Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
China inaugurates the Asian games in Hangzhou.
The Israeli soldiers launched smoke and sound grenades at the Lebanese side earlier.
Al Mayadeen correspondent: The Lebanese Army responded to the Israeli occupation by launching smoke grenades toward Israeli soldiers in the Shebaa Farms after they provoked them with projectiles.
Pope Francis says migrants "do not invade" Europe.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani will be visiting Moscow in the next few weeks: Iraq's foreign ministry.
Palestinian Ministry of Health: 22 Palestinians were injured by Israeli occupation gunfire east of Gaza Strip
Palestinian Ministry of Health: 14 Palestinians were injured by Israeli occupation gunfire near the Israeli-erected fence east of Gaza Strip
Palestinian Ministry of Health: Seven Palestinians were injured by Israeli occupation gunfire east of Gaza Strip
Sources to Al Mayadeen: Israeli occupation prison administration transfers hunger-striking prisoner Kayed al-Fafsous to solitary confinement in Asqalan prison
Head of Crimea: Russian air defenses shot down cruise missiles over Crimea.

No 'Red Wave' may reflect limited Republican strategy: Experts

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 11 Nov 2022 08:46

Republicans are expected to win a narrow majority in the House of Representatives, and anticipations are that the Senate's control would be up for grabs for a few more weeks.

  • Absent Midterm 'Red Wave' may limit Republican strategy: experts
    Absent Midterm 'Red Wave' may limit Republican strategy: experts

Most analysts and experts expected a Republican "red wave" to sweep Congress; however, the anticipated political victory did not materialize in this week's midterm elections, which will be remembered as the critical turning point when the limits of Republican policy became clear, analysts told Sputnik.

Republicans were still projected to win a very narrow majority in the House of Representatives, while control of the Senate was expected to remain uncertain for several weeks with at least two key races still pending to be decided and the Georgia contest set for a runoff vote next month.

They had expected a big tidal wave or tsunami of support to give them at least 30 additional House seats, probably many more, and clear, unchallenged control of the Senate. However, the wave never materialized. Instead, constitutional historian and political pundit Dan Lazare believes that the results may have signaled the climax of Republican national support.

"I think 2022 may therefore be a tipping point in which the self-limiting nature of the Republican strategy is finally making itself felt," Lazare said. "Bear in mind that the Democrats, having won the popular vote in seven out of the last eight presidential elections, are by now the majority party."

Lazare: Republicans depend on rural whites, Democrats on the young

For 40 years, Republicans were able to recompense for the increasing Democratic support among minorities and the youth, by emphasizing the inherent bias of the federal electoral system against them, according to Lazare. 

"If Republicans have been able to hold on during all those years, it's only because they've been able to exploit certain deep-seated constitutional advantages. These include an Electoral College biased toward thinly populated rural states and a Senate based on the equal-state representation that is even more strongly tilted in the same direction," he said.

In the House, the Republicans have benefitted from roughly an 11% advantage since 2010 thanks to ruthless gerrymandering and the backing of a conservative-dominated Supreme Court, Lazare added.

"The problem is not so much a nation that is half-free and half-slave as one that is half-democracy and half-oligarchy," he said.

Related News

Looming US government shutdown leaves over half of Americans in fear

Trust in US government to 'always' do what's right less than 1%: Poll

Read next: Republicans furious, blaming results on Trump and GOP incompetency

However, Lazare noted that the Republican Party had paid a heavy price for its reliance on the technological manipulation of governmental levers, including the loss of the majority vote, as well as future popularity and legitimacy.

"For Republicans, the long-term effect is to put them on a losing path in which they get very good at gumming up the works via the filibuster, the hold, gerrymandering, and other such maneuvers, but less good at mobilizing public opinion in general. For Democrats, it's the opposite. The more they are victimized by such maneuvers, the more they succeed in winning the broad public to their side," he said.

The process entangled the Republicans in the control of their own most extremist and polarizing forces, Lazare observed. "The upshot is that the Republican Party is increasingly dependent on a highly mobilized but fanatical minority of bigoted rural whites while Democrats are the party of the young, forward-looking, open-minded urban masses. That is still the general trend," Lazare said.

Read next: Republicans gain edge as vote counting underway

Two days ago, more than 100 Republicans won midterm elections, winning seats in Congress and crucial statewide offices.

The results of the midterm elections are expected to bring in a period of split governance in Washington amid a mounting economic crisis.

Thirty-five Senate seats and all 435 House of Representatives seats were up for grabs. Republicans needed five seats to control the House. The Senate, which is presently split 50-50 with Democrats holding the tie-breaking vote, might be decided by four close elections in Pennsylvania, Nevada, Georgia, and Arizona.

However, it is worth noting that although the American public is not satisfied with the current democratic-ruled administration under Joe Biden, the Republican party was still not a favorite or an alternative to America's year of 2024. 

According to the WSJ, two-thirds of Tuesday's voters in exit polls said Biden shouldn’t consider running for President again - and Democrats in his own party seconded that. 

Trump posted a social media message on Wednesday calling the results “a great evening” and pointed fingers at Democrats and media outlets who were “doing everything possible to play it down.”

Read next: Guide into US' most polarized Midterm Elections

  • Republican Party
  • Midterm elections 2022
  • Democratic Party
  • Red Wave
  • GOP
  • midterm elections
  • Joe Biden
  • Donald Trump

Most Read

Ukrainian soldiers ride an APC on the front line near Bakhmut, in the Donetsk region, on June 5, 2023 (AP)

US sees Ukrainian army demoralized, no chance to win: Seymour Hersh

  • Europe
  • 21 Sep 2023
Ukraine lost around 85% of its initial mobilized force: Field general

Ukraine lost around 85% of its initial mobilized force: Field general

  • Europe
  • 16 Sep 2023
'Israel's' railroad network targeted by cyberattack: Israeli media

'Israel's' railroad network targeted by cyberattack: Israeli media

  • Palestine
  • 16 Sep 2023
Old habits, linger … linger well past the time when old rituals (an Israeli PM visit to the Oval Office) had agency and the world hung on the outcome. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Arwa Makki)

Will a tripartite US-Saudi-Israeli ‘Deal’ make Any difference?

  • Opinion
  • 16 Sep 2023

Coverage

All
Morocco & Libya Disasters

Read Next

All
US Senator and wife indicted for bribery
US & Canada

US Senator Menendez, his wife indicted for bribery

Lula
Latin America

Lula to Zelensky: Military option will not solve Ukraine conflict

IOF transfer prisoner al-Fasfous to solitary confinement in Askalan
Palestine

IOF transfer prisoner al-Fasfous to solitary confinement in Askalan

Borrell says migration could be "dissolving force" for EU
Europe

Borrell says migration may be 'dissolving force' for EU: The Guardian

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS