2022 Midterm Elections: Election Security; Toss Up Races; Polls & Red Wave; How to Help Campaigns

1. What are the functions of the House and the Senate
Short version: House initiates tax bills, Senate confirms Presidential appointees; both must agree on legislation.
Further info: the Senate was intended to be entirely different; appointed by State legislatures or Governors to represent the interests of that State. This was changed by the 17th Amendment in 1913.

2. Election Safety
The physical safety of voters is not really an issue. If you mean making sure that your vote is counted: a. voting in person with a paper ballot that is read by a scanner is pretty foolproof, b. mail-in ballots can be tracked in most states and you can see that it arrived at the proper place.

3. What's your view of current polls, and do you believe there would be a red wave in Nov?
Republicans will likely make gains in the House resulting in taking control. It is possible they will make gains in the Senate sufficient for control but this is much harder because Republicans in this cycle have twice as many seats to defend as Democrats. It is even possible that Democrats could gain seats such that the moderating influence of Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema would be lost.

4. How important do you think of this election, compared to history, would you believe it will determine the coming century for this country?
With the increasing polarization of the parties, every election becomes important. If either side gets a large majority they will implement radical policies that are driven more by extremist politics than for the good of the country. An example from the Right could be a national abortion ban. Examples from the Left might include premature phase-out of fossil fuels, compelled speech codes for federal and federally-funded jobs, and Reparations payments for certain groups.

5. Please comment on a couple of toss up elections you pay great attention to.
I am most concerned about the Senate because they must approve Presidential nominations for Federal offices. Some of the nominations from this administration have been unsuited to the job. For example, there is a Deputy Secretary in charge of nuclear waste who dresses as a dog in order to have sex. Some of these have been beaten back but others have proceeded. The Senate races that will likely determine the overall outcome are in Georgia, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Wisconsin, and New Hampshire.

6. Summarize some unique characters of this election cycle you have observed so far.
I do not see anything that is unique in its nature, but rather in its degree. The amount of money being spent continues to increase in mind-boggling proportions. And the influence of outside actors in State elections continues to grow, including both US citizens, typically politically minded billionaires such as George Soros; and foreign actors such as the Wumao Army and the Chinese and Russian election interference websites.

7. Do you believe that we are in a time with 60's race tension, 70's high inflation, 80's and 90's high crime rate, and 90's illegal immigration? Do you think we can fix these by electing the right politicians?
Some of these can be fixed. Illegal immigration was largely under control under President Trump. Inflation will come down within a few years as long as the Fed is allowed to pursue its goals independently. Crime and racial tensions can be tamped down but will not go away until the root causes are addressed, principally the portion of the culture that disrespects traditional family structure, education and achievement, working and paying taxes, and law enforcement and societal norms generally.

8. What can we do to contribute to the campaigns?
Financial aid to candidates of your choice is always welcome. Small donors are still important. More important is educating others regarding the issues and candidates. Most people are too busy living their lives to study the issues, so they rely on the sound bites provided by the Spin Doctors of each party.

(Other interesting points) This election will set the stage for the 2024 election. Somehow we must get candidates who appeal to and represent the moderate majority of this country, and who can provide effective leadership both domestically and internationally. In short, we need sensible mature adults leading the Nation.