No red wave, just a big blue black eye

The Democrats and their media allies are beside themselves gloating over the fact that the "Red Wave" the Republicans had boasted would inundate them in the US midterms did not materialize. They are going to town with catchy phrases of Red ridicule: "Red Whimper, Red Whisper, Red Trickle," etc. They are forcing themselves to focus on the few trees but are completely ignoring the forest.

The "Red Wave" bandied by some redneck Republicans was more of hyperbole than anything else. Happens every time in every election anywhere. That is the nature of politics, of politicians. Nobody goes to the polls advertising imminent defeat. Look at Manny Pacquiao or Isko Moreno. They actually believed they could hack a resounding win. A "Red Wave" mentality, or "Blue" for that matter, is always a political essential.

As this was written, the total body count at the 100-member US Senate (only some 30-plus seats were actually up for grabs in the midterms) was deadlocked at 49 each, as called by the ultra-Democrat CNN. Only the slow count in Nevada and in runoff-bound Georgia remain to determine control of the Senate. This configuration favors the Democrats (blue) who need to win only one more. The Republicans (red) must win two.

This is because if the two remaining states, Nevada and Georgia, are split, with one going blue and the other going red, the blues still get to control the Senate even if the actual count of senators ends at 50-50. That is because the US vice president is the equivalent of our Senate president who gets to vote in case of a voting tie. And the sitting vice president, Kamala Harris, is a Democrat.

Whichever way the final tally goes, we will know in a few days, or until December for the Georgia runoff. If the Democrats take Nevada, then Georgia will not matter. But if Nevada goes Red, then Georgia will become all- important for either party. So my point about a "Red Wave" is that it is not the point. The point is that the party in power, the Democrats, are being put through a sieve, they are backed into a corner, are up a tree.

And that is not even counting the US House of Representatives where last I looked the Republicans had 211 to the Democrats 203, with either party needing to win 218 to gain majority. This chamber is going Red even if not exactly on the crest of a wave. Winning control of one chamber from having nothing in 2020 is a big win in my dictionary. A wave is not necessary. That is just for hyperbole, the bragging rights.

The Democrats harp on the "Red Wave" flop to console themselves. But there is no denying 2022 is a big blue black eye. You cannot emphasize the adjective and lose the noun. You cannot even paint it as a loss for Donald Trump, many of whose endorsees lost. Trump was not on the ballot and it is hypocrisy to sell an endorser as candidate. The Democrats were very quiet when Obama failed to make Hillary win in 2016, remember?

In my childhood there were a lot of corny puerile jokes we used to amuse ourselves with. There was this trick question about what is the flipside of a siopao. The answer can be "papel" or "siopao gihapon" depending on the degree of mischief to which the joke may be taken. This is exactly how the Democrats and their allies have taken their election debacle --to the level of a childhood siopao joke.

THE FACTS: In 2020, the Democrats had control of the Senate, 50-50 plus the vote of the vice president (they actually had only 48 but for two independents caucusing with them). They also controlled the House with a 222-213 majority. In 2022, the Senate, at best for Democrats, stays the same. But the House flips, goes Republican. It is a loss by any measure. THE SIOPAO JOKE: No "Red Wave." Trump failed. Tell me where to laugh.