On Midterms

It is quite usual for the party in power to lose congressional seats in the midterm elections because elections are won on promises made, many of which cannot be (and maybe should not be) fulfilled. The expectation last Tuesday of a broad “Red Wave” descending on Washington in January in a grand parade turned out to be more like a narrow “Red Ripple” arriving in Washington on a Greyhound bus.

On the Democratic side it seemed to be mainly a choice between family pain or party loyalty. Loyalty won out. It is noteworthy that the agony in the grocery store, at the gas pump and on the border crossings are being tolerated in order for the party to stay in power, however misguided many of its policies seem to be.

On the Republican side, clearly the confidence and hubris were ill-placed and led to unrealistic expectations and lackluster preparation. But beyond that, it seemed to me that Republicans were not listening to the people. If I’m not mistaken, ‘representatives’ are called that because they are supposed to ‘represent’ the people who elected them, not just to promote their own views and biases, nor to presume to know better what is best for us underlings.  But many were surely not listening on subjects important to American people such as abortion and gun control, just to name two. And too many are still obsessed on an election signed and sealed two years ago; an election which is totally irrelevant to this or any other future election. How on earth does clinging to and continually harping on the ‘stolen election’ narrative, whether right or wrong, win hearts and minds or influence actions today.

I am truly amazed at the disjointed and often contradictory positions voiced by Republicans on so many issues, and their inability to articulate a rational, well documented and consistent position on key issues facing this country. For example, Republicans were cast as a treat to democracy and to the needs of retirees. I don’t recall much of a Republican rebuttal or coherent response. 

And then we have the ‘Trump’ factor. It seems clear that his endorsements, or his sarcasm, were more hurtful than helpful, his presence more to promote himself than to support specific candidates. For many the election was a referendum between an unfavorable sitting president and a loose-cannon ex-president. The former won. Will this alter Trump’s ambition to run again. Of course not.

– – – – Just the view of a common man