October Surprises Continue Breaking Republicans’ Way

 

One week ago, I wrote a summary of “October surprises,” that were truly surprising. It is axiomatic that, each October, the media will unveil embarrassing, negative, damaging things about Republican candidates. The timing is intended to hurt Republicans and help Democrats at the ballot box. If the media doesn’t do it, a Republican self-sabotages. October 2018 started differently and has continued against the popular historical norm.

Media Revelations:

The Florida Democratic gubernatorial candidate, Andrew Gillum, was reported by the Tampa Bay Times to have taken unreported gifts from lobbyists, then lied about it.

Records show FBI agents gave Andrew Gillum tickets to ‘Hamilton’ in 2016
The records, released by former lobbyist Adam Corey today, appear to refute what his campaign has said about the trip.

More reporting is pointing to a Minnesota Democrat candidate for the House having married her own brother for immigration fraud purposes. PowerLine has been in the lead on this reporting.

This year PJ Media’s David Steinberg has picked up the story from me and Preya Samsundar. first in “Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) Perjury Evidence Blacked Out by Minnesota Media” and now in “Official School Records Support Claims That Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) Married Her Brother.” Steinberg continues to nail down the proposition that Omar married her brother in 2009 for some dishonest purpose (not necessarily immigration fraud).

Both of the above are hollering “racist,” but that button isn’t working anymore.

Meanwhile, a sitting U.S. Senator, Cory Booker, has been accused of sexual assault by a man, who has provided a detailed account. Cory Booker’s office has not replied to Scott Johnson’s request for comment.

Minnesotans seem to be turning against Keith Ellison, in the wake of #MeToo news.

In the race for Minnesota attorney general, the Star Tribune reports the results of its current Star Tribune/MPR Minnesota Poll. The poll shows that Extreme Keith Ellison has fallen behind Doug Wardlow, 43-37.

Self-sabotage:

Senator Donnelly, in Indiana, put his seat at risk with the Kavanaugh vote, and his Republican opponent has not hurt himself.

Donnelly didn’t help himself by voting against the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh. Nor is Donnelly a political power house. He might well have lost in 2012, as was expected, but for the statement of his Republican opponent, Richard Mourdock, that pregnancies caused by rape are an act of God.

Braun seems to have avoided this type of unforced error, so far.

Larger events:

President Trump’s rallies are massive, while former President Obama is getting much smaller crowds. President Trump uses his MAGA events to pump up the whole GOP ticket in whatever state he is speaking, while Obama continues to sing in the key of “Me.”

The sudden spate of threats and acts against Democrats, just after President Trump unleashed “Jobs, not Mobs,” is extremely suspicious. See John Hinderaker’s careful “About Those ‘Apparent Explosive Devices’.” I’ll say the likelihood of most of these incidents, all hyped by the same outlets that dismiss or downplay violence against Republicans and conservatives, being other than false flags is very low. The truth will come out, and the left will lose again.

The “caravan” coming from Honduras is a stunningly stupid piece of political theater. It has the potential to turn close races, and a tough fight for control of the House, into a Republican wave. If so, the new members, of the refreshed Republican majority, will be far more attuned to the MAGA electorate. Formerly respectable, mainstream media have become so contemptuous of media consumers as to offer this:

A woman with three small children in a stroller, and one beside her, was featured by Newsweek. Look at the photograph. Do you believe for one moment that this woman has been pushing this stroller, with these children, at least 25 miles per day, on Central American roads? Everyone can do the back-of-the-envelope math. Nobody will believe it when they are suddenly on our border, just before Election Day. The leftist propagandists are that lazy and contemptuous of us.

Jobs, not Mobs: Ballots, not Bullets:

Vote. Vote straight Republican, even if you think half of them are squirrelly squishes or Flakey. What is rewarded is repeated, so American voters have it in our power to roll up our ballots and electorally swat the Democrats across the muzzle.

Published in Elections
This post was promoted to the Main Feed by a Ricochet Editor at the recommendation of Ricochet members. Like this post? Want to comment? Join Ricochet’s community of conservatives and be part of the conversation. Join Ricochet for Free.

There are 40 comments.

Become a member to join the conversation. Or sign in if you're already a member.
  1. RightAngles Member
    RightAngles
    @RightAngles

    Oh the schadenfreude. Early voting has started here, and there’s word of people who vote a straight ticket having Ted Cruz’s name disappear from the top. Democrats are saying it happens to their ballots too. I’m just going to make sure I notice.

    • #1
  2. Clifford A. Brown Member
    Clifford A. Brown
    @CliffordBrown

    RightAngles (View Comment):

    Oh the schadenfreude. Early voting has started here, and there’s word of people who vote a straight ticket having Ted Cruz’s name disappear from the top. Democrats are saying it happens to their ballots too. I’m just going to make sure I notice.

    The straight ticket versus long ballot is a story of its own. Not sure which way it really breaks. For those who do not know, some states, including Texas have provided an option for voters to check one box on the ballot, for the party of their choice, thereby voting for all candidates on the ballot who are with that party. 

    The long ballot was a Progressive invention, claimed to have been intended to discourage working class voters and immigrants, while rewarding the politically engaged middle and upper class Progressives.

    • #2
  3. Clifford A. Brown Member
    Clifford A. Brown
    @CliffordBrown

    Allie Beth Stuckey says it with humor:

     

    • #3
  4. RightAngles Member
    RightAngles
    @RightAngles

    Clifford A. Brown (View Comment):

    Allie Beth Stuckey says it with humor:

     

    OMG Haha! Cannot stop laughing, and thanks a lot because I have a beauty masque on my face and now it’s all cracked. I shared this with my daughter

    • #4
  5. Judge Mental Member
    Judge Mental
    @JudgeMental

    RightAngles (View Comment):

    Clifford A. Brown (View Comment):

    Allie Beth Stuckey says it with humor:

     

    OMG Haha! Cannot stop laughing, and thanks a lot because I have a beauty masque on my face and now it’s all cracked. I shared this with my daughter

    Some GOP PAC should pick that up and use it as their only promo.  At that length, you could cut it into several ads.

    • #5
  6. Steve C. Member
    Steve C.
    @user_531302

    The Booker thing is an allegation of sexual assault. Not rape. I wouldn’t want to see your otherwise informative post criticized as fake news because of one exaggeration.

    • #6
  7. Nohaaj Coolidge
    Nohaaj
    @Nohaaj

    posted on my FB. 

    let them hate on me. 

    • #7
  8. harrisventures Inactive
    harrisventures
    @harrisventures

    RightAngles (View Comment):
    people who vote a straight ticket having Ted Cruz’s name disappear from the top

    It’s a hassle, but I go through the entire ballot, even though I’m voting the straight ticket. Less chance of mischief that way.

    • #8
  9. Fake John/Jane Galt Coolidge
    Fake John/Jane Galt
    @FakeJohnJaneGalt

    Well it look like the whole MAGABomber has derailed the “Jobs not Mobs” narrative.  

    The Caravan at the border should put the whole Trump and GOP are racist thing front and center.

    The whole nominating a rapist to SCOTUS will be long gone by the election.  

    I suspect that by election day it will be a wash with maybe the MSM milking the bomb thing and the caravan so hard that the House is gone but they may hold onto the Senate.  

    Looks like things are good for a POTUS impeachment in 2019

     

    • #9
  10. Clifford A. Brown Member
    Clifford A. Brown
    @CliffordBrown

    Steve C. (View Comment):

    The Booker thing is an allegation of sexual assault. Not rape. I wouldn’t want to see your otherwise informative post criticized as fake news because of one exaggeration.

    Good point. Fixed.

    • #10
  11. Mike "Lash" LaRoche Inactive
    Mike "Lash" LaRoche
    @MikeLaRoche

    Tried to vote today (early voting is underway in Texas) in my heavily Republican precinct, but there was no parking at the location and a line stretched out the door, where people stood with umbrellas in the pouring rain. I’ve never seen anything like it. Will try again tomorrow.

    MAGA and Jobs, not Mobs!

    • #11
  12. JosePluma Coolidge
    JosePluma
    @JosePluma

    Clifford A. Brown: Vote. Vote straight Republican, even if you think half of them are squirrelly squishes or Flakey.

    Done (and done).

    • #12
  13. JosePluma Coolidge
    JosePluma
    @JosePluma

    Mike "Lash" LaRoche (View Comment):

    Tried to vote today (early voting is underway in Texas) in my heavily Republican precinct, but there was no parking at the location and a line stretched out the door, where people stood with umbrellas in the pouring rain. I’ve never seen anything like it. Will try again tomorrow.

    MAGA and Jobs, not Mobs!

    Plenty of parking, but the line to vote early was the longest I’ve ever seen (even in presidential years).  

    • #13
  14. toggle Inactive
    toggle
    @toggle

    Mike "Lash" LaRoche (View Comment):

    Tried to vote today (early voting is underway in Texas) in my heavily Republican precinct, but there was no parking at the location and a line stretched out the door, where people stood with umbrellas in the pouring rain. I’ve never seen anything like it. Will try again tomorrow.

    MAGA and Jobs, not Mobs!

    Would it be beyond possibility that high school (beer drinking ?) pranksters turned this election into a red wave with their faux bomb mails ?

    • #14
  15. Miffed White Male Member
    Miffed White Male
    @MiffedWhiteMale

    Steve C. (View Comment):

    The Booker thing is an allegation of sexual assault. Not rape.

    That’s not what I learned during the Kavanaugh hearings.

     

    • #15
  16. Steve C. Member
    Steve C.
    @user_531302

    Fake John/Jane Galt (View Comment):

    Well it look like the whole MAGABomber has derailed the “Jobs not Mobs” narrative.

    The Caravan at the border should put the whole Trump and GOP are racist thing front and center.

    The whole nominating a rapist to SCOTUS will be long gone by the election.

    I suspect that by election day it will be a wash with maybe the MSM milking the bomb thing and the caravan so hard that the House is gone but they may hold onto the Senate.

    Looks like things are good for a POTUS impeachment in 2019

    Kind of depends on the identity of the bomber(s). 

    • #16
  17. RushBabe49 Thatcher
    RushBabe49
    @RushBabe49

    My vote mostly doesn’t count.  That red wave in 2010?  Bypassed WA, and the Dems have been increasing their stranglehold on the state, from the bottom up, which is very discouraging.  At the state level, many districts did not field any R candidates.  There is a fairly decent candidate challenging Maria Cant-vote-well, but I haven’t been following the campaign much.  I’ll vote for Susan Hutchison, but I don’t hold out much hope.

    • #17
  18. Bishop Wash Member
    Bishop Wash
    @BishopWash

    Mike "Lash" LaRoche (View Comment):

    Tried to vote today (early voting is underway in Texas) in my heavily Republican precinct, but there was no parking at the location and a line stretched out the door, where people stood with umbrellas in the pouring rain. I’ve never seen anything like it. Will try again tomorrow.

    MAGA and Jobs, not Mobs!

    I voted in Albuquerque on Monday because I’ll be out of town on election day. There was a line at 1100, which was longer when I left. Almost 1200 people had voted at that location (opened at 0800) according to the scanner counters. It was my first time early voting, so I don’t know if that is normal or not.

    • #18
  19. C. U. Douglas Coolidge
    C. U. Douglas
    @CUDouglas

    RushBabe49 (View Comment):

    My vote mostly doesn’t count. That red wave in 2010? Bypassed WA, and the Dems have been increasing their stranglehold on the state, from the bottom up, which is very discouraging. At the state level, many districts did not field any R candidates. There is a fairly decent candidate challenging Maria Cant-vote-well, but I haven’t been following the campaign much. I’ll vote for Susan Hutchison, but I don’t hold out much hope.

    Yeah. The West Coast is pretty much going to have to be set on fire to turn R at this point. Wait, that’s happened the last couple years. Okay, I don’t know what will do it.

    • #19
  20. Vance Richards Inactive
    Vance Richards
    @VanceRichards

    Miffed White Male (View Comment):

    Steve C. (View Comment):

    The Booker thing is an allegation of sexual assault. Not rape.

    That’s not what I learned during the Kavanaugh hearings.

     

    Pre-Kavanaugh this might have been laughed off but, if they want to change the rules . . .  Anyway, lets see if the accuser comes forward.

    Besides Booker isn’t on the ballot this year. Bob Menendez on the other hand has been accused of hiring underaged prostitutes. That is not new but was testified to in federal court last year. His lawyers response was, since it happened overseas, it “would hardly be a federal crime.” Menendez is leading in all the polls. Way to go NJ!

    • #20
  21. RightAngles Member
    RightAngles
    @RightAngles

    Miffed White Male (View Comment):

    Steve C. (View Comment):

    The Booker thing is an allegation of sexual assault. Not rape.

    That’s not what I learned during the Kavanaugh hearings.

     

    Haha! And apparently their latest thing is “visual assault” if a guy looks at you.

    • #21
  22. Rōnin Coolidge
    Rōnin
    @Ronin

    I believe what we are witnessing is the progressive political strategy equivalent to the military “Swarming” battlefield tactic.  For my purposes here I’ll use the Wikipedia definition of military swarming  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swarming_(military)

    In short, it is a “battlefield tactic designed to maximize target saturation, and thereby overwhelm or saturate the defenses of the principal target or objective.”  I think the progressive left is manufacturing multiple crisis to energies and get the left vote out, while trying to force a government reactive response that will advance their cause (see Kent State Shooting).  Swarming is a favorite military exercise planning tactic to throw into the mix to keep players off balance (best laid plans and all that).  Therefore, I think, we can see more “crisis” build up as we get closer to election day.

    It is my opinion there is Democrat internal polling showing no blue wave, and the latest left resistance “outrages” are not working out as planned to flip the general voting population.  The Kavanaugh appointment was the “big” diaper bomb that was suppose to knock Trump back on his heels, but played out way soon, so the left has had to move on to plan “B” (and C, and D …). 

    As a side note; apparently, Congressman Joaquin Castro went to vote in San Antonio on Monday and noted a police cruiser in the parking lot of his voting station.  This happens to be a high property crime rate area of the city, and there is a police sub-station close by.  Anyway, Mr. Castro called the S.A. Chief of Police and persuaded the chief to issues a department wide order to stay away from voting stations because their presents may be suppressing the vote.  You can’t make this stuff up folks.

    • #22
  23. Full Size Tabby Member
    Full Size Tabby
    @FullSizeTabby

    Clifford A. Brown (View Comment):

    Allie Beth Stuckey says it with humor:

     

    I wonder how many takes she had to do to get through some of these with a straight face and not cracking up in laughter. 

    • #23
  24. Qoumidan Coolidge
    Qoumidan
    @Qoumidan

    RushBabe49 (View Comment):

    My vote mostly doesn’t count. That red wave in 2010? Bypassed WA, and the Dems have been increasing their stranglehold on the state, from the bottom up, which is very discouraging. At the state level, many districts did not field any R candidates. There is a fairly decent candidate challenging Maria Cant-vote-well, but I haven’t been following the campaign much. I’ll vote for Susan Hutchison, but I don’t hold out much hope.

    I have no hope either but I’m voting anyway and helping my sisters vote.  I’m hoping I can encourage them to study these issues themselves and not just rely on me to tell them how to vote.

    • #24
  25. Full Size Tabby Member
    Full Size Tabby
    @FullSizeTabby

    Qoumidan (View Comment):

    RushBabe49 (View Comment):

    My vote mostly doesn’t count. That red wave in 2010? Bypassed WA, and the Dems have been increasing their stranglehold on the state, from the bottom up, which is very discouraging. At the state level, many districts did not field any R candidates. There is a fairly decent candidate challenging Maria Cant-vote-well, but I haven’t been following the campaign much. I’ll vote for Susan Hutchison, but I don’t hold out much hope.

    I have no hope either but I’m voting anyway and helping my sisters vote. I’m hoping I can encourage them to study these issues themselves and not just rely on me to tell them how to vote.

    Voting even if you are certain your side will lose has value. The closer the vote, the less opportunity for the winner to claim “mandate.” And, as we saw in 2016, had more people whose votes “didn’t count” in New York and California voted anyway we would not be hearing so much “but Hillary won the popular vote.”

    • #25
  26. Goldwaterwoman Thatcher
    Goldwaterwoman
    @goldwaterwoman

    I don’t know about the rest of you, but I am  very worried about this caravan and don’t believe for a second that it will end well for anyone on this side of the border, regardless of party.  The pictures make it obvious the South Americans are enjoying the press attention. Take note of the fact that there are loads more young men in the pictures than women and children. A Mexican trucking company that is moving these people is registered and licensed by the US DOT, according to the Conservative Treehouse. This isn’t some spontaneous trip undertaken by poor people to escape their countries. They are well fed and clean. Look at their clothes.  Somebody is spending big $$$$ to bring them here. What can we do once this invasion reaches the border to the US? 

    • #26
  27. Miffed White Male Member
    Miffed White Male
    @MiffedWhiteMale

    Goldwaterwoman (View Comment):
    This isn’t some spontaneous trip undertaken by poor people to escape their countries. They are well fed and clean. Look at their clothes.

    Not a meaningful observation.  If you’ve ever traveled in the third world, the average poor person there dresses “cleaner” than the average lower-to-middle class person in the US.

     

    • #27
  28. Goldwaterwoman Thatcher
    Goldwaterwoman
    @goldwaterwoman

    Miffed White Male (View Comment):
    Not a meaningful observation. If you’ve ever traveled in the third world, the average poor person there dresses “cleaner” than the average lower-to-middle class person in the US.

    How should people look who have traveled thousands of miles  out in the open air with no means of washing their clothes and few bathrooms?

    • #28
  29. Mike "Lash" LaRoche Inactive
    Mike "Lash" LaRoche
    @MikeLaRoche

    JosePluma (View Comment):

    Mike "Lash" LaRoche (View Comment):

    Tried to vote today (early voting is underway in Texas) in my heavily Republican precinct, but there was no parking at the location and a line stretched out the door, where people stood with umbrellas in the pouring rain. I’ve never seen anything like it. Will try again tomorrow.

    MAGA and Jobs, not Mobs!

    Plenty of parking, but the line to vote early was the longest I’ve ever seen (even in presidential years).

    Finally got to vote today after standing in line for an hour. MAGA and bring on the Red Wave! 🇺🇸

    • #29
  30. Clifford A. Brown Member
    Clifford A. Brown
    @CliffordBrown

    RushBabe49 (View Comment):

    My vote mostly doesn’t count. That red wave in 2010? Bypassed WA, and the Dems have been increasing their stranglehold on the state, from the bottom up, which is very discouraging. At the state level, many districts did not field any R candidates. There is a fairly decent candidate challenging Maria Cant-vote-well, but I haven’t been following the campaign much. I’ll vote for Susan Hutchison, but I don’t hold out much hope.

    I sympathize, having family there. Is it possible where you live to rebuild the bench at the local level?

    • #30
Become a member to join the conversation. Or sign in if you're already a member.