As you have heard, the GOP is in about the worst shape imaginable for the 2018 elections. The only party facing worse odds is the Democrat party. The long-promised blue tsunami might be a small puddle in some areas.

This doesn’t mean the GOP won’t totally blow it; in fact, the outcome of the 2018 elections is, right now, unpredictable—even for the all-knowing, all-insulting Gormogons. The Democrats and Republicans aren’t just in a statistical tie…they’re practically oscillating at a high rate.

Know who aren’t helping? The media. They could actually, and thoroughly unintentionally, help the GOP in a big way. Here’s what the Czar is thinking.

1. Everybody likes reassurance. You like to see good news about politicians on your side, and you dislike bad news about the other side. Indeed, psychologically, you probably like hearing good news about your side than you like hearing bad news about the other side.
2. The news media love their Democratic candidates. The Czar bases this claim on the large number of headlines about how well individual Democratic candidates are doing. Polls are showing popular support of Democrats evaporating, but you’re not seeing many of those stories unless you know where to look. But it’s easy to find stories about Congresswoman Daphne van McPrzywalski showing strong voter support in the US Congressional District PA-1,985.
3. Journalists write this stuff to offer fellow Democrats hope: see? It won’t be a total trainwreck. There are a lot of races where Dems will easily win.
4. In fact, about the only negative thing you’ll read about Democrats is concern about voter apathy. Possibly the only accurate prediction the media have made is that the winner of the 2018 elections—Republican or Democrat—will be decided on which party had less voter apathy. Truth is, many Democrats don’t care about voting in the Age of Trump, since civilization is doomed anyway. And many Republicans don’t care about voting because Hillary Clinton isn’t running. That they know of.
5. Fair enough. But when too many news stories reassure Democrat voters that there’s a tidal wave of Democrat victories coming this year, guess what happens? Democrats figure it’s in the bag. So they stay home.
6. If the Czar is right, you will see an increase in stories about the polls tightening…but written in a way to create panic among Democrats.

Of course, if the Czar is wrong, Republicans might just eke this one out after all.

And if so, the media were wrong again, because they pushed this “Victory is Near” narrative for too long without actually, you know, talking to voters. Again.

The Czar of Muscovy

Божію Поспѣшествующею Милостію Мы, Дима Грозный Императоръ и Самодержецъ Всероссiйскiй, цѣсарь Московскiй. The Czar was born in the steppes of Russia in 1267, and was cheated out of total control of all Russia upon the death of Boris Mikhailovich, who replaced Alexander Yaroslav Nevsky in 1263. However, in 1283, our Czar was passed over due to a clerical error and the rule of all Russia went to his second cousin Daniil (Даниил Александрович), whom Czar still resents. As a half-hearted apology, the Czar was awarded control over Muscovy, inconveniently located 5,000 miles away just outside Chicago. He now spends his time seething about this and writing about other stuff that bothers him.