Ecstasy or agony? I forecast my midterms reaction.

Looking back, I realize that my despair over Trump beating Clinton in the 2016 election was caused in part by my failure to anticipate what I thought was unthinkable: Donald Trump becoming the President of the United States. 

So this time around, I'm going to envision various emotional states of mind I might be in late Tuesday night -- election day -- or on Wednesday morning, if voting results of the races I most care about aren't all in before I go to bed.


I need to say that while I just said races I most care about, the absence of certain races from the following emotional forecasts doesn't mean that I don't care a lot about them.

For example, I'll be really happy if Shelaswau Crier and Bill Burgess win their races for Marion County Commissioner here in Oregon. Ditto if Danny Jaffer wins his Oregon house race.

I'm simply aware that the results of these local races don't have quite the same emotional pull for me -- probably because these seats have been held by Republicans for quite a while, so if Democrats fail to win this time, it won't be a big surprise or major disappointment for me.

So here's my projected emotional frame of mind given various election outcomes.

Ecstatic beyond all bounds
Democrats win both the House and Senate
Kate Brown re-elected Governor of Oregon
Beto O'Rourke defeats Ted Cruz
Stacey Abrams becomes Governor of Georgia
Andrew Gillum becomes Governor of Florida
Oregon voters protect abortion rights and sanctuary state status

Happy, though mildly disappointed
Democrats win the House, but not the Senate
Kate Brown re-elected Governor of Oregon
Beto O'Rourke loses to Ted Cruz 
Stacey Abrams becomes Governor of Georgia
Andrew Gillum becomes Governor of Florida
Oregon voters protect abortion rights and sanctuary state status

Sad, but things could have been worse
Democrats win the House, but not the Senate
Kate Brown re-elected Governor of Oregon
Stacey Abrams loses race for Governor of Georgia
Andrew Gillum loses race for Governor of Florida
Oregon voters protect abortion rights and sanctuary state status

Deep depression
Democrats lose both the House and Senate
Kate Brown loses Governor race to Knute Buehler
Stacey Abrams loses race for Governor of Georgia
Andrew Gillum loses race for Governor of Florida
Oregon voters turn down abortion rights and sanctuary state status

Of course, likely there will be "mix and match" in the actual outcome of next Tuesday's election results. My emotional state could be improved, for example, if Crier, Burgess, or Jaffer win their races. And while it is very unlikely that control of the Oregon House or Senate is turned over to the Republicans, if the GOP gains some seats, this would be a downer.

I'm betting that Happy, though mildly disappointed most likely is going to be how I'll feel after the midterms.

Each of the outcomes I listed in that category seems eminently possible. And if Iowa's right-wing-wacko House member, Steve King, somehow loses his race, that would take away the "mildly disappointed." 

Comments

[Laurel]

I am hopeful for local and Oregon; hoping all the efforts pay off. But scared whether there is a Blue Wave or not, because Trump is such a tyrant/con man narcissist, I fear what he will be like if the House gets blue and they move to impeach, etc. He could rile up his supporters even more.