Yesterday Democratic upstart Jon Ossoff, won 48% of the popular vote for Georgia’s 6th congressional district, which did not win him the seat, but did earn him a chance to win on June 20th. Ossoff is hoping to fill the seat of Tom Price who is the new head of the Department of Health and Human services under the Trump administration. Yes, the same Tom Price who is opposed to the Affordable Care Act, is pro-life and was also given a 0 out of 100 by the Human Rights Campaign for based on his record voting against LGBTQ+ rights in Congress. Georgia’s 6th congressional district has been dominated by Republicans since 1979, when Newt Gingrich was elected. That could all end in June if 30-year-old Jon Ossoff wins.
Prior to January 5th, 2017, no one had heard of Ossoff, but the Democrat was suddenly catapulted into the public spotlight after announcing his candidacy because of the timing of his campaign. Ossoff became instantly popular, perhaps because of the sentiment behind his slogan, “Make Trump Furious.” And although the commander in chief is not furious, worried might be a fitting descriptor as Trump tweeted out that the “super Liberal Democrat” would be a “disaster in Congress.” However, Ossoff still won 48% of the vote, which wasn’t the 50% he needed to win, but it is telling of a possible surge in popularity for the Democratic party.
Right now, America is loudly creaking left with every new announcement from the White House. Trump’s populist platform may have won him the presidency, but his unpopularity is now negatively affecting his party.
The Republicans have been so busy celebrating the fact that they can now dismantle the government with executive and judicial support, that they have just noticed that they might be losing legislative power.
The election in which Ossoff took part in was a special one in order to fill a Congressional vacancy, but in 2018, there’s more than just one seat up for grabs. If Ossoff’s popularity is any indication, then Democrats will have a chance to sweep the midterm elections in 2018 and gain legislative power. That is, if the Democrats don’t screw it up between now and November 2018.
If the Democratic Party wants to benefit off of an unpopular Republican president then here’s the deal; make the white middle class angry. I’m not talking a little angry, have them unable to even stand the mention of Trump and any of the POTUS’ associates. Capitalize on how his new tax bracket system majorly impacts the middle class in order to cut a break for the upper class. Focus on how many Americans could potentially lose their health care. Show how the protests sweeping the nation are going to affect their nice, comfortable, middle class, suburban lifestyles.
Sure, absolutely talk about the families that are being torn apart by Trump’s thoughtless immigration plans. Display the insensitive word choice of many Republicans that goes beyond the point of anti-PC. Show the coldness of the Republican Party, but do such in a ay that makes it applicable to white middle-class America too, or they will stick with Trump. While this strategy isn’t particularly appealing, more votes for Democrats in the midterms means more Democrats in Congress, and that means that there’s more power to block Republican bills from taking effect. Also, it means less of a chance for Republicans to pull stunts like enacting the nuclear option to approve Gorsuch as a Supreme Court Justice.
The Democrats are in an opportune position to regain a semblance of control in Washington and within the party, which has been floundering since the defeat of Clinton. Which means that now is the time to vote, to volunteer, and to donate to Democrats running for elected office. If you wanted an easy solution for dealing with Trump before 2020, then here it is, so let’s not blow it.
