Source; Wikipedia
A couple of days ago I mentioned the special election for House seat Ohio-12 between Balderson (R) and O’Connor (D). As of just now, Balderson leads by less than a percentage – and absentee votes amounting to far more than the margin are still to be counted in 10 or 11 days. O’Connor is not conceding, despite Republican crowing.
As I mentioned in the prior post, the Republican claims of victory, accurate or not, are really hollow. The fact that this is close is shocking, because this seat leans heavily Republican, and went for Trump in the Presidential election. But a facet I have neglected in all the special elections is this: Republican and leaning voters are, to some extent, going to be aware of the history of this seat, and the overwhelming margins by which it has been won by the GOP.
It has to be going through their minds: What The Fuck?
And, for those not irrevocably wedded to Trump or extremist ideology, that must eventually lead to the question: What does everyone who used to vote Republican but didn’t this time know that I don’t?
It’s gotta be eating away at them. The high profile resignations, accompanied by epitaphs for the Republicans. There’s been a lot of them, and for the extreme wing of the Republicans, it can’t happen fast enough. But for the moderates, the enablers of the extremists, those are signals that something is going seriously wrong.
Will we see a migration of moderate Republicans to the independent ranks as their consciences are struck by the venial nature of so many of their candidates? I don’t know for Balderson, and I have no intent to tar him with allegations and innuendo. But if he’s a moderate, then he’s become an object lesson to the balance of the Republicans, even if he wins, because he should have won in a landslide.
And, instead, he’s crawling underneath the barbed wire in hopes of winning.
Like Bartlett, I think first the GOP has to be dismantled, and then rebuilding a sane party can begin.
Know hope.
