Republicans lost Maryland and Massachusetts. That's not shocking. GA is surprising, because, while Walker is a terrible candidate, you rarely see candidates down ticket do that badly. However, I'll concede that Republicans can't complain about GA unless they feel the corruption is coming from within their own party (which is how I personally feel). AZ, on the other hand, is a different story, because Republicans don't oversee elections there. People wanted to get their electoral process cleaned up and got more of the same. Whether or not there are shenanigans, the appearance of impropriety is off the charts for the second election in a row. Alaska is a wildcard because they are trying something new.
Look through this list:
https://www.politico.com/2022-election/r.../governor/
With the exception of MA and MD, there is almost an entire shift to the right. DEEP blue states shifted right, yet they lost seats? Normally that kind of turnout guarantees shifts in favor of the majority. It didn't manifest itself that way at all. I have a hard time believing that to be 100% coincidence.
Here's the thing. I know there has to be a burden of proof for someone to get convicted of something. I get it. I agree. However, when you watch a magician, you don't say I can't PROVE it's not magic, therefore it's magic. No, you acknowledge there's a slight of hand going on even if you don't get it. That's what I'm saying. I think there's sleight of hand going on which I believe to be coming in the combination of lax voter laws, illegal ballot harvesting, and an unwillingness by society to demand that we pull back the curtain. I want the last part to change, but that doesn't happen when we all just sit back and explain away why these processes aren't transparent, simple and accountable.
No amount of introspection is going to overcome the brokenness in the current system. Look around, dude. It's not the establishment types that are complaining. So, asking the Mitch McConnells and Lindey Grahams to become introspective isn't going to amount to much change. They are rich and powerful and in no risk of losing their status as long as they play the game.
So, you're not going to get the establishment to be introspective. I have no doubts that certain political elites are being introspective about how to advance their career after this election, but how does that help us? That only helps if they feel beholden to us, and they don't. It just so happens that the majority of people from outside of the system are trying to come in through the Republican party, and these are the people getting chewed up and spit out. It's happening on the left, too. Remember Bernie? Or Marianne WIlliamson?
Personally, I want "we the people" to become more introspective and start trying to reduce the power wielded by the elites. So, when you say Republicans need to be more introspective and you're talking about the base, you may as well be saying "Hey slaves in the early 19th century, maybe you need to really start being introspective about how you got here. Hey Jews in the 3rd Reich, maybe you should start reflecting on how you ended up in these camps." Yes, that's hyperbolic. It's not meant to be a good faith argument.
Hyperbole aside, it's how I feel about the establishment pooling its power to make the elites richer. I wish I found more allies here.
I never thought I'd see the day the democratic base be the champions for the system, but hey... they control the narrative now and they have the power. Nothing to see here, please move along.