The Great American Divide

 As always there is good news and bad news. On the plus side back in November the people of Pennsylvania chose a brain damaged stroke victim rather than Donald Trump's boy, Mehmet Oz for the U.S. Senate. Then Tuesday voters in Georgia rejected a brain dead, Herschel Walker, also backed by Trump for a senate seat.

Great news right? Yeah, sort of. Lost in all the progressive euphoria is that democrats did lose control of the house and now monsters like Marjorie Taylor Greene and Paul Gosar are going to foul up the works of various House Committees with their xenophobic bombast and fascist agendas. 

That's not to mention a couple of stats that should disturb anyone to the left of Joe Biden. While Warnock won the majority in Georgia, Walker, who might have been the single most unqualified candidate to ever run for the senate, still received 48.63% of votes cast. In other words, quite nearly one out of every two members of the voting public chose a man who is so brutally stupid there is a likelihood he doesn't even know how many kids he has.

Statewide demographics in both GA and PA show neither Warnock, or Fetterman won a majority of counties in their races. Both Senators used overwhelming wins in metropolitan precincts to secure their seats. It is a growing trend in the nation. Democrats must win super majorities in the cities and suburbs, because they are going to lose anywhere there are open fields, barns, and silos. 

It is true practically everywhere in the nation. Even in Oklahoma, Oklahoma City and Tulsa have become, to borrow from Sagan, pale blue dots in a vast sea of red. Lately this divide is looking to become as well defined as the Mason-Dixon Line was in pre-civil war America.

Of course republicans have other problems besides urban voters. The further into that ultra right wing netherworld they push the tougher it is to appeal to anyone who isn't white and crazy. Indeed, despite her claiming Herschel Walker would have won if he had used her in his campaign, Marjorie Taylor Greene's appeal is limited to blood red congressional districts. It's doubtful she could win a statewide contest in Georgia, or most other places. 

None of that means republican candidates can't and won't win though. Back in Oklahoma last November Markwayne Mullin, another Trump loyalist, lost Oklahoma County (Oklahoma City,) He won the election with over 61% of the vote. In Georgia it took the Reverend Raphael Warnock two elections to put away Herschel Walker. 

Yes, it would seem the battle lines are drawn and clearly it is not so much north vs south anymore, but rather urban/suburban vs. rural. No matter what political party you belong to, if you are going to run for office you are going to have to keep that in mind and campaign accordingly. And if you are a democrat you're going to have to hope republicans keep running unabashed idiots like Herschel Walker.

sic vita est

12-8-22