Only a few short months ago, Democratic leaders were practically scaling the spires of D.C., scanning the horizon, and shouting about the coming Blue Wave. As they and a good many political pundits saw it, President Donald Trump had spurred such fury in the populace, anti-Trumpers would flood the polls come fall. The House of Representatives and the Senate would be swept into Democratic control, and Trump’s ship of state would be wrecked – the man himself, marooned in the Oval Office without the power to do much of anything against a Congress united in opposition.
Oh, how the tides have turned.
“I think the blue wave is dead, frankly,” Trump said in an interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network. As he has crisscrossed the land to rally his loyalists, many political analysts began hedging their talk of a strong Democratic showing. And even some Democratic party leaders are now downplaying expectations. When asked if they will take the House or Senate, they talk about hope and optimism – but with none of the certainty that buoyed them such a short while back.
That’s not a good space for Blues, considering how widely this election looked like it was theirs to lose. Trump’s disapproval rating is off the charts, meaning despite all the Republicans rallying to his side, there are loads of voters ripe for the Democrats to scoop up. History too says sitting presidents frequently lose control of one or both houses of Congress. It happened to Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama. Yet somehow, Democrats seemed braced for a tepid win at best.
To be sure, the polls – which still generally show the Dems with an edge – could be missing a late, strong surge. Democratic leaders could be downplaying expectations and rousing fear to get their voters out in bigger numbers, and their party could still emerge on the other side with solid control of the House, and maybe an edge in the Senate, too. But at this moment, the blue wave they anticipated looks more like a ripple…barely reaching the political shore.
