Did you ever notice that when commentators ascribe thoughts or opinions to people in general, they usually are just uttering their own individual personal thoughts and opinions. Rather than come out and say, “I can’t stand so and so, or I am opposed to such and such,” they say, “people can’t stand so and so, or people don’t like such and such.”
I suppose we all value our own ideas and opinions and think that they are shared by many others. For what they are worth, I would like to offer my own thoughts and opinions on the results of the mid-term elections that saw the Democratic party regain control of Congress.
Although the opposition party usually does well in mid-term elections, the blame for the Republican losses must fall mainly on President Trump. It is true that he engineered masterful campaigns in 2016 and 2024 to win the Presidency, but he made some real mistakes in the run up to the 2026 vote.
In the first place, he divided his own party by throwing his weight behind candidates in Republican primaries in places like Texas and South Carolina. His candidates won narrow victories, but these victories divided the Party and helped the Democrats. He forgot the old axiom, “United we stand, divided we fall.”
If I lived in South Carolina, I think I would have been upset with the President’s support of the inexperienced sister of a deceased former Senator. Why did the President have to interfere? Why not leave the choice to the people and say he would support any Republican the people chose. If I lived in Texas, I think I would also have also been upset with the President’s decision to unseat a popular Republican senator just because of personal animosity. He says he loves the people of Texas but why not let them choose their own Republican candidate? His interference proved disastrous. *
Moreover, the President’s campaign rallies did not work this time. It’s not just that he was preaching to the choir, and saying the same thing over and over, but the rallies made him look more like a campaigner than a President. He needed to be seen as Presidential, to be acting and working as President, and not flying around the country in Air Force One to one rally after another.
Instead, it might have been better if he had stayed in the White House and found a better way to explain his position on issues like Iran and the economy to the nation as a whole and not just to partisan loyalists. His speech at the UN this year provided a good example.
Even so, it would have been an uphill battle. As it turned out hatred of Trump was really potent. In Minnesota hatred of Trump led voters to keep a fraud ridden government in power. In Michigan, Trump hatred led Democrats to welcome antisemites into the party. In Alaska, voters gave a slim margin to a scam-ridden candidate. In other states hatred of Trump brought inexperienced and seemingly ignorant Democratic Socialists into office.
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*Former Senator John Cornyn of Texas had a very good op-ed in today's Wall Street Journal.
The sycophant Republican congressmen and senators who sucked up to Trump are already distancing themselves. I have supported most of his policies. Right from the get go ( 2016), I was a fierce critic of his berating everyone who didn’t suck up to him. And he loves dictators. His alignment with Putin is a disgrace. If he had taken a softer but firm approach he wouldn’t have alienated the world.
ReplyDeleteI will never support the other side with their irrational, lunatic agenda. Believe me, Biden created huge problems that he had the guts to address. Unfortunately, he misjudged and lied to us about the Iran war (it will end quickly, we’ve wiped out their army, navy, etc). Of course, the media and phony liberal college professors have colluded to brainwash the country with their leftist agenda.
Cenzo