EDITORIAL: US poll results pose a challenge to identity politics
All the indications point to a country largely uncomfortable with its polarising president
So was there a blue wave or wasn’t there? Democrats, and possibly the majority of the developed world, were looking to the US midterm elections to demonstrate that President Donald Trump’s victory was an anomaly caused by an aberrational election. The results generally supported the proposition, but seemingly with less emphasis than supporters of the notion would have liked. The Democrats did, of course, take over the House of Representatives, which was expected, yet actually lost ground in the Senate, which was not. But look a little closer, and the blue wave becomes more evident. First, if you simply tally the votes, about 60% of Americans voted for Democrats in the House and 55% voted for Democrats in the Senate. The constituency system and some gerrymandering give the Republicans an advantage in rural, low-population states and constituencies. To win power, Democrats have to win a greater percentage of the total vote, which they did in this case. Second, although upstart Democra...
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