The 2022 U.S. Midterm Elections to Japanese Reactions

The 2022 U.S. Midterm Elections to Japanese Reactions

The following is an English translation of Japanese comments about the midterm elections.

“I thought the Democrats were going to lose badly, but here comes Trump’s praise of Putin to turn the tide.
I’m still keeping an eye on it.

“I’m not sure how Putin’s defensive comments will play out.
The Republicans are still pushing it, though.”

Republicans must be terrified that Trumpism could be a double-edged sword.

“Mr. Biden, you’re making a lot of appeals on the Ukraine issue.
Is he aware of the midterm elections?”

“The Trump camp is going to be a headwind.
He’s pro-Russian.

“I think Biden’s going to be in trouble if he dwells too much on the Ukraine issue.
I mean, he’s had to deal with so many allegations of fraud in the last election, and now this Ukraine fiasco.
I guess you forget what you say so easily, you don’t even remember the election.”

The Republican Party is splitting into anti-Putin and pro-Putin factions.

“The Republicans are in trouble if they don’t cut off the pro-Putin Trump followers.
You can’t just storm Congress and then support Russia next.
I’d still support a sane Republican myself.”

“Q Anon is the Achilles heel of the Republican Party.
I’m pretty sure it’s a female congresswoman with a gun or something, and she’s in pretty bad shape.
I wonder if Trump supporters will drop out of the primaries across the board.”

I don’t think we’ll know because of his son’s Ukraine problem.

“It depends on the Trump faction.
If they can get rid of them, the Republicans will win.”

“I think it’s going to work in the Democrats’ favor.
I don’t think they’re going to win if they’re pro-Trump, pro-Putin.”

I don’t know.
I mean, in the Republican primaries.
Trump’s party is winning hands down.
And Biden hasn’t been able to stop inflation.”

“The Democrats don’t hide who they are, they do everything phony with impunity.
Now they let the Republicans win and lift.
At the end of the day, I think they’ll jump Biden, jump Democrats.

The media and the judiciary are corrupt.”

I wonder if he’ll support Trumpist Ukraine.

I think they’re getting ready for the election and they’re putting out a congressional intrusion case.

I wonder if the Senate and House are just barely in the Democrats’ lap.

“There’s still a lot of damage from the attack on Congress.
Trumpistas.”

I think the Democrats will defend either the upper or lower house.

It’s going from an overwhelming Republican victory to an even split.

“I think the Democrats are pushing back because of the Ukraine effort, gun control, and abortion issues.
Also, Trump’s attack on Congress.”

“It’s a close race after the Republican sweep.
Well, it’s close.”

A little more Democrats in the Senate and a little less in the House, but just barely.

No gun control in America.

I’m surprised IT people in the US don’t support Trump.

IT people are very liberal by nature, so many of them don’t like Trump, or Republicans for that matter.

“Trumpists are pro-Russia, pro-Putin.
If we support them, it could be a risk.”

Slight Republican advantage.

Trumpism could be self-destructive.

“Al Qaeda assassinated Zawahiri.
I don’t know about Biden, but it could be a big plus for the Democrats.”

“The Supreme Court is being run by Republicans and the FBI by Democrats.
“The Republicans are running the Supreme Court, and the Democrats are running the FBI.

“Democrats, though, there are a few positives coming out of this.
Gas prices are down a little bit, the economy is calming down.　
Bills passed on gun control and inflation.
They were able to demonize the Supreme Court on the abortion issue, and they got Zawahiri.
With all these accomplishments, independents and middle class voters aren’t going to go Republican anytime soon.
Sure, the Trump whirlwind is scary.”

“But you can’t say it won’t have an impact now that he’s under investigation.
Trump supporters will unite, but middle class and independents will abstain or go Democrat because of the abortion issue.”

More bills are getting passed, but they could be positive or negative.

“If inflation settles down thanks to the abortion issue.
Biden’s 45% approval rating would ensure that the Democrats would win the Senate.
Senate is a sure thing.
In the House, Florida’s gerrymander is too much.
New York’s gerrymandering is too much, and New York’s gerrymandered.
It’s Republican by a narrow margin.”

“I still think the House will be down.
It’s a little less negative, but it’s still going to be down.
The Senate, with a smaller negative margin, might be able to hold on to that.
The Senate held up in the midterm elections, even with the headwinds of the Trump administration.
The key is how to reduce the House’s decline.”

The battle between the Trumpites and conservatives in the primaries is hot.

“The trend is anti-democratic and democratic.
Abortion and gun control have had some success with the Supreme Court backlash and passing bills, so the Democrats can’t be in a hurry to fight it.
The Republicans are wobbly in the party right now, so they’ll be fine in the primaries.
I’ll tell you again about the fraud and whatnot.”

The House is in trouble, but the Senate is good for the Democrats.

“The House might be surprisingly competitive, too.
I think there’s going to be a psychological effect of being afraid of being pro-Trump.”

Independents will probably go Democrat because gun control and abortion issues are the opposite of Trump

“I don’t think the U.S. is as affected by high prices as I thought.
Fuel prices have calmed down a little bit.
There are still a lot of gun incidents, so it’s worse there.”

“The people who attacked Congress are members of Congress, so in a sense, America is in trouble.
Attacking a congressman is terrorism.
Terrorists attacking members of Congress is terrorism.

I’m afraid things are changing. Last year, they were already saying they were going to lose big.

“The Democrats can handle the Senate for now.
Now it’s just a matter of how far they can get in the House.　
I still think the abortion issue will have a huge impact.
https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/2022-election-forecast/senate/
https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/2022-election-forecast/house/”

“Before the end of 2021 and 2022 Ukraine, the Republicans were pushing hard and the Democrats were losing by a double score.
Now it’s Democrats on offense, Republicans on defense.
It’s a fierce struggle, with the Republicans leading by one point and the Democrats leading by one point.”

“I heard that Palin, the Republican, lost in Alaska, even though it was a by-election.
I heard that Palin lost in Alaska, even though it’s a bye-election.

“Alaska is a red state, but it’s not as red as, say, Idaho.
It’s more like pink.”

But from the Democrats’ perspective, it’s definitely a win that builds momentum and confidence.

Palin’s loss shows how vulnerable Trump supporters are.

“Alaska has a different election format this time around.
The top four in the nonpartisan primaries will advance to the main election and get a preferential ballot, right?
This would favor the centrist candidate in the end, so it looks like McCauski is going to get away with it in the Senate.”

“It may be a split election, but the Republicans lost.
It’s obvious to everyone that this is not a positive thing.
It’s going to give each of the Democratic candidates some confidence and momentum.
It’s either the Trump supporters who raid Congress who win or the Democratic independents and Democrats who win.”

“Alaska is like Aomori or something in Japan (though not Yamaguchi).
A stronghold of staunch conservatism has fallen, and that’s a shocker.”

“If the Republicans lose even the House, Trump and Trump members will be ousted from the Republican Party.
The Republican Party should stand up for moderates and mainstream conservatives.”

“It’s not just Democrats, but moderate Republicans and independents who are considered centrist (including the middle and floating voters) who are anti-Trump.
I don’t think they’re going to like Trump for his involvement in the attack on Congress and for shaking up democracy.”

“You predicted that if Sanders had been elected president, the middle independents would have re-elected Trump because they wouldn’t have put Sanders in the race.
Biden was a moderate center-right candidate, so it was easier for the middle independents to get in.
And this time, the middle independents will probably go for the Democrats again.
Because they can’t cooperate with the anti-democratic forces that stormed Congress.”

Middle independents don’t like the policies and ideas of the Trump faction or the far right or far left (they’re ideologically centrist).

“In case you’re wondering, there are 40% independents in America.
But even independents are slightly more Democratic-leaning, and sometimes Republican-leaning independents vote Democratic.
The Biden administration came to power in part because of the power of independents.
This midterm election will also be won or lost by 40% independents.”

Biden was also somewhat centrist when he was a Senator, as I recall.

“Far-right ethno-racist.
Far-left socialist.
There’s no way independents can support this.
Mr. Biden is a centrist, but he’s a slight liberal hawk.
But the middle-of-the-road has the advantage that it’s easier to bring in independents.”

“If Mr. Biden doesn’t screw up, he can win.
And the House is catching up.”

“The Democrats have 53 in the Senate and 220 in the House.
The Democrats got a tailwind in the last month.
Trump’s on the FBI’s radar and the Supreme Court decision to take away abortion freedoms is pretty damaging.
Also, inflation and high fuel prices are just starting to come down.”

Apparently, Elon Musk is a bit of a Democrat, and this time he’s going for the Republicans.

Musk doesn’t seem to be that liberal in color for a wealthy West Coast man.

“Elon Musk is a middle-of-the-road guy who hates both far-right conservatives and the liberal far-left.
Biden is a centrist, but he left because he was taken in by the far left.
In a way, it’s like the ideology of the American independents.”

“I’m pretty sure the NY State primary was a one-way race, but the Democrats won.
Well, the Republicans lost anyway.”

“In the US, I believe the percentage of party support is 27% for both Republicans and Democrats, and 45% for independents (as they said in the 2020 presidential election).
Independents are more like Democrat centrists and Republican moderates, and some of them have hidden support that is weak among independents.
But the far right of Trump supporters and the far left, like Sanders supporters, are so extreme that they only have bedrock support.”

“If the Senate goes Democrat 52, it’s a big deal to at least pass the confirmation appointments without the Manchin and Sinema votes.
In the House, I think it’s still going to be tough to maintain a Democratic majority, but it’s going to be a lot different depending on how narrow that gap is.”

“The Democrats’ future is to see if they can get moderate Republicans and independents (especially those leaning Republican) to go along for the ride like they did in Alaska.
If we can catch up in the House and keep our majority, we can keep it and pass legislation.”

“Trump is a communicator, but his ideology is so radical and racist that he’ll only get votes from Trump followers and Republican hardliners.
The attacks on Congress have further alienated moderate Republicans, so he’s at a disadvantage.”

“The Republicans still lead in the House.
It’ll be interesting to see if it flips at the last minute.”

“The Democrats have taken control of the Senate.
“The Democrats are in control of the Senate, but are the Republicans still in control of the House of Representatives?”

“The House is going Democrat, but it’s still Republican.
Trump has the FBI bomb, too.

“Independents are leaning toward the Democrats.
If inflation is peaking out right now, I’d rather have the current administration.

Democrats 54, I wonder if they have the Senate in their sights.

“They say the reason they can win the Senate is because Trump supporters are extremist candidates.
They say the most important thing is that Trump is a headwind.
But I wonder why the House isn’t.”

“That’s probably the difference between a statewide election Senate and a gerrymandered House.
I wish the Democrats could have broken the Governor or even one of the state House and Senate in 2018 and 2020 around Florida, Texas, and Ohio.”

Georgia Senate, looks like the Democrats are going to be good this time, too.

“It’s Ohio and Florida that are likely to drop in the Democratic Senate.
For some reason, I think Ohio, with the Trump favorite, and Florida, with the incumbent Rubio, are going to be tough for the Democrats.”

“If they jinx the House, the Democrats will be safe for a while.
What do you think?”

“It’s true that it was the Trumpers who attacked Congress.
Let’s not forget that there were people killed in the attack.
And even the Supreme Court’s abortion case is a throwback to the old pre-war days.
It’s the opposite of democracy.
I know it sounds like an overstatement, but I don’t think it’s hard to understand Biden’s criticism.”

“Independents certainly care about the cost of living issue, but they seem to support the Biden administration against threats to democracy.
Abortion and guns are issues that independents respond to, too.”

“If we let Trump win, it will only deepen the division, divide American industry, and make the domestic economy worse.
That’s why we need the current administration to stabilize the economy and quickly stabilize inflation and the economy.
That’s why it’s important for democracy to survive.”

“That’s a theory that’s appalling to the original conservatives who want sound money, but it’s a theory that’s not going to work.
And former Club for Growth president Pat Toomey is against diluting the value of the dollar.
He also opposed the USMCA from a free trade standpoint, so he got his way.
Although he voted in favor of impeaching Trump, he was unable to do so, he was also able to get his way in the Senate.
He also stopped his third election to the Senate by voluntarily limiting his term of office. Or rather, the Tea Party types other than Toomey
(Rubio, Johnson, Paul, and Lee) are more likely to rebel.”

Looks like the Democratic side has a significant lead in support among independents.

“The Senate is in a winning mood for the Democrats, but it’s hard to break the stronghold in the House.
I think we’re going to have to be a little more decisive.”

“The House of Representatives is a tough place for Gerrymandering.
The Senate and the presidential race are expected to turn red states purple in the medium to long term.
The DEMs will have to sit tight and wait for Thomas and Alito to die on the Supreme Court.”

“The Senate can be won by 52-54 Democratic seats, though.
In the House, I think they’ll win by 10 seats at best.”

“Stupid inflation is not Trump’s fault 🙄.
Trump is an enemy of Japan!
Nitori pulls out of the U.S., Chairman Nitori and executives talk about why.”
Financial Results / Overseas Business / Market Conditions / Corporate Trends / Column
Published on 2022/10/03
Nitori’s “N Sleep” mattresses made in Vietnam, which we have been strengthening very strongly, are a hot seller in every country.
However, during the Trump administration, tariff rates from China and ASEAN countries increased to 1,000%. For example, if we export a mattress priced at 10,000 yen, the cost in the U.S. alone would be 110,000 yen. We wanted to use the masses, the numbers (to be competitive) of products made in China, made in our own factories in Vietnam, etc., but we have been completely blockaded.
If we continue, we will be forced to make our products in South America and the North American continent. When that happens, we can’t have a product policy with lots of products because we have two stores. We could not compete with other companies at all. So we made a very big decision.”

The House will have to cut its losses.

“Maybe 52 Democratic seats, Senate.
There’s some conservative internal opposition, so if we win, we can manage to pass a bill in the Senate.”

“I don’t like the idea of an internal party opposition.
I don’t like intraparty opposition, it makes the will of the people meaningless.”

But I wonder if both Republicans and Democrats used to have a wider range of conservative/liberal colors, and that was one of their strengths.

“If they just took control of the Senate.
Wouldn’t that stabilize the administration?”

“A majority in the Senate and a minority in the House?
Both Obama and Trump were in that situation late in their first terms.”

“Only the Senate approves cabinet members and other personnel, so that makes it easier.
But other than that, it won’t make much difference unless there’s a majority in both houses.”

“Georgia is going to get a win in the self-destructive example.
Pennsylvania and Georgia are likely to go Democratic, but Nevada and New Hampshire are not so close.　
Especially Nevada, you’re the incumbent, so go for it.
I think Ohio is somewhat likely to go.”

“Georgia, Pennsylvania and Arizona are sure winners.
The question is Nevada, Wisconsin and Ohio.
Well, Ohio feels like home for the Cards, so we’ll see.”

So it’s 50-50 and Manchin is going to obstruct with his own face.

“Munchkin, if you’re going to obstruct, get out of the Democratic Party.
And Sinema.
Seriously, we need to get to 52 seats.”

“Nevada has seen a decline in Democratic support in recent years, and Republicans are gaining momentum.
They say Latinos are moving to the Republican Party.
That’s the opposite of Arizona.
The Republicans will want to use it as a model for bringing in increasingly conservative Latinos in the future, when white-collar elections will no longer work.”

“If we lose Nevada, we won’t be 52 Democrats.
You’ll get another hidden Republican Manchin and Sinema obstruction.”

“I think the Senate will be 50-50 status quo with Democrats in NH, AZ, PA, and GA and Republicans in NC, WI, and NV.
The Democrats don’t have the momentum, but the Republicans don’t have the power to create a whirlwind.”

“The Republicans are going to take the House, but the Senate is going to be the best they can do to keep it 50:50.
I’m not surprised that it’s going to be a bit of a headwind for the Republicans, given that anti-abortion has been a long-held conservative wish.”

“I wonder if they can get to 51, DEM.
52 is going to be tough.”

Last-minute Republican comeback.

“Thinking about the next presidential election from a Republican perspective.
Trump gains 232 electors in 2020, 234 with the quota correction (2 more in Texas, 1 more in Florida and North Carolina, 1 less in Ohio and West Virginia)
251 with conservative Hispanic workers gaining Nevada (6) and Arizona (11)
261 by taking back Wisconsin (10), which has become the most Republican of the Rust Belt.
Where would you take one more? I would say either Georgia or Pennsylvania.
If the Democrats take North Carolina because of urbanization, they would have to take both Georgia and Pennsylvania.
When you think about it, the Senate races in these two states are crazy important.”

“I think we’ll manage to go Democratic in the Senate.
The House, well, that’s not so bad.”

“I knew it was going to be Georgia.
Well, I’m glad to see you’re still hanging in there after the Trump scandal.
I think Arizona will go Democrat, but we’ll see what happens in Nevada.”

“Depending on the mail ballots, I think Nevada could pull an upset.
If we get Arizona and we get Nevada, then we can wait with an easy mind for the Georgia runoff.”

“Georgia, if it comes down to a runoff, it’s already an easy win for the Democrats.

The Republican football guy is being called a liar by his own son on the internet! He’s a scumbag who gets called a liar by his own son on the internet, and he pretends to be a “good old dad” who’s against abortion.

When he was a famous football player and popular with women, he was exposed as a scumbag who forced women he ate to have abortions when they got pregnant and paid for it.”

“Is there a problem with Warnock that he has such a hard time with Walker in this state, or is it because it’s Georgia, a red state (for now, anyway)?

Republican politicians come out with that kind of thing on a regular basis.
Like Tim Murphy of PA, or Scott DesJarlais of Tennessee.
The latter, for one, is still in Congress.

Well, Adam Laxall is a bastard himself, right?
Well, he’s not responsible for this, but before that, Nevada came up, and I suddenly remembered.”

The Alaska Senate race is a lock for the Republican nominee, but the battle between Republican moderates and Republican Trump is fierce. Whether the moderate Murkowski or the pro-Trump Tsivaka wins in Alaska may have some symbolic significance for the future of the Republican Party.

“That was surprising, wasn’t it? 48 seats to date, so depending on the bill, it looks like he can run the Senate if he can get moderate Republicans like Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins, and Mitt Romney on his side.
However, I am a little concerned that Murkowski is currently at a disadvantage in Alaska.”

“*Makowski, others head to runoff in Alaska Senate race – NBC

A runoff between Republican candidates w
Mackowski is pro-benefits and anti-Trump.”

So Nevada is Vegas and a mail-in ballot to see if they can turn it around.

It looks like we’ll get the Democrats except for Alaska, Sen.

“Alaska is a preferential ballot, so when the Trump-endorsed Tsivaka doesn’t get over 50%, Makowski has a good chance of winning.
The people who put in for the Democratic nominee are not likely to think Tsivaka is their second choice, and they’ll almost entirely ride with Murkowski.

And in the House, one of the Republicans (Newhouse) is a surviving Trump impeachment supporter.
We can expect at least some defections on things like keeping the Capitol Raid Review Commission alive.

As for Valadao, the other pro-impeachment main-election entrant who hasn’t yet been elected.
McCarthy, also from California, is trying to talk Trump out of putting up an assassin.
I’ve heard that McCarthy, who is also a Californian, has been trying to talk Trump out of setting up an assassin, and that he got him off the hook because of the difficulty of getting into the runoff without a RINO.
I’m not sure how he’ll fare if he’s re-elected.”

“The Senate is going to be lost except for Alaska.
Arizona is a sure thing to win, Nevada is going to get a boost in the Georgia decisive race with Las Vegas and a mail ballot upset likely.
The House of Representatives is going to be the Democrats’ 200th seat.
I still think Trump is done for.”

“At the last minute, Obama ran around giving speeches of support, which I think was bigger than expected.
Conversely, if the Republicans bash Obama from now on, they’ll have the same hand in the presidential election two years from now.
If the Republicans bash Obama in the future, they will not be able to use the same tactics in the presidential election two years from now, which will make it tougher for the Democrats.

I think that bashing the Obama administration for the past eight years will be a very big step in the right direction.
It would also lead to attacks on Biden, who was vice president at the time.”

“And the gubernatorial race will include a certain amount of the candidate’s personality and local circumstances.
The U.S. Senate race would be a closer predictor of the presidential race two years from now.

Michigan didn’t have a new U.S. Senate.
Democrats hold the majority in both the state House and Senate.
The Democrats also won the state’s elected U.S. House of Representatives seats.
All Democratic incumbents in the state executive branch, including Governor Whitmer and the Secretary of State, were also re-elected.”

“So Nevada has caught up after all.
It’s down to 0.1 points.”

“Arizona Democrats are winning.
The Arizona Democrats are within one point of the Senate majority.

Nevada’s not moving fast enough.
Still holding off on the vote count, huh?
Well, maybe we can turn it around.”

“In the U.S., 20- and 30-somethings…
Biden signed the American Student Loan Forgiveness Act.
The big thing is that at one point, young people voted for Democrats in droves.

It is a lie to say that the Student Loan Forgiveness Act is now illegal.

It was only ruled illegal by a conservative Texas district court.
In other states, all claims of illegality have been rejected.

https://jp.reuters.com/article/usa-court-biden-student-loan-idJPKBN2S108J

At least if you oppose this U.S. student loan repayment forgiveness
It will surely fail in the election due to the fierce opposition of the younger generation.”

“Nevada won, too, and Trump is finally under siege.
I’m starting to get the image that Trump = can’t win.
Even if he wins the House, it’s probably just barely a majority, and there’s some defections.”

“The Republican Party is having a hard time revitalizing itself with more crazies like Trump’s henchmen and Cruz and the rest of them.
I remember when Bush’s son was in office, there were more moderate and conservative people who were decent.”

“If DeSantis is elected president, will the investigations against Trump still stop?

I think the Democrats (rightfully so) hated Bush so much, but I guess they still think Bush was still better than Trump, after all.

Even Romney released his tax returns, even if only for two years.
I wonder how much he doesn’t want to show them.”

If the House of Representatives just barely has a majority, or in case he loses, Trump should step down like a grown man.

“Allegations of bankruptcy fraud and rape before he became president.
Various allegations of breach of trust, collusion, abuse of office, obstruction of justice, tax evasion, and fraud under the cloak of immunity during his presidency.
He has refused to release his tax returns, as has been customary for past presidents, shouting, “It’s a political witch hunt! and continued to refuse to release tax returns, as has been customary for past presidents.
And then he ordered a raid on Congress and the illegal removal of classified information.

You really need to speed up the judicial process.”

“Florida has become a red state as Republicans are growing slow across the country.
Is it the DeSantis effect, or has the state itself become more conservative?
Unlike Ohio-Iowa, it’s more urban and seems to have more liberals.”

“Well, Florida is the place of Rubio, Trump, DeSantis and all the other greats.　
You’re right, the House jinx is alive and well.
Let’s see how we can cut our losses.”

“Biden’s support for Ukraine from the
Ukraine makes political donations to Democrats
Allegations of money laundering.”

Florida changed the way they elect people, and as soon as they made all the ballots paper and counted them on the same day, the Republicans were overwhelmingly favored.

Well, the Georgia runoff will probably be Democratic.

“The Libertarian Party base itself is inherently closer to the Republicans than to the Democrats.
But in a state as close as Georgia, the people who dare to vote for the Libertarian Party are not likely to vote for the Democrats, but for the Republicans.
The people who would dare to vote for the Libertarian Party in such a close state would have a strong aversion to both the Democrats’ big government and the Republicans’ religious conservatism.
Many of them will abstain from voting in the runoff.
The difference in votes in the first round will be more likely to come out as a groundswell, and Warnock’s re-election will be more likely in the end.”

Good job, Speaker Pelosi.

“It’s really amazing how the House always jinxes a loss.
But maybe it’s a good thing the Democrats got to 211 seats instead of a big loss.
I was prepared for Pelosi not being Speaker to some extent.”

“If Warnock wins this time, it will be the first time since the Senate began direct primary elections in 1914 that all the incumbents up for re-election will be in the Senate.