Republican Fizzle
– By Howard Sierer –
Nationwide, Republicans lost winnable elections where they fielded weak candidates whose primary (pun intended) credentials were their support of former Pres. Trump. With pitifully few exceptions, MAGA Republican candidates who spent too much time claiming that the 2020 election was stolen from Trump went down to defeat.
“Trump picked sure losers in winnable races,” Gregg Nunziata, a former adviser to Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, wrote on Twitter. Former Republican Sen. Judd Gregg of New Hampshire said that voters focused on three things: “Trump, abortion, and rejection of Republicans who bought into this cult theory of conspiracy.”
Democrats deserve credit for recognizing that abortion and that pounding on Trump and his MAGA candidates as threats to democracy produced results that exceeded expectations. Equally important, Democrats’ strategy of pouring money into Republican (yes, Republican) primary contests where they boosted Trump-backed candidates paid off as well. Every primary where they helped nominate these weak, Trump surrogates resulted in a Democratic midterm win.
As I write this, Republicans will likely control the House but with a smaller majority than was forecast. They have failed to win the Senate, once again thanks to weak Trump-endorsed candidates in several key states, states that clearly could have been won.
The Senate, with its power to confirm judges, is the only check Republicans could have to prevent Biden from continuing to appoint judges, especially Supreme Court justices, who believe in a “living constitution” that is subject to ever-changing interpretations that reflect the radical left’s social fads.
The leftwing media have made Trump the face of the Republican Party, constantly appearing in their headlines. Why? Trump’s approval rating is only 40%, lower even than Pres. Biden’s 41%. Trump is viewed favorably by 48% of today’s Republicans but after winning the presidency in 2016, he’s presided over losses in Congressional elections in 2018, 2021 and 2022 while losing his own reelection bid 2020.
Julius Caesar committed himself to start a Roman civil war when he took his army across the Rubicon, a stream in northern Italy. The question for Republican Party leadership is whether they will choose to cross their Rubicon by starting a party civil war with Donald Trump. The Republican Party and the country as a whole would be far better off if Donald Trump were to fade into insignificance.
Republican’s strongest alternative is Florida Gov. Rod DeSantis. DeSantis was re-elected as Governor this month. He won his first term in 2018 by less than a percentage point; he won this year by almost 20 points against Democrat Charlie Crist, a former governor. DeSantis won in heavily Latino Miami-Dade County by 11 points, a county Biden won in 2020 by seven points. Biden won Osceola County in 2020 by nearly 14 points; this time, DeSantis won the county by nearly seven points, a dramatic 21-point swing.
Looking forward to 2024, Democrats find themselves in a quandary. Pres. Biden sees the midterm election results as a vindication of his leftwing presidency, telling reporters Wednesday as he has said before, that he intends to run for a second term. This despite the fact that 50 top Democrats across the country interviewed by the New York Times in June said Biden should not run. Now, despite his low approval numbers and inability to speak coherently, they may be stuck with him.
As a moderate conservative, I hope for a Biden vs. DeSantis contest while Trump sulks quietly in his Mar-a-Lago mansion, nursing his bruised ego and fending off lawsuits.
Although the Dems did not lose big (gaining the Senate) and the Republicans did not win big (technically gaining the House) one could almost call it a STALEMATE. But duly note the Republicans won the popular vote. Dig deeper and one can argue GOP incel leadership either intentionally or more likely unconsciously sabatoged itself by funding the wrong races and not backing others. You could say the old neo con backbone left certain candidates high and dry especially in some very close races that funding support from the party would possibly have tipped the outcome. So GOP not playing Team ball delivered a mediocre outcome. The Dem party strategists on the otherhand used what little they had to play with, and clearly leveraged the kitchen sink. Politics is a team sport metaphorically speaking. Dems got the ball down the field with 1 min to go in the 4th qtr and hit the field goal while the Republicans squandered a 21 pt lead throughout the 2nd half. On that note – some great College Football games in next 2 weeks. Peace out.
I agree with your points, Mr. Sierer. But is there no room for Mike Pence in the future of the Republican party? He showed loyalty to the constitution in the face of political and personal pressure. We need an experienced, strong person of character. He’s a true conservative who showed he is not afraid to stand on principle.
I agree with you – Pence is a person of character, and does have admiration from the evangelical /religious right. However he lacks in charisma or what is called that “special thing” which a Presidential candidate needs to attract and garner media and/or public attention… ‘(Example Trimp rally fervor) If DeSantis runs in the primary,, (which I predict he will likely stay on the sidelines as Gov of FL – but who knows?) Pence would end up cutting into his margin and helping Trump. Further analysis of Trump is posted in the comment section of Ed Kociela’s recent “Red Trickle” opinion piece. 2024 on a positive note, could be a potential red wave based on incredible number of Dem seats up for grabs, but as far as the Presidency, it will be an uphill battle. Pence… oops… lol… peace out.