Patria feels the Bern for the 51st Congress!

Patria awakens on Earth Day - the day after Election Day 2018 - to find the Bernie Sanders-inspired Social Democrats have won the most seats in the 51st Congress-elect. The Social Dems took 96 seats - elected by mixed-member proportional representation - in the 333-seat Congress, up 47 from 2014. The Amrita Party of Amma's "Embracing Patria" devotees finished a strong second with 78 seats (up 10 from 2014). The "Patria First" SRM, despite all the noise they made about taking back the economy and bringing the jobs home, gained only one seat more than 2014, but with 56 seats the SRM is still a strong force that will oppose the likely SD-Amrita-Chakra-Green coalition. Notwithstanding the popularity of right-wing populists and nationalists in the macro-world from Donald Trump's America to Doug Ford's Ontario, voters in Patria just weren't buying the economic nationalism, tariffs and protectionism that the SRM has been pushing for years. Why such a strong surge for the SD? A need for real change? Giving the right wing the middle-finger salute? Not buying the fear-mongering of the "Faith. Family Freedom" types tweeting @Patriavotes2018 who warned against an impending communist takeover? More likely that voters across Patria simply said "FUCK THIS!" and threw their lot in with the so-called Berners or Bernie-crats, hoping that old-school democratic socialism added to the Amrita and Chakra Party's Hindu/yoga/embracing the world mix will improve their economic prospects over the next four years more than building tariff walls and promises to "make Patria great again".

The real losers in 2018 are the macho law-and-order, pit bull-owning, gun-toting, cop-loving National Union, who sink further into irrelevance with only 21 seats (down 5 from 2014) despite running one of the loudest campaigns of 2018, vilifying wimpy soft-on-crime liberal "pussies" (both two legs and four - the NU hates cats and cat owners because real men own big dogs such as pit bulls and rottweilers). Jim Rome's Jungle Party also lost big. The Clones could manage only 11 seats (down a whopping 17 from 2014) as the Rome show has become tired and uninspired over the past four years.

96 seats in the 51st Congress-elect. Because FUCK THIS SHIT!

Party standings in the 51st Congress-elect:

Social Democrats – 96 (+47 from 2014)

Amrita – 78 (+10)

SRM – 56 (+1)

Chakra – 33 (-26)

National Union – 21 (-5)

Green – 16 (+3)

Jungle – 11 (-17)

Lilith – 6 (-1)

Libertarian – 5 (-2)

Chastity – 3 (unchanged)

Family Values – 2 (unchanged)

others* – 6

*one seat each: Pottsylvanian Alliance, Lazurian Independent Party, Patriots Union Nova Columbia (PUNC), Peoples’ Party, Reconstruction Party, Popular Front of Caesarea.

Seats awarded by Precinct:

Fredonia (9)

Amrita – 2

Chakra – 1

Green – 1

NU – 1

SD – 2

SRM – 2

Haldimania (12)

Amrita – 2

Chakra – 1

Green – 1

Jungle – 1

NU – 1

SD – 4

SRM – 2

Pottsylvania (13)

Amrita – 3

Chakra – 2

Green – 1

Libertarian – 1

SD – 3

SRM – 2

Pottsylvanian Alliance – 1

Mauretania (15)

Amrita – 2

Chakra – 1

Green – 1

Lilith – 1

Jungle – 1

NU – 2

SD – 5

SRM – 2

Canardiere (16)

Amrita – 2

Chakra – 1

Chastity – 1

Libertarian – 1

NU – 1

SD – 6

SRM – 4

Ambrosia (17)

Amrita – 3

Chakra – 2

Green – 1

Lilith – 1

NU – 1

SD – 5

SRM – 4

Antioch (19)

Amrita – 4

Chakra – 1

Jungle – 1

NU – 1

SD – 7

SRM – 5

Arboria (21)

Amrita – 5

Chakra – 2

Green – 1

NU – 2

SD – 7

SRM – 3

Reconstruction Party – 1

Aeolia (24)

Amrita – 6

Chakra – 2

Green – 1

Libertarian – 1

Jungle – 1

SD – 7

SRM – 6

Centralia (25)

Amrita – 9

Chakra – 2

Green – 1

Jungle – 1

NU – 2

SD – 6

SRM – 4

Lazuria (27)

Amrita – 6

Chakra – 5

Green – 1

Jungle – 1

NU – 2

SD – 7

SRM – 4

Lazurian Independent Party – 1

Nova Columbia (36)

Amrita – 7

Chakra – 4

Family Values – 1

Green – 1

Jungle – 2

Lilith – 1

NU – 2

SD – 10

SRM – 6

Patriots Union (PUNC) – 1

Peoples’ Party – 1

Federal Dist. of Castoropolis (38)

Amrita – 12

Chakra – 2

Green – 2

Lilith – 1

Jungle – 1

Chastity – 1

Libertarian – 1

NU – 2

SD – 11

SRM – 5

Caesarea (61)

Amrita – 15

Chakra – 7

Chastity – 1

Family Values – 1

Green – 4

Jungle – 2

Libertarian – 1

Lilith – 2

NU – 4

SD – 16

SRM – 7

Popular Front of Caesarea (PFC) – 1

The Fourth Session of the 50th Congress (4·L 2017-18) is about to return for a lame-duck session that will continue until a couple days before Inauguration Day, June 30. There are a number of items on the order paper while the 51st Congress-elect waits out the transition, including Patria's fiscal 2019 budget. Traditionally the budget is the last item to be ratified before Congress adjourns for the summer recess or Inauguration Day.