We cats are not into rose-colored glasses. Refusing to accept reality does nobody any favors. But we are perplexed that the media are still peddling this "red wave" nonsense about the midterms. It seems to have no relation to what is actually happening on the ground.
Is it that political "journalists" no longer understand how campaigns and elections work? Quite possibly. It's 50 years since The Boys on the Bus, and now it's not just boys, and there's no bus — only fundraisers, the interwebs, social media, and texts. Phone banking doesn't even work that well anymore. And polls? Forget about it — caller ID and cellphones have probably killed them. Meanwhile, the GOP is flooding the zone with Republican-weighted surveys that a credulous press is amplifying.
So, we're left with turnout. You know, actual people voting! What a concept! And that's where the "red wave" narrative starts to fall apart.
In state after state so far, Democrats are overperforming in the early vote — in some states, in the double digits over Democratic turnout in 2020, a Presidential year. That includes Iowa, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Twenty-six million Americans have cast ballots already, with Democrats leading Republicans by three million votes. In short, it's a pattern that was evident in the Kansas abortion vote this year and the five special elections for the House.
There is no "red wave" — at least, not yet. The Republicans are trying to manufacture one by zone-flooding GOP polls and by tweeting lies to suppress the Democratic vote. They're being aided by journalists who call up pundits (their fellow rich neighbors) and ask them for "analysis" that will feed the inside-the-Beltway hand-wringing. We are ignoring it all, and so should you. Keep working, everybody! We cats PURR.
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