22 June 2017

Liberals In the U.S. Got Thrashed ... Again

Karen Handel
Do we expect another blame game from liberals ... again? What will it be now? Russians? Hackers? Martians?

These are just some of the questions analysts raised after former Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel defeated Democrat Jon Ossoff in the one-sided contested congressional special election in suburban Atlanta last 20 June. The conservative Handel garnered 52 percent of the vote compared to Ossoff’s 48 percent when the Associated Press called the race.

At her campaign headquarters, Handel thanked her supporters, campaign team and the ever-popular President Donald Trump.

"A special thanks to the President of the United States of America," Handel said, as the crowd chanted Trump's name. She also mentioned Majority Whip Rep. Steve Scalise, R-Lous., who was shot in an attack on Republican lawmakers at baseball practice. Handel said he texted her every week during the campaign to support her.

"We need to also lift up this nation so that we can find a more civil way to deal with our disagreements," Handel said.

In beating Ossoff, a 30-year-old first-time candidate who mounted a losing weak bid, Handel triumphed over an imaginary wave of liberal activism that transformed the solidly red district into a classic beat down. Democrats, fueled by misplaced anger at Trump and the Republican Congress’ efforts to repeal Obamacare, poured US$ 25 millions into the race, making it the most expensive congressional match-up in U.S. history.

The Republicans only spent US$ 5 million in this election. It would have been a lopsided victory had they spent the same amount of money as the doomed Democrats.

Ossoff conceded the race earlier, telling his supporters "hope is still alive." Yeah, right. The revolutionary move against the liberal minded Democrats has just started and they are blind on what to do.

Democrats also lost a lower-profile, fourth special election in South Carolina last 20 June, though by a smaller margin than was expected in the district.

Just last year, Republican Tom Price won the Georgia district by 23 points, making the latest results a stunning swing that could signal a victorious path for Republicans going forward.

Before the results came in, Joseph Bandera-Duplantier, a co-founder of Flippable, a grassroots group focused on picking up Democratic seats in state legislatures, said an Ossoff victory would be a "rallying cry" for grassroots voters and liberals in general. This is a classic delusion of a mad man.

Now Democrats will just have to keep on aching, and may find themselves demoralized and frustrated. The loss will also likely prompt soul searching about how the gay-supporting and Muslim-loving party and outside groups are deploying resources - and crowing from Republicans on the same theme.