Even though the cable-news pundits can’t stop talking about the next election two years in advance, most Americans generally only begin to click into an election cycle after Labor Day. Mid-September, every two years, is the most fertile time for political opinions to solidify and that’s when most people make up their minds about who they’ll vote for in a presidential or mid-term cycle. So it is this year – people are just starting to click in post-Labor Day. Which is probably why polls conducted in the past week have Trump’s approval numbers sinking to all-time lows. In most polls, he’s below 40%, approval, with a majority of Americans agreeing that Trump is stupid, traitorous and bad for the country. What’s great is that the mid-terms are rightly being seen as a referendum on Trump, especially since the Republican-led Congress won’t do anything to check his power. Which might explain why Ol’ Turtleface Mitch McConnell is doing the Eeyore routine in the press now:
Republicans have grown increasingly worried about losing control of the Senate, as President Trump’s approval rating tumbles and Democrats gain steam in key battleground races. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Tuesday sounded some of the most doubtful notes of Trump’s presidency that Republicans will keep the upper chamber of Congress, telling reporters, “I hope when the smoke clears, we’ll still have a majority.”
His comments came as Republican strategists and officials fretted over a fresh round of private polling on the Senate races, while public polls registered further erosion in Americans’ approval of Trump. “Shipwreck” was how one leading strategist described the situation, adding an expletive to underscore the severity of the party’s problems.
The developments signaled the most serious peril yet for Republicans’ 51-49 majority. Losing the Senate was once an unthinkable prospect as the GOP looked to gain seats in the midterms, and with the party’s grip on the House in serious jeopardy, the chamber had been seen as the last line of defense.
At the start of Trump’s tenure, some Republicans envisioned enough wins to secure a filibuster-proof majority of 60 seats, confident they could oust many of the 10 Democrats running in states Trump won in 2016. Even a few weeks ago, Republicans were talking more assuredly about flipping seats. But less than two months till the Nov. 6 election, Republicans barely mention Ohio, Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania — states Trump won — as opportunities to knock out a Democrat, while McConnell reiterated that nine seats, plus Texas, were at stake.
“Arizona, Nevada, Tennessee, Montana, North Dakota, Missouri, Indiana, West Virginia and Florida. All of them too close to call, and every one of them like a knife fight in an alley; I mean, just a brawl in every one of those places,” McConnell told reporters in Louisville.
My senator, Tim Kaine, is up for re-election this year and I’ve already sent money to support his reelection campaign (I got a t-shirt!). I don’t even think Kaine’s in a dogfight, especially since his opponent is pretty flagrantly a white supremacist. But there are dogfights, like Beto O’Rourke trying to take out Ted “Zodiac Killer” Cruz and incumbent Democrat Joe Donnelly in Indiana. This is just a reminder to everyone: vote early and vote often. These midterms need to be HUGE. It’s not just the House on the line, it’s the Senate. We could take both. We desperately need to take both.
Photos courtesy of Getty.
Please do NOT insult turtles! They are peaceful herbivores that manage to live a long life. They are also really cute
Came here to say this. McConnell is Mason Verger from the movie Hannibal.
OMG you’re amazing. That’s his new name in our house now.
We call him “The Devil Incarnate.”
Hey now – the turtles in our pond definitely eat my little goldfish babies. But they still don’t deserve the association with Mcconnell.
On a slightly more serious note, this guy (in my view) is actually the most dangerous Republican out there. It feels to me like he holds the reins of every destructive, dubious strategy the Republicans unleash against the democrats. He seems to be able to sniff out new ways to lie, cheat and maneuver his agenda into play.
Its a shame John Mccain went instead of this man.
+1
I consider McConnell the most reprehensible and dangerous (because he’s effective) Republican out there. I loathe Trump, but I am afraid of McConnell.
His wife is also a piece of work…and is Trump’s Secretary of Transportation.
^^^^THIS, a MILLION times!
McConnell stopped Obama from going public about dumps Russia links. He is a traitor. And he’s getting the base riled up to vote.
Yes, I’ve thought this for years, as well. He is dangerous, and very successful being dangerous!
Yep. i consider him one of the most legitimately evil politicians to ever wind up in Congress. He’s frightening in his utter lack of responsibility, integrity, self-awareness, and basic empathy.
Yes, he is one of the most destructive forces in American politics. He has decimated Senate rules and procedures. His handling of Obama’s SCOTUS pick was down right criminal. He doesn’t care if Russians hack elections, he doens’t care about disenfranchising the American voter.
And it’s all about money for him. Screw every other living thing, as long as it makes him even 1 penny richer. He’s totally corrupt.
I hadn’t noticed any resemblance to a turtle until people kept calling him that. Now I can’t un-see it….
But McConnell must have known something about efforts to hack the vote and spread disinformation being beefed up by Russian help back in early 2016. His claim that he couldn’t schedule a hearing on Obama’s nominee for SCOTUS because we had to wait a year to see what “the people” want in the next election made absolutely no sense otherwise. Besides the obvious fact that “the people” elected Obama for 4 years and not 3 years, it was generally assumed that Hillary would win by Spring at least. His blocking Obama from telling “the people” about the Russian shenanigans in the Fall clinches it – he knew the hacking was on and didn’t want it interfered with. Even with all the Russian help, Trump just squeeked through and the Republicans had to scurry to block recounts.
We’ve had signs of selective vote manipulation since 2004, when those machines popped up everywhere. It didn’t start with the Russians, but in 2016 they provided professional teamwork to make hacking a finer art and they are still intruding in our election systems. But now their boy in the White House can block any attempts to make it harder to do, and “the people” haven’t yet figured out that only paper ballots are basically unhackable, requiring only old fashioned ways of bipartisan protection and count monitoring.
I think we’re toast in November unless the Democrats win so big that they outrun the hackers, who will be out in full force for these midterms because so much is at stake for the Republicans. The Russians know what an idiot Trump is, but are certainly still hoping he will come through with lifting sanctions so Putin can resume shoveling his cut of the profits into his own pockets unimpeded.
I feel like an ancient turtle would have developed much more compassion, intelligence, and love than old Mitch.
He’s like a nasty ass spawn of hell who thinks he will get further in life if he incarnates as a sweet old ancient turtle. Well, we see you Mitch! You ain’t no turtle you are the devil’s spawn and you’re going DOWN.
Please do not compare adorable and lovable turtles to this man.
-signed a turtle momma
This is his dog-whistle to the Russians. “Hey Putin! Even with all of our gerrymandering and voter-suppression, we are facing a big fat L over here. Help us! We need you to step in!”
You know ol’ Turtle is buried in Russian money too. Texas and Tennessee are gonna send Democrats to the Senate. 2 states that weren’t even thinkable to flip just a year ago. This pile of garbage is flailing his arms in despair. VOTE!
Yeah, F^&k. This is my fear, too. I am volunteering for a Congressional race and our challenger is closing in on the incumbent. I’ve noticed an increase in troll and bot-like comments to his tweets just this week. Someone’s nervous.
And, yes, VOTE! I talked to a number of people who say they only vote in presidential elections and I have told them that this election is at least if not more consequential than a presidential one. Hopefully by November the urgency will sink in.
VOTE! IMO midterm elections are far more consequential than presidential elections. They are where our voices matter. State & local races are where the average person has the most power. My voice has far more impact on my local representative than my federal.
It’s all about grassroots & building a strong foundation. Through our state & local elections we the people have the power to make our federal government work for us.
Keep up the fight Esmom! The will of the People means nothing to the GOP, they cheat to stay in power and only care about themselves. We have to vote them out. I’m volunteering here in TN to shock the Republicans by flipping a seat to blue. We can do this!
Putin owns him. It was very obvious during the Merrick Garland debacle and his reward was a nice job for his wife in the Trump administration.
The Republicans passed a bill that states that entities like the NRA don’t have to reveal their donor lists. The Russians love to donate to the NRA. Therefore, Mitch can now get his Russian money straight from the NRA. Isn’t that special? In no way will Republican campaigns reflect the fact that the money they are getting originated in Russia.
Disgusting – and that’s why they need to be voted out.
My (RED) state currently has a D senator (only won due to name recognition), but I think he will sadly lose his seat in the mid-term. His opponent, a man who is so vile I actually contacted his campaign and told them in no uncertain terms to stop sending their bigoted, baiting campaign materials to my house, has taken a page from Trump’s book, and the masses here lap it up like manna from heaven. This is one of those times I really, REALLY want to be wrong.
THIS is what I’m afraid of. That it won’t matter that people DO get out and vote, as the results will be tampered with to make sure the Rs stay in.
OMG that headline is hilarious!!! But he’s more like something that would pop his head out of the waters of Loch Ness after a long period of hibernation and ask what’s for breakfast
Vote Blue and send those f*ckers to hell on earth.
Then impeach Gorsuch & Kavanaugh and get them removed from Supreme Court due to perjury.
Then get all Trumps treason out in the open and impeach him.
Then make gerrymandering illegal, Citizen United illegal etc.
I think once confirmed by the Senate, a Supreme Court justice is there no matter what. Unless they resign.
Kavanaugh hasn’t been voted on yet, but I think there is some serious dirt there. I keep hoping he chickens out and withdraws from consideration.
If they regain both Houses, the Dems ABSOLUTELY need to tackle some of the gerrymandering and voter suppression issues.
Sitting SC justices can be indicted, so Kavanaugh may have some problems down the road. I’m not sure if they can be impeached but I read somewhere that they can (will try to find link/confirm accuracy).
Supreme Court justices can be impeached. The bar is really high though, and to my knowledge, no justice has even been found guilty and removed.
You can impeach a SC judge it has happened before. I don’t think there would be enough to get rid of Gorsuch but Kavanaugh has lied a lot and there is still a lot hidden about him so he could be impeached. But it’s better to try to stop his confirmation.
It has happened only once, in 1805…he was acquitted and remained in office.
It is insane to me that even if it is proven, god willing, that 45 is an illegitimate “president,” any of his judicial appointees would be able to stay in office. SCOTUS or Federal. But I guess we’re in uncharted waters.
This from Politico:
“Traditionally, the Senate hits the road in October of an election year. But the Senate is throwing tradition out the window this year.
Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is planning to keep the chamber in session for a significant portion of October if not four entire weeks, costing Democrats key campaign trail days and allowing the Senate to continue its work into the fall, according to five Republican officials. The Kentucky Republican wants to keep cranking through as many lifetime judicial nominations and executive nominations as he can with his majority in the balance and the GOP still with the unilateral ability to confirm President Donald Trump’s picks.”
We knew they’d pull some stunts as the weeks dwindle.
I’m amazed they haven’t gutted all the major programs by now. That’s probably going to be their own late October surprise, to keep Dems exhausted from trying to thwart them.
I’m voting for Donnelly, but refuse to campaign for him. His RV-driving, Trump-voter groveling ads are disgusting and disappointing, especially as someone who proudly voted for him when he was my Congressman.
I’m confused; you’re voting for a Republican you find disgusting? Is Donnelly a Democrat?
He’s a Democrat. I think she means that she’ll vote for him but not campaign because she finds his campaign tactics disgusting (Trying to win over the Trump voters, etc.)
BETO!!!!
I’m in Maryland so am basically just watching and donating to other states. Its INSANE to me that we have a chance of taking Texas. I remember even a year ago people were like “its possible to take the Senate but not likely.” And now we have a real shot at it.
I think if the Republicans had some spine and didn’t just rubber stamp everything Trump does or says they would be in a better position. I don’t expect them to come out against deregulation, but I did expect them to come out against kids in cages. or as Obama said – “how hard is it to say that Nazis are bad??” I think those are the things that are going to hurt them. they have a total lack of spine and it shows.
I’ve got my Beto sticker on my car, and a sign in my yard. Love Beto, hate Ted Cruz the human weasel. John Boehner, former Speaker of the house, referred to Cruz as “Lucifer in the flesh”.
He also said that he could basically get along with just about anyone, but that his fellow Republican Cruz was “a miserable son of a bitch”.
Lindsay Graham joked that if Ted Cruz was murdered on the floor of the Senate, and the trial was held in the Senate, the murderer still could not be convicted. Go Beto go!
@Giddy do you follow Craig Matzin on Twitter?(I think that’s his name.) He was Ted Cruz’s roommate at Princeton and some of his stories are hilarious, but some are just downright creepy.
Ted Cruz does look like Grandpa Munster, the vampire. Doesn’t have Grandpa’s charisma, though.
OMG, here in Houston and I’m SO EXCITED about Beto. Ted Cruz is the absolute worst and I am embarrassed that the red voters in this state are responsible for inflicting him on the rest of the country. He’s scared, as he should be, because Beto’s the real deal. He wants to work for everybody, he wants to hear what the people have to say, and he is out there telling the voters what he is FOR, not what he’s against. The national party should take notes…
Becks1, I do follow Craig Matzin. He truly can’t stand Cruz. It seems that if he ever caught himself feeling sorry for Cruz, who was universally hated, Cruz would then do something heinous, and he was reminded.
I LOVE that people are donating outside their zones this year! I usually don’t donate to political campaigns at all (I prefer to donate to animal charities), but I now figure that the best way to help animals, the environment, and just about everything else in the world is to vote these turds out. I covered my Florida campaigns (they’re gonna need it), but have also been kicking a little extra to Beto and Andrew Janz, because Ted Cruz and Devin Nunez are pathetic and need to get gone.
Yes Beto! I live in a VERY red county of central Texas, have been following his campaign since the beginning, and am so pleased he’s getting national attention now. On my little street alone, there are three or four Beto signs, and I hope to get one soon. I told Mr. Eggo this is Democrat Street! I have seen only one Cruz yard sign anywhere in the town where I live. The Beto yard signs are popping up everywhere.
Thank you Ponchorella (great name!) and other CBers for donating to Beto’s campaign. He is the real deal.
I’m in Illinois but I’ve donated to Beto and Phil Bredesen in Tennessee. Today I got an email from Emily’s List and my senator, Dick Durbin, and donated to Kyrsten Sinema’s in Arizona and Jacky Rosen’s in Nevada. We can flip the House AND the Senate if we all get out and vote and encourage our friends to vote.
I have a former neighbor who was born in Poland and lived here for 50 years. She’s told me many stories over the years about how rough it was in Poland when she was a child. She’s NEVER voted here. I told her she’d better vote this time around and I’d drive her to the polls. I don’t understand immigrants who don’t vote, particularly now, with Trump spewing his hate for immigrants.
“Mitch McConnell warns the senate could flip in the midterms” STOP I can’t be h*rny at work :))))))
This is so encouraging. I’m donating some money to Heitkamp today.
Also, loads of these campaigns now have opportunities for you to volunteer from home, check out the Mobilize America website for specifics. I have been so some phone banking from home and it is way less stressful than I thought it would be. Definitely recommend, even if you’re like me and have a moderate case of phone anxiety. Let’s get these dirtbags OUT!
Thanks for the info! I’ve been volunteering for a Dem voting outreach group in my district, but my time is super limited right now, so doing some stuff from home would be great.
I’ve been cautiously optimistic about the House, but thought the Senate would be out of play – retaking both would be GLORIOUS.
I really enjoy phone banking, too. I also thought I’d feel awkward and nervous but that has not been the case at all. I meet with a group once a week to do it together but most systems are set up so that you can make calls anytime and from anywhere. You can definitely do it from home.
lucy2, DO IT! 🙂 I promise you’ll feel better about our country, for at least a brief stretch of time. Last night I was practically giddy after talking to so many strong supporters, many elderly folks who are doing their part by putting up years signs and talking to their neighbors. (I also listened to a few angry people rant about how the Dems were disrespecting Trump, lol, but I just let them ramble and politely wished them well when they took a breath.) Go Blue!
My Senator is up for re-election but I’m not worried at all. Because his name is Chris Murphy.
How I envy you! Best wishes.
Please God, let this happen! Let Democrats win! Please, I’m begging you!
VIVA LA REVOLUTION!!! Love all the comments today👍👏🏼 Time to take out the trash.
The republicans aren’t worried about the Senate flipping because they know that Putin will always be there to keep them in power. Their one and only fear is making sure that they don’t anger Putin. No one is doing anything about the bots/hackers who hacked into our power grid, facilitated the walkaway movement to make it look like Democrats were losing support, and organized rallies.
I think Republicans ARE worried regarding the Senate…and they should be…whatever hacking went on…and OH BOY THERE WAS HACKING…it only dealt with (3) states and a few thousand voters…the MILLIONS of voters that call themselves “ahem”…Independent and the “ahem” moderate Republicans…those folks decide to flip and the polling suggests this and the polls didn’t lie during 2016 due to the HACKING…there will be issues…couple in the MILLIONS of new registered voters that have signed up for the upcoming elections….it’s HARDER for the Russian template that was used so effectively for a national election to be just as effect state by state…district by district…The GOP is spread thin and broke from spending all of their cash to bolster losing candidates in all of the special elections that have happened in the last couple of years and the money they’re using to pay for lawyers for Trump et al and they don’t have the centralized cushion that they had during the last POTUS election…factor in what’s happening with the Russian operative operation NRA also…it ain’t looking good…and it’s showing…
Don’t tease me, Mitch.
Kaiser, Thank you for the shout out about Joe Donnelly. Sigh, Indiana will never have a Kamala Harris, but we must keep Joe in the Senate. Some Dems are mad at him, and I am too, because he will vote for Kavanaugh. They say they won’t vote at all. But the big picture is that he is a Dem and will be critical in what I believe will be drump’s impeachment.
From Mitch’s lips to God’s ears!!!
I just recently learned McConnell is married to an Asian-American woman which I found out when I saw clips of John McCain’s funeral and was wondering who the heck was the striking woman sitting next to him. This really stunned me considering all the racism he aimed at Obama during his presidency and his sexism (cutting off Elizabeth Warren infamously with the “Yet she persisted.”). I just had this image of him as a low-key white supremacist. I researched his wife Elaine Chao, she’s the current Secretary of Transportation (so also in government and worked for Bush as well). Life is full of surprises I guess.
I think Chao is one of the few to escape real scandal while working in Atrumo’s cabinet. She seems meticulous about properly using and documenting travel expenses, and seems to only use government planes when timing of events is too tight for commercial. She probably actually knows what she is doing in other ways, would be my guess.
You wish. She’s just as slimy as the rest of them: http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2018/05/transportation-secretary-elaine-chao-gets-an-ethics-scandal.html
She is truly horrible. Her only good quality in my opinion is that old Mitch seems pretty cowed by her. She bosses him around and expects everyone to wait on her hand and foot. She’s awful.
Must be a first. Agree with everything Celebitchy says here.
Vote by mail. Nag your neighbors and co-workers. 54 days
till Midterms. We must save our Constitution and our democracy.
Please, no third party votes. We can not afford to give those votes to the Russian GOP.
Dems do have a good shot at flipping the House, but not so good with the Senate. He’s stirring up panic among right wing voters and I agree with a poster above: dog-whistling to Russia/Putin.
Trump, he who denies Russian interfere, has stated that the Russians are trying to rig things for Dems this year. There are going to be a lot of accusations when the blue wave hits.