The midterm elections have been and gone. The Republican red wave failed to materialize, and so, the aftermath has led to a whole lot of finger-pointing on the GOP side.
Former President Donald Trump, and the so-called McLeadership of House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), and Ronna McDaniel, chairwoman of the Republican National Committee, have all taken flak. Trump, meanwhile, seemingly preparing for a 2024 announcement, has taken shots at two prospective opponents: GOP Govs. Ron DeSantis of Florida and Glenn Youngkin of Virginia.
Here are the quotes of the week.
“I’m going to be your worst fricking nightmare for eight years, and we will reform the media as well. We are going to make you guys into journalists again, so get ready. It’s gonna be a fun eight years; I can’t wait to be working with you.”
- Arizona GOP gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake ahead of election night sounds bullish.
“I think we’ll probably have to live with him for two years, and if I run and if I win, I will say, ‘Don’t send me any legislation if he’s the leader,’ and he’ll be out in two minutes.”
- Former President Donald Trump buries Mitch McConnell’s future prospects as Senate majority leader.
“Don’t leave your line, stay where you are. They say the machines aren’t working, they say their running out of paper in different locations…there’s a lot of bad things going on.”
- Trump tells voters in Arizona to stay in line and vote.
MARCO RUBIO DEMANDS GOP SENATE LEADERSHIP VOTE BE POSTPONED AFTER MIDTERM FAILURES
“We stood our ground. We did not back down. We had the conviction to guide us, and we had the courage to lead. We made promises to the people, and we have delivered on those promises.”
- Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) after his huge win in the Sunshine State.
“Definitely not a Republican wave, that is for darn sure.”
- Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) concedes the midterm elections haven’t been as good for the Republicans as hoped or projected.
“While many races remain too close to call, it is clear that House Democratic members and candidates are strongly outperforming expectations across the country. As states continue to tabulate the final results, every vote must be counted as cast.”
- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) hails a better-than-expected night for Democrats.
“It turns out women enjoy having human rights, and we vote.”
- Hillary Clinton takes a victory lap over the midterm results.
“It was a good day, I think, for democracy.”
- President Joe Biden is buoyed by the midterm results.
“I think Trump’s kind of a drag on our ticket. … I think Donald Trump gives us problems, politically. We lost the House, the Senate, and the White House in two years when Trump was on the ballot or in office. … I just think we have some Trump hangover.”
- Former House Speaker Paul Ryan gives his assessment of the Republicans’ underwhelming performance.
“Now that the Election in Florida is over, and everything went quite well, shouldn’t it be said that in 2020, I got 1.1 Million more votes in Florida than Ron D got this year, 5.7 Million to 4.6 Million? Just asking?”
- Trump number crunches against DeSantis’s great night.
“You know, I’ve been asked that, which is — it’s flattering that people consider me for that. I just want to save Arizona. I truly do. I’m not looking at a long political career. I’m looking at save Arizona, get things back on track, and go from there.”
- Lake says she’s flattered at being linked to a possible 2024 ticket with DeSantis.
“I know there’s a temptation to start talking about 2024 — no, no, no, no, no. 2022 is not over. Every Republican energy needs to go to grinding the Biden agenda to a halt, and that could go straight through the state of Georgia.”
- Former White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany wants Trump to hold off declaring a 2024 run.
“There’s no question, but some of the Trump candidates really struggled, and some of it had to do with the election denialism. I wrote an open letter to Donald Trump this morning…it says, ‘Please, Mr. President, don’t run again.'”
- Conservative commentator Michele Tafoya doesn’t want a Trump redux.
“McCarthy
McConnell
McDaniel
McFailure”
- Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) blames leadership for the Republicans’ performance.
“Please tell me what I’m missing here. What are we doing next? Putting parents in charge of their own surgeries? Clients in charge of their own trials? When did we stop trusting experts? This is so stupid.”
- Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) doesn’t agree with putting parents in charge of their children’s education.
“What happened at the parade was not political violence nor ‘aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.’ … Instead, this was an Astros fan trying to toss drinks from his cooler to the senator during a championship parade and not realizing how it would be perceived until he saw security’s reaction.”
- Attorney Bill Stradley, speaking on behalf of Joseph Halm Arcidiacono, the Astros fan who chucked a White Claw at Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX).
“You know, Ron DeSantis goes out and gives his big speech, and then they want to make it look like the Trump Republicans don’t have a chance.”
- Lake, after being linked to DeSantis, now seems to suggest Tuesday night was designed to make him look good and Trump look bad.
“Now, Ron DeSanctimonious is playing games! The Fake News asks him if he’s going to run if President Trump runs, and he says, ‘I’m only focused on the Governor’s race, I’m not looking into the future.’ Well, in terms of loyalty and class, that’s really not the right answer.”
- Trump goes nuclear on “average” DeSantis.
“Republicans just said, ‘Well, the other side sucks and Biden sucks.’ Well, no doubt! But it’s pretty hard to convince folks, particularly independent-minded ones who don’t tend to trust the process much, to vote for you if you don’t have something affirmative to say and offer.”
- Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) lays the blame for the Republicans’ poor performance at leadership’s feet.
“Young Kin (now that’s an interesting take. Sounds Chinese, doesn’t it?) in Virginia couldn’t have won without me. I Endorsed him, did a very big Trump Rally for him telephonically, got MAGA to Vote for him — or he couldn’t have come close to winning.”
- Trump also fires broadside at Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R).
“I didn’t see it. I have to be honest — I’ve been busy all morning. Listen, you all know me. Do not call people names. I really work hard to bring people together. … That’s not the way I roll.”
- Youngkin sidesteps any sort of barbed response.
