When I grew up the Democratic party was dominant in Congress and at the state legislative level. My home state Oklahoma had never had a Republican legislative majority. Hell when I first focused on politics in the late 70s I don't think the GOP even had a enough seats to sustain a veto. This continued in spite of astounding corruption scandals that sent a Democrat Governor, a Speaker of the State House and a Majority Leader of the state senate to jail. Plus over 300 county commissioners pled guilty to taking bribes...which was more than all the sitting county commissioners in the state. All but one was a Democrat. The only three counties where no one was convicted were the three Republican counties. Yet it didn't move the needle at the state level at all. The same could be said of Texas.
Yet today Republicans hold 69 of the 98 partisan legislative chambers plus the US Congress in thirty states the GOP controls both legislative chambers. They have governors for 31 states including such blue but desperately broke meccas such as New Jersey, Massachusetts, Maryland and Illinois. This is despite:
1. Being totally wiped out six short years ago to the point that they had no say in the Senate at all.
2. The mainstream media both news and entertainment versions has never been more partisan and more hostile to Republicans
3. The electorate is much more diverse than it was 35 years ago.
4. Republicans are roiled with disputes and differences between its various wings
5. The educational infrastructure from K to College has never been more uniformly left wing and hostile to Republican values.
Yet here we are. It is pretty darn shocking, let me tell you. Hard to get my mind around.
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