I wrote on my Facebook page approximately one week before the election that Republicans were going to get crushed in the midterms. I received a lot of pushback over it via comments on my page, emails directly to me, texts to me, and even calls. While it gives me no pleasure to be correct in my prediction, it was an infinitely easy one to make.
First and foremost, the party in power almost always loses in midterms. In the last 38 midterms, the party in power has only increased their majority twice — once under Bill Clinton and once under Bush after 9/11. Before that you have to go back to FDR to see another example. Second, President Donald Trump is wearing thin on people, myself included. The pundits wonder if it’s the policy or the person and my answer is it’s both. Trump’s arrogance and petulance is grating. The morning after the election he rips into Gov. Greg Abbott for being a RINO while taking no responsibility for pushing Lindsey Graham’s sister, Darlene, into a Senate election in South Carolina where she got beat. She was and is a horrible candidate. Trump thinks the force of his very nature is enough, but it’s not.
Second, some of his policies are also deeply unpopular, starting with Iran. When I made my above prediction I cited Iran first and foremost as an issue. I was told their nuclear program needed to be dealt with, but I thought we dealt with it when we bombed their facilities in Operation Midnight Hammer? I know Iran is run by horrible and evil people, I get it. But I also know that people don’t like paying $2 more for gas. They didn’t like it under Joe Biden and they don’t like it now.
Trump’s tariffs have also hurt farmers. I know our trading partners are screwing us and you know it, but slapping across-the-board tariffs may not be, is probably not, the answer. I don’t give a damn about the cost of BMWs, but we all care about the cost of fertilizer or other goods farmers need. I also don’t buy the 3% inflation number we keep seeing. I go to the grocery store and it is not 3% nor is it with insurance or utilities or any other cost for that matter.
Trump took his eye off the ball. Americans are a selfish bunch and we want cheap gas and a steak that we can afford.
So to my friends on the left, congratulations. You caught the tiger again, now what are you going to do? I try not to call people stupid for thinking this time you’re going to do anything about affordability. But in truth, most people will forget that Dems had complete control of government for two years under Biden. They did nothing about the cost of gas or health care or a steak. In fact, their policies made those things more expensive, not less.
The political parties take turns being in charge, but both are incompetent. You Dems may think your party is competent, but that is laughable and historically ignorant. In my opinion, both parties suck, just one sucks a little less than the other. Reasonable people can of course disagree. I would urge Democrats to try to be reasonable, but they won’t. They’ll overreach and maybe even make drastic changes if they win the White House in two years.
But they will pay the price. Just ask the ghost of Harry Reid how that worked out.
Brian Richards
Stevenson Ranch
