Quote of the Day

The electoral victories that broke the Republican hold on the House of Representatives last night have pierced the perceptions of Trumpism as all-powerful and impenetrable. These victories include not only those in the House itself, but also all kinds of progressive referenda, wins for left candidates in state races, and most dramatically, the restoration of voting rights for (most of) the formerly incarcerated in Florida. There were significant victories in the Midwest, where Trump secured his electoral outcome in 2016. The demise of two troglodyte governors – Scott Walker in Wisconsin and Bruce Rauner in Illinois – is also welcome. These are important repudiations of the white supremacy emanating from the White House. They are also a confirmation of the audience that exists for actual left politics, not watered-down centrism.

For some of the Democrats running for re-election in the Senate and elsewhere, we now have tangible proof that you can’t beat neo-Confederate, white nationalism with mealy-mouthed, middle-of-the road appeals to civility and good governance. Conservative and centrist Democrats found that many voters won’t waste their time with cheap knockoffs. The only chance we have to bury the Trump nightmare is a radical political agenda that provides an actual and real alternative to the status quo.

The massive increase in voter turnout is a testament to the power of real progressive policy advocacy. The progressive current within the Democratic Party did not just run against Trump – candidates ran on Medicare for all, the abolition of ICE, and other political issues seen as progressive and not just maintenance of the status quo. It was the motivating factor that was missing in the 2016 presidential campaign that got people to stand in lines for hours in poor conditions.

Where these politics failed to win – most spectacularly in Florida with the defeat of gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum and possibly in Georgia, where gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams has declined to concede, hoping for a recount – the naked racism, voter intimidation, voter suppression and outright theft should not be underestimated.

– Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor
Excerpted from "To End the Trump Nightmare,
We Need a Radical Political Agenda"
TruthOut
November 7, 2018

Related Off-site Links:
Democrats Win Control of the House, Ending Unified G.O.P. Rule of Washington – Deirdre Shesgreen, Eliza Collins and Nicole Gaudiano (USA Today, November 6, 2018).
The Democratic Victories of 2018 Feel Mediocre. They Aren’t – Jim Newell (Slate, November 7, 2018).
A List Of Firsts For Women In This Year's Midterm Elections – Danielle Kurtzleben (NPR News, November 7, 2018).
We’re Finally Going to Have Native American Women in Congress – Jennifer Bendery (The Huffington Post, November 6, 2018).
LGBTQ Candidates Record Historic Midterm Wins In Rainbow Wave – Dominique Mosbergen (The Huffington Post, November 7, 2018).
The Midterm Results Gave Everybody Just Enough to Keep Fighting – Ryan Grim (The Intercept, November 7, 2018).
Democrats Have Moved Significantly to the Left Since 2010, New Study Finds – Aída Chávez (The Intercept, November 6, 2018).
12 People Who Made History in the 2018 Elections – Amanda Terkel (The Huffington Post, November 7, 2018).
Midterm Takeaway: We Need a Lot More Democracy – Peter Certo (Common Dreams, November 7, 2018).
The Midterms Milestones You Might Have Missed – Katherine Gillespie (Paper, November 7, 2018).
2018 Midterms: Blue Wave, Red Undertow – Robert Borosage (Campaign for America's Future via Common Dreams, November 7, 2018).

UPDATES: Democrats Got Millions More Votes – So How Did Republicans Win the Senate? – Sabrina Siddiqui (The Guardian, November 8, 2018).
Trump Faces Four Investigations After Democrats Win the House – Martin Cizmar (Salon, November 8, 2018).
Why Medicare-for-All Is Looking Better and Better After the Midterms – Jeff Spross (The Week, November 8, 2018).
Billionaires, Not Voters, Are Deciding Elections – Sonali Kolhatkar (TruthDig, November 9, 2018).
You Can't Assume That Moderate Democrats Win Elections – Jim Nauerkas (FAIR, November 9, 2018).
If You Want a Just World, Neither Republicans Nor Democrats Will Give It to You – Sarah van Gelder (Common Dreams, November 9, 2018).
"Just Count the Votes": Where Voter Suppression Not Quite Enough, G.O.P. Now Trying to Stop Ballot-Counting in Multiple States – Julia Conley (Common Dreams, November 9, 2018).
Democrats Who Voted to Deregulate Wall Street Got Wiped Out in a Setback for Bank Lobbyists – David Dayen (The Intercept, November 10, 2018).

See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
• On the Eve of the Midterms, Three Insightful Perspectives on the Voting Process in the U.S.
• Quote of the Day – November 5, 2017
• Hope in the Midst of Collapse