The Good and the Bad News for Trump from Last Night

 

A Democrat-controlled House will prove to be a headache for the Trump administration, as David French explained last night on Twitter:

As returns were still coming in, House Democrats began leaking to reporters that their first plan of attack would be to subpoena President Trump’s tax returns. The House Democrats elected are of a more radical class, and these aren’t folks who will step easily into the fray; they’re jumping in with both feet. And that can work to President Trump’s advantage.

President Trump operates best when he’s on the defensive and playing victim. Under constant siege from House Democrats, especially if their investigations are overreach, President Trump will have ready-made talking points for 2020 about being the subject of a witchhunt by Democrats stymying his efforts to Make America Great Again.

In a strange twist of fate, the Democrats winning the House could seal President Trump’s reelection campaign if House Democrats overplay their hand, which, as we saw in the Senate with now Justice Kavanaugh, is standard in the Trump-era.

But Ben Shapiro has some bad news for the Trump reelection campaign:

If the reelection took place last night, the Rust Belt may not have delivered for Trump in the same way it did in 2016.

With the end of the 2018 midterms, the 2020 campaign has begun. A great deal depends on how extreme a candidate Democrats put forward, but the tea leaves regarding Trump’s reelection campaign are just as murky this morning as they were last night.

Published in General
Like this post? Want to comment? Join Ricochet’s community of conservatives and be part of the conversation. Join Ricochet for Free.

There are 72 comments.

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

    Front Seat Cat (View Comment):

    RufusRJones (View Comment):

    I want them to impeach Kavanaugh.

    Why?

    I’m guessing because of the stink it will cause, which hopefully will bring more shame on the left and the Democrats.  I assume he meant to say, “I want them to try and impeach Kavanaugh.”

    • #31
  2. Western Chauvinist Member
    Western Chauvinist
    @WesternChauvinist

    RufusRJones (View Comment):

    Front Seat Cat (View Comment):

    RufusRJones (View Comment):

    I want them to impeach Kavanaugh.

    Why?

    Because it’s all so damn retarded. The whole thing is sickening. I guess I’m half joking. Ford et. al. are all liars and the media doesn’t care because they exist to promote statism.

    I want them to try because it would prove they have zero fidelity to the law (which, if I understand correctly, only allows for impeachment of a justice based on decisions he’s made while on the court — not on uncorroborated high school antics). 

    If this election is any indication, Dems would never win another red district as long as I live. Just do it!

    • #32
  3. RufusRJones Member
    RufusRJones
    @RufusRJones

    Stad (View Comment):

    Front Seat Cat (View Comment):

    RufusRJones (View Comment):

    I want them to impeach Kavanaugh.

    Why?

    I’m guessing because of the stink it will cause, which hopefully will bring more shame on the left and the Democrats. I assume he meant to say, “I want them to try and impeach Kavanaugh.”

    Show trials. Of a good man. For a vile power grab. Half the country likes it. 

    What are we turning into?

     

     

    • #33
  4. Jeff Hawkins Inactive
    Jeff Hawkins
    @JeffHawkins

    RufusRJones (View Comment):

    Front Seat Cat (View Comment):

    RufusRJones (View Comment):

    I want them to impeach Kavanaugh.

    Why?

    Because it’s all so damn retarded. The whole thing is sickening. I guess I’m half joking. Ford et. al. are all liars and the media doesn’t care because they exist to promote statism.

    @rufusrjones I think the sarcasm was lost and people thought you were serious about the outcome rather using the spectacle as  a positive

     

    • #34
  5. RufusRJones Member
    RufusRJones
    @RufusRJones

    Jeff Hawkins (View Comment):

    RufusRJones (View Comment):

    Front Seat Cat (View Comment):

    RufusRJones (View Comment):

    I want them to impeach Kavanaugh.

    Why?

    Because it’s all so damn retarded. The whole thing is sickening. I guess I’m half joking. Ford et. al. are all liars and the media doesn’t care because they exist to promote statism.

    @rufusrjones I think the sarcasm was lost and people thought you were serious about the outcome rather using the spectacle as a positive

     

    I guess I’m just amazed that they even did it and then they actually threatened to go back after him. It’s disgusting. Think of the kids. I probably need to keep my twitter persona out of Ricochet.

    • #35
  6. Jeff Hawkins Inactive
    Jeff Hawkins
    @JeffHawkins

    RufusRJones (View Comment):

    Jeff Hawkins (View Comment):

    RufusRJones (View Comment):

    Front Seat Cat (View Comment):

    RufusRJones (View Comment):

    I want them to impeach Kavanaugh.

    Why?

    Because it’s all so damn retarded. The whole thing is sickening. I guess I’m half joking. Ford et. al. are all liars and the media doesn’t care because they exist to promote statism.

    @rufusrjones I think the sarcasm was lost and people thought you were serious about the outcome rather using the spectacle as a positive

     

    I guess I’m just amazed that they even did it and then they actually threatened to go back after him. It’s disgusting. Think of the kids. I probably need to keep my twitter persona out of Ricochet.

    Here to translate. I’m amazed I’ve been a wrestling fan for most of my life and forgot Slick was Rufus R Jones’ son until recently reminded.

     

    • #36
  7. EJHill Podcaster
    EJHill
    @EJHill

    RufusRJones: What are we turning into?

    Venezuela. Slowly but surely.

    The long Marxist slog through the institutions is almost complete. Enough young people have been convinced that capitalism must be ended by any means necessary. And that free stuff is a right. Free healthcare, free higher education, free you-name-it. And they will soon be a a majority.

    • #37
  8. RufusRJones Member
    RufusRJones
    @RufusRJones

    Jeff Hawkins (View Comment):

    RufusRJones (View Comment):

    Jeff Hawkins (View Comment):

    RufusRJones (View Comment):

    Front Seat Cat (View Comment):

    RufusRJones (View Comment):

    I want them to impeach Kavanaugh.

    Why?

    Because it’s all so damn retarded. The whole thing is sickening. I guess I’m half joking. Ford et. al. are all liars and the media doesn’t care because they exist to promote statism.

    @rufusrjones I think the sarcasm was lost and people thought you were serious about the outcome rather using the spectacle as a positive

     

    I guess I’m just amazed that they even did it and then they actually threatened to go back after him. It’s disgusting. Think of the kids. I probably need to keep my twitter persona out of Ricochet.

    Here to translate. I’m amazed I’ve been a wrestling fan for most of my life and forgot Slick was Rufus R Jones’ son until recently reminded.

     

    I know nothing of current wrestling, but man oh man Rufus R Jones was my favorite when I was a kid. It is absolutely insane to look at YouTube stuff of him. 

    • #38
  9. RufusRJones Member
    RufusRJones
    @RufusRJones

    EJHill (View Comment):

    RufusRJones: What are we turning into?

    Venezuela. Slowly but surely.

    The long Marxist slog through the institutions is almost complete. Enough young people have been convinced that capitalism must be ended by any means necessary. And that free stuff is a right. Free healthcare, free higher education, free you-name-it. And they will soon be a a majority.

    Yes we are. 

    Charles Hugh Smith On Why Many Millennials Are Promoting Socialism 

     

    • #39
  10. Bethany Mandel Coolidge
    Bethany Mandel
    @bethanymandel

    James Gawron (View Comment):

    Bethany,

    Charlie Cooke just gave me some good news. It’s local to Florida but I live there so I like it.

    Florida, Man

    I suspect that few in the national press have yet grasped the scale of what happened in Florida last night. This midterm was a disaster for the Florida Democratic party on every conceivable level — a disaster with which Democrats here will be contending for years. In addition to sending Rick Scott to the Senate and Ron DeSantis to the governor’s mansion, to electing the Republican in every other statewide race, and to ensuring that Republicans continue to control both chambers of the legislature, Floridians voted “Yes” on Amendment 5, which inserts into the state constitution a requirement that any increase in taxes or fees must be (a) presented in a standalone bill, and (b) approved by two-thirds of the legislature. Given that the state has no income tax — and, indeed, that it has the lowest overall tax burden of any of the heavily populated states — the combination of these results all but ensures that Florida will remain a low-tax, low-spending place for the foreseeable future.

    …To add insult to injury, DeSantis’s election guarantees radical change within the one institution in the state that had remained left-leaning: the state supreme court. At present, the court has a 4-3 “progressive” majority. On DeSantis’s first day in office, he will get to replace three of those four, thereby turning that into a 6-1 “conservative” majority.

    Thank you, Charlie. I feel much better now.

    Regards,

    Jim

    Not to throw water on your relief, but the million + more black men voting in Florida as of today is bad, bad news for Republicans.

    • #40
  11. Stad Coolidge
    Stad
    @Stad

    EJHill (View Comment):

    RufusRJones: What are we turning into?

    Venezuela. Slowly but surely.

    The long Marxist slog through the institutions is almost complete. Enough young people have been convinced that capitalism must be ended by any means necessary. And that free stuff is a right. Free healthcare, free higher education, free you-name-it. And they will soon be a a majority.

    What are you talking about?  Everything in Venezuela is free!

    It’s free all right, it’s just there’s none available . . .

    • #41
  12. RufusRJones Member
    RufusRJones
    @RufusRJones

    Why can’t we get that tiny percentage of the black vote to switch parties, which wipes out the Democrat party?

    • #42
  13. Gumby Mark Coolidge
    Gumby Mark
    @GumbyMark

    Arizona Patriot (View Comment):

    I suspect that the President will simply ignore the subpoena(s). What are they going to do? Eric Holder set the precedent for this.

    Yes, that’s why Trump needs a Holder-type “wingman” to help protect him.

    • #43
  14. Old Bathos Member
    Old Bathos
    @OldBathos

    Jeff Petraska (View Comment):

    Michigan voters love career Democratic politicians, so it was no surprise here that Debbie Stabenow won re-election. Remember, we are the state that has sent Dingell family members to congress for almost 100 years straight, re-elected both Carl and Sander Levin for decades, and who only got rid of John Conyers through his resignation. It’s almost as if the voters here are on mental autopilot and vote purely on name recognition.

    Overall the Republican Party did poorly in Michigan, or at least in SE Michigan. I didn’t think the candidates were particularly impressive this year, and it showed. We also voted to legalize marijuana, establish an independent commission to determine congressional districts and end gerrymandering, and to enact automatic voter registration. Sigh.

     

    Dingell was a top-notch grass root guy whose personal familiarity with his district was remarkable.  He was also an old-school democrat who delivered goodies and personal service and was for a long time probably the most powerful man in the House.  The Levin brothers pushed the right buttons and could raise money.  Before Republicans can dominate in southern Michigan they probably need to make people think differently about what they want from their representatives, which is hard to do.

    • #44
  15. Seawriter Contributor
    Seawriter
    @Seawriter

    Front Seat Cat (View Comment):

    RufusRJones (View Comment):

    I want them to impeach Kavanaugh.

    Why?

    Because going after Kavanaugh worked so well for the Democrat Senators. Impeaching him would extend the Kavanaugh effect to the House in 2020.

    • #45
  16. Mister D Inactive
    Mister D
    @MisterD

    Western Chauvinist (View Comment):

    Patrick McClure (View Comment):

    Stad (View Comment):

    Front Seat Cat (View Comment):
    I’m curious how much was turned by the Snowflakes and Millennials, i.e. the Bernie voters.

    I wonder how many seats flipped because incumbent Republicans decided to call it quits . . .

    Too many, I’m sure. That’s what really pi… uh, ticked me off. When so many Republican reps decided to call it quits.

    Yeah, weaklings and cowards. Not up for the fight. When we needed them, they ran away. Bastards.

    Cart or horse? Did we lose because they retired, or did they retire because they knew they would lose?

    • #46
  17. Sabrdance Member
    Sabrdance
    @Sabrdance

    Bethany Mandel (View Comment):

    James Gawron (View Comment):

    Bethany,

    Charlie Cooke just gave me some good news. It’s local to Florida but I live there so I like it.

    Florida, Man

    I suspect that few in the national press have yet grasped the scale of what happened in Florida last night. This midterm was a disaster for the Florida Democratic party on every conceivable level — a disaster with which Democrats here will be contending for years. In addition to sending Rick Scott to the Senate and Ron DeSantis to the governor’s mansion, to electing the Republican in every other statewide race, and to ensuring that Republicans continue to control both chambers of the legislature, Floridians voted “Yes” on Amendment 5, which inserts into the state constitution a requirement that any increase in taxes or fees must be (a) presented in a standalone bill, and (b) approved by two-thirds of the legislature. Given that the state has no income tax — and, indeed, that it has the lowest overall tax burden of any of the heavily populated states — the combination of these results all but ensures that Florida will remain a low-tax, low-spending place for the foreseeable future.

    …To add insult to injury, DeSantis’s election guarantees radical change within the one institution in the state that had remained left-leaning: the state supreme court. At present, the court has a 4-3 “progressive” majority. On DeSantis’s first day in office, he will get to replace three of those four, thereby turning that into a 6-1 “conservative” majority.

    Thank you, Charlie. I feel much better now.

    Regards,

    Jim

    Not to throw water on your relief, but the million + more black men voting in Florida as of today is bad, bad news for Republicans.

    The felons being re-enfranchised are not all, or even a majority black (it’s 46%).  More to the point, they are still a low propensity voting population even if we assume “felon” equates to “Democrat” regardless of race.  If another half million voting age African Americans is going to torpedo Florida for the GOP, then we aren’t holding onto it whether Amendment 4 passed or not.

    • #47
  18. DrewInWisconsin Member
    DrewInWisconsin
    @DrewInWisconsin

    Ben Shapiro:

    Dems won in WI, MI, and PA. If Trump loses those states, he loses re-election.

    RyanFalcone (View Comment):
    The wavering of Mi, Wi and PA is tough to swallow.

    The only “wavering” in WI was the gubernatorial election. And in a state controlled by the Teachers’ Unions, it’s not too surprising that State Superintendent of Schools Tony Evers did well. It’s very surprising he (allegedly) won. (That last minute “discovery” of 47,000 uncounted ballots in Milwaukee remains suspicious. But we are the original “Deep State” here. And as Hugh Hewitt says, “If it’s not close, they can’t cheat.” Walker couldn’t get past the margin of fraud.)

    Other than that, everything else in this state remains as it was prior to the election. Both houses of our legislature remain controlled by Republicans (hopefully checking Evers’ attempts to return to budget deficits and high unemployment. We still have the same number of GOP Representatives and Senators as we had before. As hard as it is for me to swallow the idea of Tony Evers as our governor (:: vomit ::) I can’t agree that the results from here looked particularly bad for President Trump in 2020. The red areas remained Red. The blue areas remained Blue. Paul Ryan’s district stayed Red. There was a slight blue-ward shift in rural counties in the southwest, but otherwise, the electoral maps for Governor 2018 and President 2016 are, county-by-county, almost the same. Also, the electoral maps for Scott Walker’s re-election in 2014 is, again, almost the same.

    The difference this time appears to be turnout. (And isn’t that the key?) Everyone I talked to yesterday and today mentioned just how packed the polling places were. Walker got 35,000 more votes in 2018 than he did in 2014. But Tony Evers got more than 200,00 votes more than did Walker’s opponent in 2014. And still, if you take away the mysteriously-appearing-at-1:00 am uncounted 47,000 Milwaukee votes, Evers and Walker were in a virtual tie all evening.

    In short, I think nothing’s really changed here. We’re as reddish-purple as ever. But I wouldn’t mind if Illinois annexed Milwaukee and Madison.

    • #48
  19. RufusRJones Member
    RufusRJones
    @RufusRJones

    Mollie Hemingway in The Federalist, today. 

    Judiciary Committee ranking member Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., revealed plans for House Democrats to investigate and impeach Justice Brett Kavanaugh for alleged perjury and investigate and impeach President Donald Trump for alleged treasonous collusion with Russia.

    • #49
  20. Western Chauvinist Member
    Western Chauvinist
    @WesternChauvinist

    RufusRJones (View Comment):

    Mollie Hemingway in The Federalist, today.

    Judiciary Committee ranking member Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., revealed plans for House Democrats to investigate and impeach Justice Brett Kavanaugh for alleged perjury and investigate and impeach President Donald Trump for alleged treasonous collusion with Russia.

    Think of the people now heading up the leadership and committees in the House: Pelosi, Nadler, Waters, Schiff… OMG, America. What were you thinking??!

    • #50
  21. RufusRJones Member
    RufusRJones
    @RufusRJones

    LOL 

    Top Democrats couldn’t even keep the freak flag in check for 18 hours. They’re already scheming to sic the FBI on Brett Kavanaugh for having the audacity to exist.

    Should I send a letter to my new Congresswoman, the commie-moron-half a crimewave at all times-anti-semite  Ilhan Omar, to tell her to hurry up on this impeachment of Kavanagh?

    • #51
  22. RufusRJones Member
    RufusRJones
    @RufusRJones

    DrewInWisconsin (View Comment):
    The only “wavering” in WI was the gubernatorial election. And in a state controlled by the Teachers’ Unions, it’s not too surprising that State Superintendent of Schools Tony Evers did well.

    You can’t make this up. 

    • #52
  23. Acook Coolidge
    Acook
    @Acook

    Nobody has mentioned what happened in Colorado yesterday. Sickening. I think everybody was prepared for openly gay Democrat Jared Polis to win governor, but the Republicans fielded outstanding candidates for Attorney General and Secretary of State (an incumbent), and they both lost to weak, inexperienced candidates. Sad. Democrats won statewide offices down the line and both houses of the legislature. I have even heard that one county sheriff who was an incumbent and an exceptionally good sheriff lost. Our conversion to a deep blue state is complete, fueled mainly by the Denver/Boulder liberals, since much of the rural areas of the state remain conservative, but the population of Denver/Boulder is getting hard to beat.  We had an anti-fracking measure on the ballot that fortunately failed, thanks to some of the rural areas voting 85-15 against it, which is what it takes to overcome Denver voting for it. But I hear some of the oil and gas companies are already looking to move out, since everyone figures Polis will work against fracking one way or another. This is all very depressing. My little corner here is somewhat conservative, so I see sad faces today. 

    • #53
  24. Gumby Mark Coolidge
    Gumby Mark
    @GumbyMark

    RufusRJones (View Comment):

    LOL

    Top Democrats couldn’t even keep the freak flag in check for 18 hours. They’re already scheming to sic the FBI on Brett Kavanaugh for having the audacity to exist.

    Should I send a letter to my new Congresswoman, the commie-moron-half a crimewave at all times-anti-semite Ilhan Omar, to tell her to hurry up on this impeachment of Kavanagh?

    Isn’t that the gal who married her brother to get him into the country?

    • #54
  25. RufusRJones Member
    RufusRJones
    @RufusRJones

    Gumby Mark (View Comment):

    RufusRJones (View Comment):

    LOL

    Top Democrats couldn’t even keep the freak flag in check for 18 hours. They’re already scheming to sic the FBI on Brett Kavanaugh for having the audacity to exist.

    Should I send a letter to my new Congresswoman, the commie-moron-half a crimewave at all times-anti-semite Ilhan Omar, to tell her to hurry up on this impeachment of Kavanagh?

    Isn’t that the gal who married her brother to get him into the country?

    Yes. The level of legal chaos surrounding this chick is mind boggling, and the state controlled media does jack about it. 

    When she isn’t being an anti-semite, she’s spewing out hackneyed socialites tripe. It’s unreal. 

    Good thing she’s a cute Muslim. 

    • #55
  26. DrewInWisconsin Member
    DrewInWisconsin
    @DrewInWisconsin

    RufusRJones (View Comment):
    Yes. The level of legal chaos surrounding this chick is mind boggling, and the state controlled media does jack about it. 

    As mentioned in the PIT, do you think new MN Attorney General Keith Ellison will do something about it?

    • #56
  27. Western Chauvinist Member
    Western Chauvinist
    @WesternChauvinist

    Acook (View Comment):

    Nobody has mentioned what happened in Colorado yesterday. Sickening. I think everybody was prepared for openly gay Democrat Jared Polis to win governor, but the Republicans fielded outstanding candidates for Attorney General and Secretary of State (an incumbent), and they both lost to weak, inexperienced candidates. Sad. Democrats won statewide offices down the line and both houses of the legislature. I have even heard that one county sheriff who was an incumbent and an exceptionally good sheriff lost. Our conversion to a deep blue state is complete, fueled mainly by the Denver/Boulder liberals, since much of the rural areas of the state remain conservative, but the population of Denver/Boulder is getting hard to beat. We had an anti-fracking measure on the ballot that fortunately failed, thanks to some of the rural areas voting 85-15 against it, which is what it takes to overcome Denver voting for it. But I hear some of the oil and gas companies are already looking to move out, since everyone figures Polis will work against fracking one way or another. This is all very depressing. My little corner here is somewhat conservative, so I see sad faces today.

    Terrible. Where are you @acook? I’m in the Springs. Polis with a D legislature? We’re in for a world of hurt. We’ll need to get out before Colorado becomes California of the Rockies because our daughters need serious healthcare. I’ve been here since 1983. Mr. C longer than that. Sad, and not sure where we’ll go.

    • #57
  28. RufusRJones Member
    RufusRJones
    @RufusRJones

    DrewInWisconsin (View Comment):

    RufusRJones (View Comment):
    Yes. The level of legal chaos surrounding this chick is mind boggling, and the state controlled media does jack about it.

    As mentioned in the PIT, do you think new MN Attorney General Keith Ellison will do something about it?

    She gets busted on all kinds of stuff. She went to Estonia on her Minnesota legislature budget. For some reason. 

    • #58
  29. Gumby Mark Coolidge
    Gumby Mark
    @GumbyMark

    DrewInWisconsin (View Comment):

    RufusRJones (View Comment):
    Yes. The level of legal chaos surrounding this chick is mind boggling, and the state controlled media does jack about it.

    As mentioned in the PIT, do you think new MN Attorney General Keith Ellison will do something about it?

    I’m sure he will assign his best people to work on it. 

    • #59
  30. Percival Thatcher
    Percival
    @Percival

    DrewInWisconsin (View Comment):

    Ben Shapiro:

    Dems won in WI, MI, and PA. If Trump loses those states, he loses re-election.

    RyanFalcone (View Comment):
    The wavering of Mi, Wi and PA is tough to swallow.

    The only “wavering” in WI was the gubernatorial election. And in a state controlled by the Teachers’ Unions, it’s not too surprising that State Superintendent of Schools Tony Evers did well. It’s very surprising he (allegedly) won. (That last minute “discovery” of 47,000 uncounted ballots in Milwaukee remains suspicious. But we are the original “Deep State” here. And as Hugh Hewitt says, “If it’s not close, they can’t cheat.” Walker couldn’t get past the margin of fraud.)

    Other than that, everything else in this state remains as it was prior to the election. Both houses of our legislature remain controlled by Republicans (hopefully checking Evers’ attempts to return to budget deficits and high unemployment. We still have the same number of GOP Representatives and Senators as we had before. As hard as it is for me to swallow the idea of Tony Evers as our governor (:: vomit ::) I can’t agree that the results from here looked particularly bad for President Trump in 2020. The red areas remained Red. The blue areas remained Blue. Paul Ryan’s district stayed Red. There was a slight blue-ward shift in rural counties in the southwest, but otherwise, the electoral maps for Governor 2018 and President 2016 are, county-by-county, almost the same. Also, the electoral maps for Scott Walker’s re-election in 2014 is, again, almost the same.

    The difference this time appears to be turnout. (And isn’t that the key?) Everyone I talked to yesterday and today mentioned just how packed the polling places were. Walker got 35,000 more votes in 2018 than he did in 2014. But Tony Evers got more than 200,00 votes more than did Walker’s opponent in 2014. And still, if you take away the mysteriously-appearing-at-1:00 am uncounted 47,000 Milwaukee votes, Evers and Walker were in a virtual tie all evening.

    In short, I think nothing’s really changed here. We’re as reddish-purple as ever. But I wouldn’t mind if Illinois annexed Milwaukee and Madison.

    Illinois has enough problems.

    • #60
Become a member to join the conversation. Or sign in if you're already a member.