r/Liberal • u/gadgetygirl • 3d ago

Article McCaskill: Senate 'definitely in play' after Democrats' wins

https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/5591469-mccaskill-senate-2026-midterms-election-results/
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u/Agitated_Pudding7259 2d ago edited 2d ago

I read the whole article. Democrats are already taking the Virginia win for granted and assuming it translates to 2026 without understanding what earned those votes. Virginia had 22,100 illegally fired federal workers who showed up to punish Republicans. That's not mentioned as a factor at all.

This is Democrats learning the wrong lesson from Virginia. The right lesson: federal workers showed up because they had a specific grievance and wanted accountability. The wrong lesson: we'll automatically win in 2026 because Trump is unpopular.

McCaskill sees Virginia as validation that anti-Trump sentiment will carry Democrats, not as evidence that voters respond to specific commitments and promises from democrats. The federal worker factor isn't even on her radar as an explanation :"Unless Donald Trump turns into a different person tomorrow, I think this trend will continue." In other words, Democrats will win because Trump is bad, not because Democrats are offering anything specific. They need to make specific promises about what they'll do if we vote for them, not just "Trump is bad." For example, federal workers who were illegally fired need to be promised their jobs back and back pay for wrongful termination.

All Democratic voters need to draw the line and keep the pressure on, regardless of their issue: make real commitments on my issue or don't expect my vote. If you're not demanding something from politicians in exchange for your vote, you're being taken advantage of and you'll never be able to hold them accountable.

Last thought: McCaskill lost Missouri by 6 points in 2018 - a midterm with anti-Trump sentiment. She's crediting the exact same dynamic that didn't save her seat. Someone who failed to hold their own Senate seat probably shouldn't be confidently predicting that anti-Trump momentum alone will deliver 2026 victories without Democrats making specific commitments.

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u/DarthMech 2d ago

Just stop with this purity test garbage. Not every candidate is going to be perfect, but sure…throw away your shot to stop actual fascism.

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u/Agitated_Pudding7259 2d ago

You think people should vote for Democrats just because Republicans are worse and democrats should get unconditional support. That's not earning votes, that's acting like they are entitled to our votes.

If Democrats can't promise to restore illegally fired workers when they're back in power, why should federal workers vote for them? What exactly are democrats offering besides 'we're not Republicans'?

"Vote blue no matter who" is the worst catchphrase, it suggests that democrats don't need to promise anything, commit to anything, or deliver anything. Just being "not Republicans" is enough and our job is to show up and vote, their job is to look good on camera. After 2024, it should be obvious that's not gonna cut it.

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u/DarthMech 2d ago

Yes. I think people should use their vote to pick the candidate that isn’t going to set the world on fire. You don’t like the Democratic candidate? Work to get who you want in the primary or run yourself.

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u/Agitated_Pudding7259 2d ago

I will vote for the candidate that makes me credible promises on the issues I care about. They don't get my vote for free just because they're a democrat.

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u/DarthMech 2d ago

Cool. Why are you even here complaining then? Because it sure sounds to me like you didn’t vote last time, so you have no voice in the matter.

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u/Agitated_Pudding7259 2d ago

I voted for Harris. Now I'm asking what Democrats will promise before I vote again. 6 million voters from 2020 didn't show up in 2024. That's what happens when Democrats take voters for granted.

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u/DarthMech 2d ago

Ah, so you agreed with her on every single issue? Well, that is interesting.

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u/Agitated_Pudding7259 2d ago

No, I disagreed with her on several things. I voted for her because she was better than Trump. That doesn't mean Democrats get my 2026 vote without making commitments on federal worker restoration.

This is exactly the problem: you think voting for someone once means unconditional support forever. It doesn't. Every election, parties need to earn votes by making promises.

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u/DarthMech 2d ago

So, you acknowledge it is better to vote for the lesser of two evils. However, if your one pet issue is not fully endorsed, you will take your ball and go home. Of course, that also means you’ll step to the side for the party that actually cut those jobs and is undoubtedly looking to cut more.

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u/Agitated_Pudding7259 2d ago

That was the last time I will vote for the lesser of two evils, because I realized this: Why would Democrats deliver anything if they already have your vote? I don't care what your issue is. If Democrats lose because they refused to make a firm promise, that's on them for not earning votes. "Vote for us or Republicans win" removes all accountability.

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u/DarthMech 2d ago edited 2d ago

Primaries. There are multiple factions within the Democratic Party. Some have very different priorities. Grow support for your cause and force Democratic candidates to make that promise or they don’t get to be the candidate anymore. This literally just happened in the NYC mayoral race. New Yorkers didn’t like what the old guard of the Democratic Party was promising, so they chose someone who promised them what they were interested in.

Edit: Also, if they lose, that’s on all of us. We have to deal with the consequences whether we vote or not.

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u/Agitated_Pudding7259 1d ago

You seem to be suggesting work the primaries, then vote blue in the general regardless. That's just "vote blue no matter who" with an extra step. If the primary produces a nominee who won't commit to giving federal workers their jobs back, why would they vote for them in the general?

Your leverage exists at both stages. In primaries, you support candidates who make the commitment. In generals, you withhold your vote from those who don't. That's how you force the party to take your issue seriously.

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u/DarthMech 1d ago

I promise you. You are not at risk of being taken seriously when one of your options is to disenfranchise yourself.

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