The only thing rigged about the election is gerrymandered control of the House. Republicans in state governments redrew 193 districts to their liking in 2010, whereas Democrats redrew just 44. That's led to bizarre results. "Pennsylvania favored the Democrats by nearly 100,000 votes, but the sophisticated new lines returned a delegation that somehow broke 13 to 5 for the GOP."
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How Republicans and Democrats are handling down-ballot races
- Due to late ad buys, Republicans may spend a lot of money on the way to losing control of Congress. Updated Oct 27, 2016 ago
- Want to bring Democrats and Republicans together? Replace Paul Ryan with a hyper-conservative.
- Even if Democrats win the Senate in 2016, their majority won't last long.
Republicans may spend a lot of money to lose races in the Senate
The GOP could lose Senate races in Pennsylvania, Illinois, Wisconsin, New Hampshire, North Carolina and Missouri, which would end two brief years of Republican control of Congress. Senate aides say "the reason we don't hold the Senate, if we don't, is because of Donald Trump."
“What has to sting Republican strategists most is that they have the opposite problem in 2016 that they had in 2012.” Trump is polling five points behind down-ballot GOP candidates, whereas Romney polled five points ahead.
The GOP is closing the spending gap, but because their ad dollars are being spent so much later in the game, ad time is more expensive, and they’re getting less bang for their buck.
Oct 27, 2016It is a testament to the politics of our times that Paul Ryan, the most conservative Speaker in the history of the country, won’t be conservative enough for a solid core of his own party in Congress, and is under siege from his party’s presidential nominee and acolytes.
↩︎ The Atlantic
Even if Democrats win the Senate in 2016, their majority won't last
Don’t get too attached to the idea of Democrats retaking the Senate, because odds are it won’t last. Five of the Democratic seats that will be on the ballot in 2018 are in states that voted for Romney.
Democrats look to Jason Kander’s Missouri campaign as a model for making inroads in Southern states. Kander’s gun savvy—he’s an Army vet—made waves when he assembled an AR-15 blindfolded for a campaign spot in favor of background checks.
Oct 27, 2016While Republicans acknowledge they’re exiting October in worse shape than they ever imagined, they believe it’s possible Trump has hit rock bottom and can’t pull the House GOP any further down with him.
↩︎ Politico
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The Editors' Longreads Picks
- An excellent essay on poverty and writing by Starr Davis. Updated May 31, 2022
- Novelist Héctor Tobar tries to understand the 1992 Los Angeles riots through the experiences of a single high school.
- Steven Johnson with a long assessment of the current state of A.I. and language. (The illusion has gotten very good.)
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Welcome to The Morning News Tournament of Books, 2017 edition.
- Our championship match is decided in the Tournament of Books, with news of a Rooster surprise debuting this summer. Updated Mar 31, 2017
- In Thursday's action, Reyhan Harmanci sets up a colossal final.
- The Zombie round opens with Buzzfeed's Isaac Fitzgerald reading The Nix and The Underground Railroad.
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Все ваши Белый дом принадлежит нам.
- "Will Putin expose the failings of American democracy or will he inadvertently expose the strength of American democracy?" Updated Mar 3, 2017
- Wilbur Ross just wanted to make some money in ethically gray areas (that should've prevented him from taking office).
- Jeff Sessions's spokeswoman can't help but continue to lie.
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The oceans are under assault, and not just from the White House and friends.
- Trump's assault on the environment begins with American headwaters. Updated Mar 1, 2017
- Don't just blame the oil companies for destroying the oceans—blame sushi restaurants.
- Nothing escapes the deepest trenches of the ocean floor. Not light, not nutrients, not pollutants.
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