Consider how bad things went for the Republicans in 2018:
Their gerrymandered US House was taken back with authority by the Democrats with historic resound. The Contract With America year the Republicans had a 7.0% advantage in the polling. In 2010, the year the Republicasn demanded all Democrats sit down and shut up, including President Obama, because they "had a mandate from the American people," Republicans had a 7.2% advantage. The Democrats in 2018 had a 9.2% advantage.
Trust me, the gerrymandering still did it's job. If the Republicans didn't have a massive gerrymandered advantage, they would've lost 100 seats, but even so no one is popping champaign bottles on the right. This is their worst case scenario. Their brand is pretty much wiped out on the West Coast and in the northeastern US, north of the Mason Dixon Line. There are signs their tight grip on the southeastern US is starting to falter, and even deep red Texas is looking more and more blue.
Heck in North Carolina, they literally had the Republicans confiscating thousands of absentee ballots, an attempt to steal a congressional seat outright. And we should be questioning whether or not the vote theft tactic/game plan happened in other sates, like Georgia and Florida.
With the majority of the US seeing Trump as a political Titanic starting to slip under the waves, Republicans are stuck with a base who still worships him. GOP voters will never believe Trump ever did anything wrong, meaning if the Mueller probe goes the way it's looking, Republican politicians either have to decide to A) stand on the deck of the USS Trump as it sinks, B) wait to see if the 2020 polling shows they're in big trouble (which they will be), and then decide to jump like rats from the sinking ship (I really disagree with Trump even though my record says I fully support him!) or C) jump in a lifeboat early and sail towards retirement. If they take 'C,' at least they'll get a good view of the carnage before the move on.
Most non-retiring Republicans have proven they won't deviate from Reagan's 11th Commandment, [paraphrasing] "never speak ill will against a fellow Republican," even if that Republican is a petulant, narcissistic man child who's addicted to television and bedtime cheeseburgers, and is subject to a daily temper tantrum. They're going full steam ahead as they look at 2020, and this means the Democrats need to be ready for the Republican's three prongs of attack.
First prong: a repeat of 2016, drive a wedge into the Democrats by working the progressive side of the party against the more moderate candidates. Although we already have our eyes wide open for this interference, and even though we already know it will happen, it still will be moderately successful because it attacks a Democrat's weakness; Democrats almost always believe 'if everyone did what I wanted, things would be so much better.' Fight this attack by being more open minded. Remember, there's a system in place. If your candidate is looking like they're not going to win, remind yourself EVERY DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE WILL BE FAR BETTER OPTION THAN TRUMP, OR ANY REPUBLICAN! Stay united, no matter how much you get hurt by your candidate not being THE candidate.
Second prong: They have to get Democrats to stay home. In Minnesota House races, Republican incumbents got more votes than they ever got before, but it didn't matter. The Democrats showed up in force. All Republicans could do is watch the inevitable unfold in front of them. They can't win if Democrats show up, so they will do everything to get Democrats to stay home. Ad campaigns to not vote, voting restrictions, disinformation distribution; the Republicans will spend a lot of money trying to get the left to be a no-show. Fight this by having the same intensity as 2018, IF NOT MORE! Already vow to make sure people are registered to vote and they're going to vote. Every Democratic Candidate, regardless of incumbent or challenger, needs to be knocking on doors ALREADY. Don't be afraid. Be pissed off and looking for bigger margins of victory. With 2020 being a census year, if there's any hope to undo the right's obscene gerrymandering, we need to sweep every race we can. That means showing up!
Third prong: outright theft. Get ready for more attempts like the shenanigans in North Carolina. Ballots being confiscated, fake ballots being submitted, absentee ballots being stolen and thrown out; the Republicans have already proven they're willing to use these tactics. Be aware of what's going on, and if anything seems odd, contact the Secretary of State's office immediately. Then, contact the local media. Exposure is the biggest threat to these unlawful, anti-American tactics
What all three of these prongs show is something devastating for the Republicans. They're already conceding their candidates can't win fair and square. Republicans won't appeal to the masses and will be a tough sell in what used to be safe Republicans districts. Republicans need the Democrats to help them win. I, for one, am not going to oblige.
Wells said.
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