How Dianne Feinstein Woke The Republican Sleeping Giant
Larry Schweikart
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Leftist California Senator Dianne Feinstein has done something even President Donald Trump could not do:
Awaken the sleeping giant of the Republican electorate to defeat the Democrats in the 2018 midterms.
It is widely, and incorrectly, thought that Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto said after the Pearl Harbor attack, “I fear we have awakened a sleeping giant and filled him with a terrible resolve.” He did not say that, but certainly believed it, having warned the Japanese leadership against involving the U.S. in World War II. That description fully characterizes what DiFi has achieved with her fabulous, fantastic flameout in attempting to derail Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court.
If DiFi hatched the plan in July, when Christine Ford’s letter first arrived on her desk, it was at that time almost certain that she believed—based on polling—that the Democrats stood a chance of taking the Senate in November. My how things have changed.
Suddenly, not only will the Democrats stand no realistic chance of winning the Senate, but it increasingly looks as though they will lose another five to seven seats, and if DiFi’s trick has incensed enough Republicans to turn out, they could face a 60-seat majority next January.
Feinstein’s goal in the summer was delay, delay, delay. Keep Judge K off the court long enough to have the midterms provide a Democrat majority, then claim that “the people have spoken” and that the lame duck Republican majority couldn’t in good conscience confirm Kavanaugh (as if the Democrats ever do anything in “good conscience”).
At that time, she did not have any other accusers lined up, Rush Limbaugh’s prediction notwithstanding. It was only after the Democrats entertained the notion that, with Arizona Senator Jeff Flake’s fifth column collusion, they might possibly deny Kavanaugh the nomination, that they put out an Amber Alert for any other women. DiFi had failed to do her homework in this regard as well, and had to rely on sleaze junkie Ronan Farrow to find appropriate accusers.
Which he did. But the B-team he dredged up didn’t even have the credibility of Christine Ford, which is like saying a pervert doesn’t have the moral character of Harvey Weinstein.
At any rate, it was too late: DiFi had hitched her wagon to a Ford whose tank was empty and whose tires were flat. Her only hope lay in the vengeful and spiteful Flake, and possibly one other weak-kneed Republican.
Still, things appeared on pace for a successful obstruction until two things happened. First, the Three Musketeers of Trump, Kavanaugh, and Yertle (Mitch McConnell) did something wholly unexpected of Republicans in Washington:
They fought.
All defiantly stood their ground, with McConnell promising a floor vote and promising Judge K will be confirmed soon. Either McConnell, who is not at all given to hyperbole, knows he has the votes and that with or without Flakey, the other Republicans will toe the line, or for the first time in two years, he has stated something as a fact (in terms of his procedural abilities) that he could not pull off.
At this point, even the Kavanaugh nomination begins to take a back seat to DiFi’s other fabulous, fantastic, eff up: She has mobilized a somnambulant Republican base and filled it with a “terrible resolve.”
Already this was shifting some. A recent NBC poll found GOP enthusiasm has nearly matched that of Democrats. Most “generic” ballot polls have steadily moved from double digits in the Democrats’ favor to only two or three points. But Gallup yesterday had the Republicans actually leading by one in party favorability, and an unnamed pollster has shared data with me that shows Republican enthusiasm spiking to shocking levels.
Anecdotally, however, the indicators are even stronger. Outrage at DiFi’s stunts have blown up Facebook and Twitter, and tales of entire nail salons being entirely unanimous in their disgust for the Democrats and support of the Judge are legion. Earlier the #WalkAway movement was eating into Democrat ranks, but now the fury has expanded to rank-and-file party members who are sickened by the hate machine their party has become.
Most of all, DiFi’s shocking stumble occurred at a time when “tossup” House seats were already starting to slightly trend Republican. In the past month, a good dozen of the expected 30 “sure thing” House flips have solidified in the GOP’s favor, to the point that now districts such as FL27—once considered a loss—have drifted back to even at best.
Last week I had separate discussions with Minnesota Republicans, certain they will flip two Democrat seats red and beat Keith Ellison for the Attorney General spot. They had the same thoughts on expected Republican turnout. Although Minnesota had an unsettling primary turnout advantage for the Democrats, I was told “don’t worry.” One said, “I personally know 10 Republicans too busy to vote in the primary, but who will absolutely vote in the general. They actually didn’t care which Republicans won the primary, because they were ready to vote against Democrats months ago!”
We shall see. But it appears DiFi has cost her party the House, handed the Republicans a larger senate majority, and deeply wounded the Democrat party among the American middle class.
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