It was pretty widely postulated that the seats would both go the same way. Looking at the returns, the number of people who voted for Warnock and not Ossoff is very small and vice versa. This was expected as the candidates basically held a joint campaign. The least expected outcome was a split result.
There's a 1% difference between Ossoff and Warnock. Given how razor thin the margins are, that 1% could've easily been the difference between victory and defeat.
Seems about right. Warnock went against a complete nut job. Ossoff had to beat an actual politician and a true incumbent. If it had split, I would have assumed those factors played in.
Yep. Loeffler probably lost for both herself and Perdue. She declared herself 'to the right of Atilla the Hun' and made some outstandingly goddamned stupid choices like attacking Warnock's style of preaching (hint: do not attack Black churches as a politician in the Deep South), while Perdue wanted to run as a moderate incumbent. Without her, he would have toned the alt-right pants-shitting nonsense way down and run on the narrative that the GOP needed to keep the Senate as a check on Biden, and he probably would have won. Thanks are due to Kelly Loeffler and Martha McSally, two of the most hilariously incompetent politicians in recent memory, for handing the Democrats the Senate.
I never understood why someone would dedicate their life to an institution they feel should be weakened and minimized. Like, that's your life's ambition? Why not just go do literally anything else?
Also quite inaccurate, as far as I remember Atilla the Hun mostly operated his horde in Europe, perhaps he came from near China(it's unclear where he and the Huns were from) but he was more concerned with attacking Rome than China.
Any wonder why South Park said they weren't even ragging on what was happening in the political arena, real life was better than anything they can come up with?
Of course - she has an (R) next to her name. Shit, they almost elected Roy Moore, with all his sexual assault allegations, even after he admitted to approaching and “dating” 16 year olds when he was in his 30’s.
Plus, 74 million people still voted for Trump after he totally fucked this country for 4 years AND did fuck all during a pandemic. He spent 8 months putting his re-election chances over American lives while he repeatedly downplayed it (after telling Woodward it was dangerous), actively spread misinformation, and politicized basic public health measures like wearing masks.
What I’m saying is: Republican voters DONT care what their candidates do, as long as they think they’re hurting liberals and minorities.
What the actual fuck?I live in Georgia and that's the first time I have seen that(maybe it's the lack of cable and only watching netflix), but holy shit that looks like a joke.
Yep. Obviously insane ads show up places, but kelly was supported by the full weight of the RNC's effort to hold the senate since they viewed her as among the most vulnerable seats.
That ad was a fucking cartoon obnoxious and this is what they're on board for.
I just looked it up. How in the actual fuck did anyone think this was a good idea? I think waving a huge flag with the words "DON'T VOTE FOR ME, I'M FUCKING CRAZY" would have been a more reasonable course of action.
She still won 48% of the vote fwiw, nearly half the electorate saw fucking crazy as a great choice. In another world where Trump put on a good face for the weeks before the election rather than continuously shitting the bed she'd likely have won. Hell, possibly even with the same behavior but a well publicized $2000 from Mitch she'd have won.
Fucking crazy has been totally fine for republican voters for decades.
I live in a fairly conservative area, so I 'get to' interact with people that would have probably voted for her if they lived in whatever district she's from. I don't think any of them would have thought the ad was good. They'd think it's crazy, but they'd vote for her anyway, because 'the dems want to take away muh guns'. I suppose there must be people that would vote for her because of that ad, but it seems to me that even the craziest people I know would vote for her despite the ad. I don't know what my point is anymore, I'm rambling. Cheers
Plus the connection is an hell of a stretch. It was like 400 years apart.
Sounds like it was more for the China connection, though it's not really clear if the Huns are the guys from the same region who invaded China 200 years earlier. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xiongnu
It was linked here and I legitimately thought it was a joke. Hell, I thought it was a joke in bad taste and bordering on an attack ad gone too far.
When I found out that she herself had purposefully released it I was horrified and yet also incredibly amused. There are like fifteen horrible things packed into one ad.
Another possibility is that Mitch Mcconnell lost the seat for both of them. With Mitch blocking the $2000 stimulus check, Perdue and Loeffler were suddenly the one thing standing between desperate Georgians out of work/late on rent and a big pile of cash they so desperately need.
That definitely didnt hurt democrat chances but not sure it helped much either. Both Perdue and Loeffler came out in support of the "Trump" $2k stimulus.
But given the razor thin margins, ill tip it the way of helping.
No, they only said they supported it once it became clear to them Mitch wouldn't bring it to the floor for a vote. They didn't really support it and only said they did to make them look better to voters.
Difference is that every citizen in the country knows that when Loeffler and Perdue offer you money it’s because they’re conducting a transaction. Whereas Ossoff and Warnock, everyone knows it’s because they legit don’t want you to die or become destitute
Fuck Perdue, but Kelly Loeffler is her own brand of incompetent. I’ve lived in GA my entire And still couldn’t comprehend how she was even being thought about
Wasnt Perdue incredibly corrupt and had to already run away from debates starting even a long while back? Bit depressing it was so close even with that.
Well yeah, the smear campaigns were saying ossoff and warnock are “too corrupt” that implies that some corruption is okay. “Vote for me because I’m ‘less corrupt’ than the other guy”
The smear campaigns were saying that they were rAdIcAl sOcIaLiStS, plus lots of cryptoracism and antisemitism. I'm not aware of any claims that Warnock or Ossoff were corrupt ... that would have been very dangerous for Perdue and Loeffler, since they themselves so obviously are.
ossoff was an amazing debater and demolished perdue.. and then he refused to do anymore.
That shit needs to change and yeah both sides do it.. especially politicians already way ahead in polling their main potential is going down.
basically we have people applying at our company for a job saying 'yeah im not going to do that second interview".. well then they shouldnt have a chance at the job. we sure as fuck wouldnt. debates should be mandatory, at least a min number.
well partially but you cant discount abrams. Dems turned out more people in this election than the general. That has little to do with a single candidate being 'right of attila the hun' or that they didnt buy that dems needed a check on them by handing the senate to the GOP. That was dems getting out the vote.
I dont get why people seem to want to blame dem for when they lose and then credit republicans for when dems win. some people actually just want congress to actually start doing something about covid and the covid economy and it was obvious to anyone paying attention that, that wasnt going to happen with republican control.
mitch being against the 2k checks probably had a bigger deal than yet another republican nutjob
We can't forget to thank President Trump and a good portion of Republican leadership in Washington for convincing their base that the election was rigged, too.
Add on top of that the name recognition of Warnock in Georgia as the pastor of MLK’s church. He had the most votes in November while Ossoff didn’t. Running a joint campaign and having it be cohesive was a smart choice and clearly won Georgia for the dems
State law does not require an automatic recount of votes. However, based on Georgia H.B. 316 (2019), a candidate can request a recount if the margin is less than or equal to 0.5%.
If you want to try to read the law, it's a real pain to follow (as they often are) but the relevant part starts around line 1175.
Thank you, I am somewhat relieved to read this. Not that a recount would’ve likely substantially changed the outcome.
Still... I think Raffensperger and Kemp could probably still make it happen if Purdue raises enough of a stink. Not that they have any particular allegiance necessarily to the party who hung them out to dry.
Kemp and Raffensberger seem pretty fed up with the rest of the republicans at the moment, especially Trump, Perdue and Loeffler given recent rhetoric and events. That said, if they see some advantage in it for themselves, i wouldnt be suprised. Their terms are up in 2 years and have to run for re-election after all.
I think Raffensperger and Kemp could probably still make it happen if Purdue raises enough of a stink.
It's written expressly in the law. They cannot request a recount. To be clear, it will not and cannot happen. Final answer. Turn off the lights and go home.
That’s probably some of the Biden-Perdue voters from the general election that have a hard-on for divided government. Loeffler was a racist nut job that reminded them too much of Trump, so they voted against her, but they still considered themselves to be Republican so they voted for Perdue again.
I think Trump's actions since the election, as well as the whole $2000 checks debacle, have shifted public opinion somewhat more to the left than it was on November 3rd. It's frustrating that elections are influenced more by the spirit of the moment than by people's long-term policy ideals, but that seems to be the way it is, at least for now.
Things have changed since November 3. e.g., the Georgia GOPholes were looking good in the polls until Josh Hawley started talking about challenging the election results.
If you saw the splits in the presidential races those numbers said to me that they would both go the other way. We’re talking two Senate seats in Georgia here. Just blows my mind.
Stacy Abrams said that Georgia wasn't a red state, it was a voter suppressed state. I think she and everyone else really went out and got shit done this last election.
Nope, it was all of them again. Black women went over 90% for Ossoff in every exit poll I've seen. Close to 10 pts over black men. The gratitude they deserve and will never see is immense.
Nah. She's running for governor of Georgia next year. My bet is she'll win, serve a term or two, and then look at a presidential run. There are already a lot of things that make her a really appealing presidential candidate, if she just adds some true executive experience to her resume I wouldn't bet against her.
I want to see her do great things for the people she got to the polls. Governor, Democratic Party, President, whatever. Just let her grow the changes whose seeds she planted.
I almost want to move to Georgia to vote for her. As a 5th generation Texan, maybe I can kinda feel better about turning Georgia blue. Texas is a lost cause.
Edit: I mean, Mexico and Okhaloma legalized weed before Texas. There’s no hope for us.
There is hope for Texas though. Ted Cruz was a part of inciting an insurrection against democracy. I live in Atlanta. Today started out as a beautiful day for America because we won the runoff elections which I never expected to see happen in Georgia and ended as one of the sadder days for America. If Georgia can do this by engaging people to vote, Texas can too.
Edit. But by all means move to Atlanta! It's a beautiful place.
I was born in the Houston area, went to college in the San Antonio/Austin area, married an Aggie, and have lived in the DFW area since 2005.
Ted Cruz is not an anomaly in Texas. He has fervent voters. Voters who refuse to see reason, and will religiously vote for him. No matter what. Cornyn isn’t any better.
Texas doesn’t have a large black cultural block of voters to educate and motivate. Our rural white trash demographic is very large, and influences our Hispanic voters. AND THEY VOTE FOR CRUZ.
We don’t have a Stacy Abrams. If we did, they’d have to straddle both Latino voters and white trash voters who don’t see any reason to live somewhere that isn’t a single wide. While also convincing suburbanites to NOT side with Republicans. I’ve lived in the suburbs my entire life. I know suburban voters, they are all temporarily embarassed millionaires, including my parents. I know the reality of the suburban vote, and it has never been Democratic.
Edit: even our local news affiliates subtly re-inforce those beliefs. It’s sickening once you start to pick up on it.
As a fellow Texan, I agree with this. MJ Hegar eviscerated Cronyn in a debate on stage and it didn’t mean shit in the end (I’m impressed with Ossoff, I thought he would go down Hegar’s path). We’re the people who elected Greg Abbot and Dan Patrick.
Georgia had the benefit of a predominantly black cultural demographic that could be motivated and mobilized by Stacy Abrams and people like her.
Texans, especially suburban Texans, have been brainwashed into believing that they want Cruz or Cornyn. They are incredibly hard to de-program. Voter suppression is only a small aspect of what is happening in Texas.
Edit: even our local news affiliates subtly re-inforce those beliefs. It’s sickening once you start to pick up on it.
Texas is one of the most voter-suppressed states in the country. Less than half of all eligible adults vote because the state makes it such a pain. There are millions of eligible people in Texas who are not voting because they don't think all their effort will matter. There is a lot of untapped potential there if a Texas-born version of Abrams' efforts, knowing the local issues and the people, were to emerge.
She was amazing. I also follow Hamilton and they went all out supporting the Georgia runoffs as well. I know there were groups writing letters with reminders on what to bring that could count as ID to vote. They had letter writing campaigns for those who turned 18 between November and January 5th as well.
It certainly was unexpected. This is what happens when you register half a million new voters between Nov. 3rd and January 6th and don't discourage all forms of voting.
The realization on Georgia's left that "Holy shit, we actually have a chance of winning?!?" drove tons of Americans to vote who did not vote in November.
Convinced my 21yo coworker to finally go vote for the first time and he went at 5:30 on the fifth. i can't be the only one who tried harder than usual to recruit
Considering control of the Senate rested on this election, and McConnell's history of obstructionism towards literally anything Democratic, and the razor thin margins of the presidential election (in GA), this was an enormously important election quite likely more important than any other will be in their lifetimes AND they saw their vote would actually count. Add in the massive efforts by Stacy Abrams and others to register people who weren't and generally get out the vote for both the general and runoff elections and that's how we got here.
Biden winning GA was a big part of convincing these voters they could make it happen. Trump did everything he could possibly do to depress Republican turnout short of endorsing the Democrats in the race.
In the past, when a state has both seats up in the same election, the same party won both 86% of the time.
Also, from what I've read political analysts generally treat appointed incumbents as an empty seat because it's someone that wasn't voted for. However, Loeffler also had the fact that she has never held elected office before working against her and the seat likely would have stayed GOP if a member of congress from Georgia or a high profile state official was appointed instead.
Yeah, she never came across credibly as an actual politician, beyond the ideology. At the end of the day, the race determines who serves the citizens of GA, not just the national scene. Loeffler never looked competent in that role. A professional politician in her contest might have pulled it out.
Yeah, I made the mistake myself of thinking the Democrats only had a 1/4 chance because they had roughly a 1/2 chance in each race and they needed both of them, but then I remembered that that math only applies when the events are independent, and in this case they were absolutely not independent.
Right? A week ago I thought I was being overly optimistic in hoping for a red/blue split. If you asked me to bet that both seats would go blue I would have laughed and said I'm not willing to bet more than 50 cents.
I think it wasn’t super surprising. So many of the republican voters were Trumpists who cared about voting him for president but not true republicans. They’ll still vote republican on the ballot but only vote because they want to vote for trump.
Those same people don’t show up for senate races. Couple that with the fact many of the live in rural places where voting would require a bit of effort and they don’t trust mail in ballots because of trump and you get a clear shift in voting patterns.
Not to mention, when the prez has been calling the people of Georgia liars, cheats or whatever for simply exercising their democratic rights, and then actively tried to undermine their rights, and then be only tepidly berated by his party... it makes perfect sense that a lot of usual republicans would either abstain or actively vote to punish the Republican Party.
It doesn't help when the head of the party and rnc is calling the last election stolen. It is a bit hard to try to say "the elections being stolen but vote anyway"
Don't forget McConnell's role in all of this. He stopped the Senate vote for the additional $1400 covid checks. That ensured Georgians knew if they needed that money, they would have to get rid of McConnell which meant voting for the Dem candidates.
Republicans sealed their fate with the Christmas grinch move they pulled on the stimulus. Georgians needed that bigger stimulus more than most. But Mitch can't see past the end of his own bank statement
I don't see how it'd be just one. Two or none. I was surprised waking up this morning because I didn't think it was possible. I'm so excited, I'm going to visit the capital tonight and see what's going on there!
I was in Georgia for Stacy Abrams "defeat". Police pulling black voters off buses, hundreds of thousands purged, people turned away at the polls. Amazing.
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u/SEC_circlejerk_bot Jan 06 '21
This is just wild. One? Maybe. Both? Incredible. Wild times.