Brave Sir Donald
by Tom Sullivan
In the brave state of Trumpistan, patriotism means peeing yourself when Dear Leader says, "Boo!" Thus, the sitting president's closing argument for voting Republican is invaders a thousand miles away are coming to slit our throats in our beds using flip-flops. Lest his fear-mongering to this point was too subtle, the sitting president threw down a Willie Hortonesque ad yesterday as grotesque as the rest of his presidency.
But the fear you smell may be his own.
Just days now from the 2018 midterm elections, Democrats are poised to gain 25-40 seats in the U.S. House. That means subpoena power and an end to Trump's legislative agenda this term, plus, potentially, "sweeping changes to future campaign and ethics laws, requiring the disclosure of shadowy political donors, outlawing the gerrymandering of congressional districts and restoring key enforcement provisions to the Voting Rights Act." Democrats need 23 seats to win a House majority. But Nate Silver projects it will take a "systemic polling error" for Democrats to win control of the U.S. Senate. And Trump will still sit in the Oval Office.
Still, the Hill reports this morning House Democrats have growing confidence they will win big on Tuesday night. While Donald Trump ring-masters circuses of fear, Democrats are driving home the message that they intend to protect and expand health care coverage:
A Fox News poll this month found health care is the top issue for voters, with 58 percent saying it is “extremely” important to their vote; within that group, Democrats have a 24-point lead over Republicans.Trump's attempt to distract attention from pipe bombs mailed by the MAGAbomber and the synagogue mass shooting apparently inspired by Trump's whipping up fear of an immigrant caravan in Mexico are a sign of Republican desperation, Jesse Ferguson, a Democratic strategist, told The Hill. “You don’t throw a Hail Mary pass if you’re up by a few touchdowns,” he said.
And they’re getting that message across through campaign ads.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) is now running a new round of ads calling out vulnerable House Republicans for voting in favor of repealing ObamaCare last year.
One ad attacking Rep. Peter Roskam (R-Ill.), in the quintessential suburban district being targeted by Democrats, shows a sick child as a voiceover cites Roskam’s repeated votes to nix ObamaCare and its pre-existing condition protections. “Imagine watching him go without life-saving treatment because it’s been denied by your insurance,” the ad says. “That’s what Peter Roskam voted for. Not just once, but over and over again.”