Discussion: Ossoff Wins Plurality In Georgia Special Election, Teeing Up Runoff With GOPer

Don’t forget to vote.

The GOP never do.

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Would have been great if it had been clearcut. But perhaps by the time the run-off rolls around, Drumpfie and his Russian connection, his fire-breathing hawks pushing us to military confrontation on at least two fronts, his still AWOL tax returns and other questions simmering will drive the results. One can only hope.

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Would have been great to have won the seat yesterday but, I think the Dems are up for a Runoff in June.

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As someone who spends a lot of time in this District (I don’t live there; John Lewis is my Rep, thank God), I can’t begin to tell you what an accomplishment this already is. Let’s bring it home in June.

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Dems lose again. It’s as if they don’t know how to win.

No, the Dems did not lose here. This district is pretty solid red – and the fact Osoff was able to pull in 48% of the vote is truly amazing … and a message to the GOP from the electorate there that they are unhappy with the direction of their party. This is not losing – this is a strong message to both the Republicans and the Democrats. Republicans: Be worried. Democrats: With the right candidate, it is doable. We seriously need a 50-State Solution that focuses on fronting a good candidate in every race.

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The chances of Drumphie suddenly turning "Precidential " are slim to none. Every day I wake up thinking it can’t get worse , there’s nothing left to fuck up and yet everyday he proves me wrong.
Still with the 3 am tweets
Still with the Victory tour winning by the largest electoral college win ever
Still under audit . (that one was lame from the get go)
Demented. Old. Man.
Nothing more
Nothing less

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Karen Handeks sweeping 19 % landslide victory dinner alone with Mike Pence, as they discuss the race for the cure, will be happening when?

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This is the logic we face:
"Weir was no big fan of Ossoff. “I don’t like him. He comes across as unlikable,” she said. "

That’s like “why is Obama so divisive? I don’t like how he makes people angry.”

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Thank you
If we provide an alternative
If we expose the lies every day
They showed us last election
They are fed up
That’s our constituency, not the party of the 1%ers and oligarchs
FFS we have people running unopposed
https://www.crowdpac.com/unopposed
We need to provide an alternative
Bring back Howard Dean

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And over at CNN Chris Cillizza shows his bias by saying this is yet another major loss for Democrats. Of course that liar ignores that this is the second time in a row voters did a double digit shift to Democrats in a gerrymandered district…

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Yeah. All you said.

There are about 8 weeks until the runoff. I am really hoping that, during this time, the increasing disappointment/disillusionment towards Drumpfie, also on the part of Goopers, and perhaps even a gov’t shutdown due to a splintering GOP may depress the enthusiasm of Goopers voting and give this guy a chance ('cause Dems will still be fuming by then, I am certain). Gotta keep up the hope.

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Each and every Republican running lost worse, didn’t they?

Ossoff won…he just didn’t get the 50%.

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People are going to read whatever they want into this minor election because it’s the only game in town. Ossoff should have won this outright but that darn Trump came in and tipped back in play. The runoff will be another story.

Regardless of how things turn out in June, this should make Reps nervous. Dems should not be able to compete is a red district like Ossoff did, especially when he’s so new.

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I hope Ossoff and his campaign staff are ready for Max Cleland 2. And by ready, I mean anticipating the smears and the lies in advance, having a plan to aggressively attack Handel at her weak spots to keep her off balance, and being ready to instantly respond to the inevitable flood of FB and Twitter bullshit that Cambridge Analytica is going to push out to Republicans in the district.

In particular, Ossoff has to tie Trump and his policies around the neck of Handel; don’t allow her to put some daylight between herself and the orange idiot. Given where the district is—basically in the back yard of the CDC—they should hit Handel hard for Trump’s insane plan to savage the CDC and NIH with budget cuts.

National Democrats who worried about the race becoming “nationalized”

Y’now, a competent bunch of politicians might look at the absolutely abysmal, craptastic performance of the party in mid-term elections since 2010 against the backdrop of the thoroughgoing refusal of the Democratic Party to nationalize these elections and think maybe hiding under their desks just might not be a winning strategy. When was the last time Democrats did well in Congressional mid-terms? It was 2006, and the Dems nationalized the HELL out of that election as a direct referendum on George W. Bush.

If there’s something Republicans always do, they nationalize these mid-term and special elections. That’s what the GOP did to Max Cleland.

There is no objective reason that the Democratic Party can’t effectively advocate for its core policies and values to voters outside the narrow confines of the alleged Democratic “base”—there isn’t a mother or father out there who doesn’t want safe roads and bridges, clean water to drink, clean air to breathe, meat and produce untainted by disease, and safe and effective medicines and drugs for their families. They just need to have basic competence at communications and message framing, and the willingness to forthrightly and unapologetically advocated for them, even when it involves government activity.

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I’m glad Ossoff won the election. I’m sorry Ossoff didn’t win the seat outright. I think a June win in the runoff is do-able. It’s not a cinch but it’s do-able.

But for fuck’s sake, elections are not sporting events. We need to have a reasoned policy debate, and instead we get nonsense like, “Ossoff’s a terr’rist,” or “Ossoff’s like Nancy Pelosi, only worse.” (I know, I’m preaching to the choir. Forgive me, please.)

One ad writes itself. On the TPM front page (for me, at least) there is an ad for Karen Handel, “It’s time to deliver results for Georgia// KAREN HANDEL// for Congress.”

===================================
It’s time to deliver results for Georgia, indeed. Let’s look at Sec’ty Price’s record in Congress. He was the primary sponsor of H.R. 5612: To designate the Post Office Building at 2886 Sandy Plain Road, Marrietta, Georgia The Marine Lance Corporal Squire ‘Skip’ Wells Post Office Building.

He also sponsored H.R. 5400, which made permanent certain income tax deductions for investments in Puerto Rico.

Then there was H.R. 6616, which would have protected securities transactions in the United States from foreign excise taxes.

He co-sponsored many of the bills that attempted to repeal the Affordable Care Act, wasting precious Congressional time.

Karen Handel is Sec’ty Price’s hand-picked successor. But even a blind pig finds acorns, and she’s right this time. It’s past time to deliver results for Georgia, but she isn’t the person to do it. Vote for Ossoff in June.

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Sorry to use this well worn cliche but, this sp. election really was a game changer.

The GOP threw almost $5M into on air ads against a first time candidate in a district that Price won by OVER 20 pts. It’s also my understanding that Handel wasn’t the DC GOP’s candidate; Gray was. He lost handily even to Handel. Paul Ryan might be prepping his resume about now.

For those who are pissing themselves, grab yourself some diapers and STFU. Rump’s regime isn’t going to get any better by June so that might be a drag on GOP turnout to some extent. No guarantees. In addition, Handel is a weak candidate. She’s run twice before for seats and lost. She’s an odious person and we can exploit that like crazy to an electorate that’s a bit more educated and sophisticated.

This is the beginning of the beginning. Not the end,

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