The size of the Democrats’ victory Tuesday night shattered records and even the most optimistic expectations, handing the party a governing mandate with a clear demand for change.
asserted
size → shatter → change
But what do voters want that change to look like?
asserted
change → want → what
This week on The Intercept Briefing, politics reporter Jessica Washington and managing editor Maia Hibbett break down Tuesday night’s election and hear from voters in Maine, Michigan, and Texas about what drove them to the polls in the midterms that saw a so-called “blue tsunami.”
asserted
that → break → tsunami
“The rich get richer, the poor get poorer,” said one voter in Maine.
asserted
voter → get → Maine
In Michigan, a voter told The Intercept that politics “feels like a game that the rich play sometimes.”
asserted
rich → tell → that
A Texas voter expressed anger that President Donald Trump was “spending taxpayer money to renovate the White House and turn it into this gold sanctuary.”
asserted
Trump → express → sanctuary
Frustration with wealth inequality and money in politics came up again and again in The Intercept’s conversations with voters.
asserted
Frustration → come → voters
So did a desire for more social welfare spending, Medicare for All, freedom for Palestinians — and responses to transphobic and Islamophobic fearmongering on the campaign trail.
“When Democrats win so far across the board, you can make an argument that any faction of the Democratic Party has the mandate,” said Hibbett, “because Democrats of all stripes won Tuesday night.”
asserted
Democrats → win → stripes
In any case, the results indicated a clear disapproval of the way the Trump administration is governing and the use of fearmongering as a tactic of distraction.
asserted
administration → indicate → distraction
“One lesson maybe for Democrats is there’s no point in attempting to placate people when it comes to bigotry,” said Washington.
asserted
Washington → ’ → bigotry
“The thing that’ll motivate voters is if you can convince them that you’re going to make their lives better, not if you can convince them that you’re playing the middle on an issue of civil rights.”
asserted
you → motivate → rights
For more, listen to the full conversation of The Intercept Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
asserted
you → listen → podcasts
We’re just hoping that people step up and tell Washington to go fuck itself.
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people → hop → itself
I’m Jessica Washington, politics reporter at The Intercept.
asserted
I → ’m → Intercept
And I’m Maia Hibbett, managing editor here.
asserted
I → ’m → ?
Over the past few days, Intercept reporters hit the ground in key states to speak to voters about the issues driving them to the polls.
asserted
reporters → hit → polls
We went to Texas.
asserted
We → go → Texas
I never really understood, like, how important it is for the minority to vote.
asserted
minority → understand → ?
This election is important because this election is going to make or break whether we have a vote or not.
asserted
we → go → vote
There’s a reason why they’re shutting down these polling places.
asserted
they → ’ → places
What are the issues that motivated you this cycle?
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that → motivate → you
Well, I love Trump.
asserted
I → love → Trump
If you’re spending taxpayer money to renovate the White House and turn it into this gold sanctuary, that’s money that can be used for our military veterans.
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that → spend → veterans
That’s money that can be used to help with this homeless population.
asserted
that → ’ → population
The government needs to be held accountable.
asserted
government → need → ?
We heard from voters in Michigan.
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We → hear → Michigan
The election this year is very critical because Trump’s got two more years.
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Trump → get → years
I believe in Medicare for All.
asserted
I → believe → All
People have a right to self-determination, especially in Palestine.
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People → have → Palestine
And we spoke to voters in Maine.
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we → speak → Maine
What mattered to you as a voter this election?
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What → matter → voter
Everything keeps going up.
asserted
Everything → go → ?
Bryan Golay: The rich get richer, the poor get poorer.
asserted
poor → get → ?
Yeah, it’s honestly embarrassing if you’re a Democrat and you did not win.
asserted
you → ’ → ?
They swept the House and the Senate by just about the biggest margins that the pollsters could have predicted.
uncertain
pollsters → sweep → that
So luckily, the audience I’m concerned about, the pollsters, can rest easy.
asserted
I → ’m → ?
As of 11:00 a.m. [ET] on Wednesday morning, they had 228 seats in the House, Democrats did.
asserted
Democrats → have → House
They only needed 218 for a majority, so obviously that is more, and they’re expected to pick up some more seats as some more races get called.
asserted
races → need → seats
They had 54 seats in the Senate, which means that they have a big enough margin that they can’t be stopped from legislating by one lone senator, if one senator wanted to gum things up.
asserted
senator → have → things
The White House tried to spin Republican losses on Trump not being on the ballot and the quality of candidates, despite the fact that Trump repeatedly said at rallies across the country, “Pretend I’m on the ballot.”
asserted
I → try → ballot
…and 183 more, not listed.
The Aporia
