The outcome of the midterm elections was disappointing for Republicans, to say the least. The massive wins everyone expected did not materialize. While the GOP will likely control the House in 2023, the Democrats are maintaining control of the Senate.
At this moment, there is much finger-pointing going on among Republican politicians and the conservative intelligentsia. To further complicate matters, former President Donald Trump is expected to announce his third run for the White House on Tuesday.
Trump has also begun taking shots at the only one who might have a chance of defeating him for the GOP nomination: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
What is occurring on the right will decide the future trajectory of the party, and it isn’t only Republicans who have taken notice. During a recent press conference, President Joe Biden said: “The Republican Party is going to have to make, like other, like our parties in the past have done, it’s going to have to decide who they are.”
He’s right, of course.
But if Biden and his Democratic colleagues are smart, they will understand they have to do the same– even if the midterms weren’t as disastrous for them as originally anticipated. But I have a feeling the results of the elections were not severe enough to motivate Democrats to reconsider things.
Over the past two years, the left has doubled down on positions that are not popular with the American public. When it comes to education, progressives have been advancing their agenda in the school system. Districts are presenting far leftist ideology on race, sexuality, and gender identity to K-12 students. The majority of Americans – including those who vote Democrat – have indicated they are not on board with this. It was believed that this would be one of several issues contributing to the Democrats’ losses.
Surging crime rates are another issue about which Americans have been concerned. With homicides and other violent offenses on the rise, people are ever more concerned about their safety. The “defund the police” movement did not exactly help matters, nor did the left’s soft-on-crime policies that protected criminals more than civilians.
Of course, the economy has been an ongoing concern. Many Americans are struggling with exorbitant prices at the gas pump and in grocery stores. Democrats have responded by trying to gaslight the public into believing that things are not as bad as they seem. In other instances, they have tried deflecting blame for the economic issues people are facing.
Immigration has also been a top concern. Despite the fact that the Biden administration insisting that the border is “secure,” people can easily see that the problem is much more serious than the left is suggesting. With two million illegals coming over the border in 2022 alone, the White House refuses to lift a finger to solve the problem. One would think this would have also helped Republicans secure a more significant victory.
But it didn’t. In fact, none of these issues were enough to send a message to the Democrats. This is why they will continue down the same path. Voters did not give them an incentive to change. With the GOP in control of the House, it will be more difficult for Biden and company to advance their agenda, but they will not stop trying.
Hopefully, Republicans in the House can prevent the worst of Biden’s agenda from becoming reality. If this is the case, then Democrats continuing to push policies Americans don’t favor might just help the GOP in 2024, as long as Republicans manage to get their house in order.
