As my buddy @drsfarnsworth points out:
"The people who support Trump were not going to be voting for Spanberger or Luria"
Voting no, on the other hand, now THAT would have been politically disastrous for these members in the realigning districts.
"The people who support Trump were not going to be voting for Spanberger or Luria"
Voting no, on the other hand, now THAT would have been politically disastrous for these members in the realigning districts.
Colin Peterson, whose district broke for Trump by 30 pts and is R+12, is operating in a different political reality. Its a damn miracle he held onto his seat in '18. He's probably doomed in '20. He has to vote no, but the fact is, few, if any, Trump voters will end up thanking 
him with their vote. They'll be voting for the GOP's nominee bc they want to flip the seat (which is realigning the other way-towards the Rs). And although many of his D constituents will understand his predicament and forgive him for the "no" vote, a great many will not. He will
no doubt lose valuable grassroots energy and support. He might be primaried. Manchin faces nearly identical political constraints in WVA and Dem base voters rarely forgive his pro-Trump/GOP votes bc of the context. Truth is, Peterson should accept fate and leave w dignity, & his
oath to protect & defend the Constitution in tact and vote yes. If you're gonna lose anyway, doing the right thing seems like the best move. But in terms of the "new" 40- almost all of them yes votes are not only right morally, they are good politically too. 0 benefit to no vote
