What the midterm elections tell us about 2020

(McClatchy DC) Here’s what this month’s midterm elections can predict about the looming 2020 presidential election: nothing.

So, let’s look at what really happened in the most expensive midterm elections in U.S. history to set the stage for that White House contest in just 103 weeks.

As fascinating and even vicious as some campaigns were this fall, much of the staggering $5.2 billion spent to sway voters was wasted. Campaigns produced more incitement than inspiration. And this time, Americans collectively ended up tweaking in revealing ways the collection of politicians they dispatched to Talk City.

Democrats did retake the House after eight years of powerlessness. But there was no blue wave. In fact, the Democrats’ gains of 30-plus seats were less than the 40 expected when a president’s job approval is below 50 percent. Read More