NEWS AND OPINION:
The day after a big election is typically packed with overblown media coverage, emotional commentary, argument, jubilation, cautionary tales, dread — and multiple reminders that a presidential bout is just around the corner.
That’s the case in 2018, as it was in past midterm elections. It’s part of midterm culture.
So what was said the morning after the 2010 midterms? Eight years ago, Sarah Palin and the tea party uprising commanded center stage. There was change afoot. Here’s a summation by The Guardian, published on Nov. 3, 2010.
“Barack Obama was today facing a harsh new U.S. political reality in the wake of one of the worst Democratic defeats for 70 years. In midterm election races across America, Republicans pummelled their opponents, capturing the House of Representatives and a fistful of Senate seats. The Republicans picked up at least 60 House seats, eclipsing their 54 gains in 1994 and the party’s best result since 1938. They also gained at least six Senate seats, falling short of the 10 they needed to gain control of the upper house. It was a remarkable comeback from two years ago, when many experts expected the party to endure a long time in the political wilderness in the wake of Obama’s emphatic 2008 presidential election victory,” the British newspaper said.
“Instead, Obama faces a hard political lesson after a hammering that wiped away the last vestiges of the euphoria that swept him to the White House. The political momentum has swung to the rightwing tea party movement, which energized the Republican base and notched up a string of high-profile victories.”
AND MORE MIDTERMS: THE DAY AFTER IN 2014
Now, where were we during midterm season four years ago? Here’s another reminder of a midterm of yore.
“The GOP just won big in a wave election. But while it was pretty clearly a wave, the raw numbers are going to be significantly less overwhelming for the GOP than they were in the 2010 wave — especially when it comes to governors races and the House, where GOP gains will be a fraction of what they were four years ago (63 seats),” noted The Washington Post on Nov. 5, 2014.
“Even considering that, though, the 2014 election still looks very similar to 2010 — and in some ways, better for Republicans — for a host of reasons. First off, if you look at the exit polls, most of the demographic splits are within a point or two of the Republican-Democratic split in 2010,” The Post said.
“The GOP’s overall ballot lead was 52 to 47 on Tuesday (five points), vs. 52 to 45 in 2010 (seven points). The GOP lost a little ground among women, but did just as well among men. The GOP also did modestly better among African-Americans and much better among Asian-Americans, but did worse among Latinos.”
TRUMP’S POWER ECONOMY STILL RESONATES
“Despite the fact that the mainstream media has largely ignored the booming economy, the public hasn’t. They are witnessing first hand how their lives have improved in the two years since voters handed Trump the presidency,” reports a new Investors Business Daily poll which reveals that the public is more optimistic about the economy, less financially stressed, less worried about jobs, more satisfied with the direction of the country, and happier with the federal government’s economic policies than they were in November 2016.
“Democrats are so virulently anti-Trump that they refuse to see what’s right in front of them. Take the question of whether the economy is improving or not. Two years ago, 81 percent of Democrats claimed that it was, despite all the evidence to the contrary. In the latest IBD/TIPP poll, however, just 27 percent of Democrats believe the economy is improving. But 92 percent of Republicans and 52 percent of independents now say it’s getting better. What can possibly explain the huge gap except abject hatred of President Trump?”
J-CPAC: THE CONSERVATIVE MESSAGE IN JAPAN
While turmoil continues on the U.S. political landscape, the American Conservative Union is taking its message overseas. For the second year in a row, the organization has organized an outreach in Japan — affectionately called J-CPAC. It’s a strategic offshoot of its influential Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), the annual gathering of some 13,000 enthusiasts who reaffirm that conservative values are alive, well and resilient.
J-CPAC, which begins next week in Tokyo, features two days of intense discussion on the complex implications of the midterm elections, problems with media accuracy and bias, U.S. relations with Asia, the evolving situation on the Korean peninsula, and the persistent signs of Chinese economic and military expansionism.
“Liberty and democracy in Asia, which were heavily damaged under the Obama administration, is recovering since the inauguration of President Trump,” the organizers note.
Among those on the extensive speakers roster: Mick Mulvaney, director of the White House Office of Management and Budget; American Conservative Union chairman Matt Schlapp and his counterparts Jikido “Jay” Aeba, chairman of the Japanese Conservative Union and Choe Young-jae, chief representative of the Korean Conservative Union. Also attending will be Eitaro Ogawa, chairman of the Japan Peace Studies Institute, and author and analyst Gordon Chang.
“Last year’s inaugural ‘Asian CPAC’ came at a pivotal point in the U.S. relationship with Japan and its neighbors in the Indo-Pacific. After nearly a decade of declining U.S. influence in the region, President Trump had just visited and laid out a bold vision for the future. At J-CPAC 2018, we will assess the domestic and international impact, so far, of Trump administration policies and what it means for the future. There’s no one better than Director Mulvaney to help us explore the economic core of the Trump agenda,” says Mr. Schlapp.
POLL DU JOUR
• 53 percent of Americans approve President Trump‘s handling of the economy and jobs; 95 percent of Republicans, 50 percent of independents and 17 percent of Democrats agree.
• 44 percent do not approve; 4 percent of Republicans, 46 percent of independents and 82 percent of Democrats agree.
• 47 percent overall say Republicans are the better party in Congress for the economy and jobs; 95 percent of Republicans, 39 percent of independents and 7 percent of Democrats agree.
• 47 percent overall say Democrats are the better party; 3 percent of Republicans, 43 percent of independents and 91 percent of Democrats agree.
Source: An Axios poll of 2,323 U.S. adults conducted Oct. 30-Nov. 1 and released Tuesday.
• Chatter and caterwaul to jharper@washingtontimes.com
• Jennifer Harper can be reached at jharper@washingtontimes.com.
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