, Trump won this district by 20 points in 2016.
The district's electorate is 94 percent white, compared with 70 percent nationwide. In 2016, Trump won the white vote 58 percent to 37 percent. These are white working-class voters, exactly the voters who played a central role in flipping a number of blue states into the red column in 2016 and delivering the White House to Donald Trump.
So what happened in this election?
Some have suggested that Conor Lamb, the Democrat victor, essentially ran as a conservative and a Republican, and this explains his success.
If this is the case, then I've got some work to do to re-think my sense of what it means to be a conservative and a Republican.
Lamb was out front criticizing the tax cut bill just passed in the Republican congress, without a single Democratic vote, and signed into law by Trump.
According to Lamb, the tax bill was a "giveaway," most of which just went to and benefitted the "1 percent" -- the wealthiest families in America.
Perhaps our new young congressman missed the news in the Bureau of Labor Statistics February jobs report reporting the addition of 313,000 new jobs -- far above the average monthly jobs gain during this recent economic recovery. And more than 800,000 Americans joined the work force, which, according to The Wall Street Journal, was "the largest one-month labor-pool increase since 1983."
I can assure Conor Lamb that these hundreds of thousands going back to work as result of a freer economy and easing of a punishing tax code are not in the wealthiest 1 percent.
Lamb devoted a full campaign ad to attacking Paul Ryan's work to generate ideas to reform Social Security and Medicare.
Lamb said that working Americans "expect us to keep our promises to them."
This is liberal boilerplate, not Republican talking points.
We are already breaking our promises to working Americans. Social Security and Medicare Trustees report unfunded liabilities of Social Security and Medicare at more than $60 trillion, more than triple our GDP. These are benefits promised to Social Security and Medicare recipients for which there is no money. The system is broken and Paul Ryan is trying to find ways to fix it.
It shows Lamb's political skills that somehow he managed to create the impression that he is pro-life. Saying you are personally opposed to abortion but stating zero intention to work to change the current abortion laws in American, which is Lamb's position, translates into being pro-abortion.
Two of Newt's recommendations for addressing this looming electoral challenge facing Republicans are particularly worthy of attention.
First, start an intense national awareness building campaign about Republican and conservative values, with clarity about how they will help every American. Everyone should understand the moral and fiscal bankruptcy to which the liberal secular state is taking us and how God-given truths and freedom, which defined our founding, made American great and are vital for keeping it great.
Second, Republicans must expand the party base. Gingrich rightly points out the critical importance that Republicans build support among minorities.
There is great potential here. In 2016, 1.3 million blacks, 8 percent, voted for President Trump. However, according to Pew Research, although 10 percent of black Christian Protestants self-identify as Republicans, 36 percent identify as politically conservative. This spells opportunity -- if the work is done.
Because the 18th won’t even exist as it did in November. Saccone will be redrawn back into a “safe” GOP seat and Lamb will have to run again in a presumably safe democrat seat. The warnings about how “important” PA-18 were were always stupid.
Lamb ran as Pro God, Pro Gun Anti Pelosie.
If that isn’t “Conservative” boiler plate, what is?
GOP loss of PA-18 was mostly due to Tim Murphy’s sexual depravity.
O and I forgot, he also made a bit deal that he was a “law and order” Marine Veteran.
We need to get good candidates who will run on the Trump agenda.
This morning Rush Limbaugh pointed out that Conor Lamb did not have to run in a Democrat primary. That is why he was able to say that he is a conservative Democrat. Lamb will vote exactly the same way the Nancy Pelosi votes.
All Ronna Romney’s good for is fundraising. May already be too late but we need someone who’s going to fight for every race.
So, are republicans going to have to start promising free Obamaphones?
Turnout was actually pretty good, 44% countywide and 51% in our precinct.
Lamb is already looking for another district to run in come November. Saccone may very well do the same. Murphy's former constituents will be split into four new districts thanks to the Pennsylvania Supremes deciding they could do the Legislature's job.
Any chance the Democrat machine in the part of Allegheny County included in the district played a part in the win?
She is just doing the bidding of Mitt and the GOPe. They are determined to get back control of the party, even if it means throwing the fight. Except for Trump, the GOP is pretty much useless at this point.
I would love some of the “experts”, like this author, to do some analysis as to how often a district flips when the incumbent party has the incumbent politician in the seat resigns due to scandal.
FYI,
It is almost impossible to win a seat where the incumbent resigns due to scandal. The GOP even flipped a dark blue seat in NO after Katrina due to a Dem scandal.
Ryan and McConnell want to be in the minority.
Is the Pope Catholic? Well, fair question, so let me rephrase-- was Pope John Paul II Catholic?
bfl
The Dems ran a cleancut, well-dressed, young, energetic guy who blew enough conservative dog whistles about Pelosi, gun control, etc. to distract conservatives from positions on a broad spectrum of conservative issues. A new generation of Dems has figured out what Bill Clinton knew: Dems can win by pretending to be other than their real selves.
The Republicans ran an oldish, flabby white guy, who did came across as tired, unorganized, unskilled at campaigning, and lacking any fresh, compelling reason to elect him. You can’t beat something with nothing. (That might be unfair, but it’s the impression I got without following the election closely).
Not the least bit surprising that Republican Party insiders recruit candidates just like themselves, and see no problem to be solved. It took an outsider to win in 2016. Until the leadership changes, the R’s are in trouble.
Both will run in different districts in Novemeber, so, what, exactly was “lost?”
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