The red wave that was widely predicted for the midterms didn’t happen. We now know that the Democrats retained the Senate and, while the Republicans now hold the majority in Congress, it’s a much, much slimmer majority than what they were hoping for. We don’t yet know how narrow the gap will be but most projections have it at about 7 seats. That’s a tiny majority — way too small for prospective majority leader Kevin McCarthy to govern effectively.
Yet the battle is far from won. While the Democrats do have the majority in the Senate, the left desperately wants the extra seat that would come from winning the run-off on Georgia, which pits the extremely intelligent and capable Raphael Warnock against the not-at-all-intelligent or capable Herschel Walker. Should the Dems gain that extra seat, it will help when coming up against the stubborn Joe Manchin and his apparent inability to help his own party.
In Arizona, it’s a blessing that the Governor and both Senators will be Democrats but we also have to guard against defeated lunatic Kari Lake as she continues to seek to destroy democracy by contesting what was clearly a free and fair election. On the one hand, what else do we expect from the party of sore losers? But we can’t take our eye off of them; democracy is on the line.
So voters in Georgia can’t afford to wait until the 2024 elections which will include the next presidential race. They have to get enthusiastic about voting for this runoff, and people in Arizona need to keep their eyes on their politicians.
Meanwhile, voters in Colorado came surprisingly close to ousting Lauren Boebert. The fact the race is heading to a recount (by state law) in a Republican stronghold is a sign that Trumpian politics are losing popularity. The gun-toting crazy woman had the nerve to offer empty condolences to the victims of the Colorado Springs shooting at an LGBTQ club that claimed five lives, despite Boebert being anything but an advocate for that community and owning a restaurant called Shooters. She’s grotesque.
Those five victims are Daniel Aston, Raymond Green Vance, Kelly Loving, Ashley Paugh, and Derrick Rump. The man who tackled and stopped the shooter is Richard Fierro, a former army major who was at the club with his wife and kids to watch a comedy show.
“My daughter (and) wife should have never experienced combat in Colorado Springs, and everybody in that building experienced combat that night, not to their own accord, but because they were forced to,” he said, as reported by CNN.
The shooter has been identified as Anderson Aldrich and, according to CNN, he is “facing five counts of first-degree murder and five counts of a bias-motivated crime causing bodily injury, according to an online docket in El Paso County courts. The district attorney for El Paso County, Michael Allen, said formal charges have not been filed and the ones on the docket are preliminary and might change.”
TV star Andy Cohen nailed it when he tweeted, “What a sad morning in America. Perhaps this sick attack in Colorado will cause politicians to think twice before fanning flames of homophobia. Let people be who they are for once and for all.”
What a sad morning in America. Perhaps this sick attack in Colorado will cause politicians to think twice before fanning flames of homophobia. Let people be who they are for once and for all.
— Andy Cohen (@Andy) November 20, 2022
Singer Kacey Musgraves posted, “WHY?! Just fucking why. Here we are..shattered again and again. Living in constant fear. It’s so beyond fucked up. These people were just freely enjoying their lives and weren’t hurting anyone. My heart is in half for my LGBTQIA+ fam. Love y’all forever.”
WHY?! Just fucking why. Here we are..shattered again and again. Living in constant fear. It’s so beyond fucked up. 💔 These people were just freely enjoying their lives and weren’t hurting anyone. My heart is in half for my LGBTQIA+ fam. Love y’all forever. https://t.co/KVHqXxhb0O
— K A C E Y (@KaceyMusgraves) November 20, 2022
FINNEAS echoed the thoughts of many of us when he posted, “Fuck your guns. It’s crazy to read horror stories like this without a shred of surprise. Devastated for the victims and their families, devastated for the LGBTQ+ community. Devastated to live in a country making so little progress on an issue only our country faces.”
Fuck your guns. It’s crazy to read horror stories like this without a shred of surprise. Devastated for the victims and their families, devastated for the LGBTQ+ community. Devastated to live in a country making so little progress on an issue only our country faces.
— FINNEAS (@finneas) November 20, 2022
Meanwhile, pop star Hayley Kiyoko tweeted, “My heart is so heavy for my LGBTQ community in Colorado Springs and the lives and loved ones taken from us. I’m so angry and upset. This hate cannot continue. Thank you to the heroes who helped bring the shooter down. I love you all so much, I am so sorry.”
My heart is so heavy for my LGBTQ community in Colorado Springs and the lives and loved ones taken from us. I’m so angry and upset. This hate cannot continue. Thank you to the heroes who helped bring the shooter down. I love you all so much, I am so sorry
— Hayley Kiyoko (@HayleyKiyoko) November 20, 2022
Dan Reynolds of Imagine Dragons posted, “Thinking about all the senseless gun violence that continues to plague our country. hoping politicians will actually work to make real change in America. thinking about our LGBTQ youth that already feel unsafe. another sad day. how many more? may we continue to push for change.”
thinking about all the senseless gun violence that continues to plague our country. hoping politicians will actually work to make real change in America. thinking about our LGBTQ youth that already feel unsafe. another sad day. how many more? may we continue to push for change.
— Dan Reynolds (@DanReynolds) November 20, 2022
Finally, songwriter Justin Tranter took to Instagram to post, “My heart and my anger are with the queer people of Colorado Springs and queer people everywhere today. Another mass shooting at another LGBTQ club. My heart fucking breaks and my anger grows. Republicans have blood on their hands. Again. – I’m looking for links to donate to the victims families, in the meantime I always trust @everytown and @glaad to lead in these moments.”
Politicizing a tragedy sucks but the reality is there’s only one party fighting for common sense gun laws and that understands second amendment rights don’t trump (pun intended) human rights, or the right to live.
They’ll vomit out the old line that “Guns don’t kill people, people kill people.” But we can add, “People with guns kill people. Often. On a large scale.”
Never stop voting.
