The Virginia governor's office, and potentially legislature, have gone Republican.
It looks like the Democrats have (I fervently hope) a huge lesson to learn. If you take power through the ballot box, you better deliver or you will be thrown out; not by your voters, but by you voters who stay home while the 'defeated' come out to vote. I sure hope that those in Congress and the Senate now understand that imperfect but progressing legislation is imperative. Progress must be made, and be seen to be made. No more digging. Just get something done, now.
Sure, there is talk of Democrats holding the line in other states, but the clear swing is against them, and this will be very difficult to hide between now and early next year.
Reading about Sen. Kyrsten Sinema and her selling out to the American Chamber of Commerce and corporate donors, and the discussion of the disaster that is "Citizens United", it is difficult to have much hope (https://www.salon.com/2021/11/02/kyrsten-sinema-epitomizes-21st-century-political-corruption--but-she-didnt-cause-it_partner/).
According to the article, Senema voted against legislation supported by 70% of the population of her state.
She should take a look outside the United States of Amerika to see what happens to elected politicians when they do that. Greece provides a good case study, with the Syriza government of Alexis Tsipras. In 2015 he put approval of the EU Bailout programme to the people in a referendum. 63% voted against approval, yet Tsipras flew to Brussels and signed the agreement.
In the following elections, Syriza was destroyed as a political party, and while it is still the second largest, it is only one of a number of leftist parties, while there is only one centre-right party. Tsipras says (as he must) that Syriza will form the next government. He has little chance of being able to do that, as too many Greeks consider him a traitor.
If Democrats in Congress do not start passing legislation promised as part of the rejection of Trumpism and a rejection of the Amerikan Taliban, there is the very real danger that Democrats will stay home. Voters staying home will kill a political party faster than increasing numbers of voters for the opposition. If you cannot convince your voters to come out, then you cannot win elections. And if you have reneged on exactly why you were elected, then you will be rejected.
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