Some Thoughts on The Recent Election
Win some, lose some
Having no political party to sufficiently represent my political ideology, I approach and evaluate elections differently today than I once did. Earlier in life, when the wing-nuts of the GOP were known, limited, and isolated, I could confidently straight-ticket vote knowing that whoever I selected was GENERALLY SPEAKING devoted to individual liberty, limited government, property rights, free markets, and American military/diplomatic strength. Then came the dark days (ca. 2015) and the party that claimed to represent those values evolved into a personality cult rife with populism (definitionally at odds with conservatism) and nationalism (not patriotism). The modern GOP does not like America or Americans, and so I do not like it.
The Democratic Party is no option for me, as unlike many GOP adherents, my ideology has not changed. I shake my head at folks who once occupied the same foxhole (a metaphor for service in two GOP presidential campaigns) who have—as a result of their warranted disgust for Trump and Trumpism—turned their back on all the ideas we held in common (see above), and now essentially shill for the Democratic Party. The modern Democratic Party—progressive, activist, collectivist, and performative—is no place for me.
And so I—like many—split ticketed this year, paying very close attention to races I once ignored. As I survey the outcome (or at least the state of play as I write this on the morning of 11/12), I am left with both positive and negative thoughts.
First, I truly wanted at least one chamber of Congress to flip, as the Biden Agenda is not to my liking. My preference would have been the Senate, as I think Mitch McConnell (along with Nancy Pelosi) is a brilliant strategist and tactician. That such a turn of events would have depended on the addition of Blake Masters, Mehmet Oz, and Herschel Walker to the body certainly mitigated against its desirability. To gain control, the GOP will have to pull out the Nevada (I still pronounce it old school Neh-VAHHH-da) race and then win the Georgia run-off. I think a more likely outcome is that they lose both and the Senate remains in Dem hands (FLASH: as of Saturday night 12 November, the Senate will remain in D hands). The fact that Joe Biden shivved Joe Manchin leads me to hope that Manchin continues his independent ways and stands athwart some of the ridiculosity coming out of the White House.
Second—it is clear that there is SOMETHING going on in the electorate that RESEMBLES a repudiation of Trump and Trumpism, although I will only believe it when I see it. The Stop the Steal criminals pretty much got wiped out, and hand-picked Trumpies had a rough go of it. The degree to which “independent” voters swung to the D’s has me believing that Trump’s pervasive influence in the GOP AND his poorly timed rallies/dangling of his own presidential announcement cause some voters to go into the booth and say, “I’m not getting on this ride again”. Added to this was the attack on Paul Pelosi—which I have to believe reinforced a negative notion in many voters minds of the Trump presidency—fairly or unfairly.
Third—the possibility the Kari Lake may be defeated in Arizona is wonderful. She is the most execrable of all the Trumpist flotsam, and her defeat would be a victory for decency.
Fourth—the fact that counting votes takes this long in some states undercuts any sense of “election security”. The Fascist Republic of Florida (that is sarcasm, for those of you who don’t recognize it) is able to count their votes on election night.
Fifth—the GOP may squeak out a victory in the House, and I am OK with it (see my desire above for a chamber to stand in the way of the Biden agenda). That said, I am ENORMOUSLY excited to watch the Trumpy Wingnuts torpedo the hopes of or conduct of a Kevin McCarthy speakership. No one deserves to be roasted over a MAGA fire more than McCarthy. A House of Representatives that stands in the way of the Biden agenda AND can’t get out of its own way may in fact be a win/win.
MAGA-TS Want a New Party
This Saturday night from the Duke of Dash, the Earl of Exits, Josh Hawley:
You remember Josh, right? Here he is on the day of the Insurrection in which he was a key participant:
And here he was later that same day:
Hawley—and the lamentable Marco Rubio—are on the cutting edge of another insurrection, this time attempting a coup to topple Mitch McConnell from leadership of the Senate GOP and remake the Party in the image of its Cheeto-Duce—a populist, nationalist, “working class”, neo-isolationist, and authoritarian. What seems lost on Hawley is that he and MAGA nation already KILLED the “old party” — the one dedicated to individual liberty, free markets, the rule of law, and a strong military—in order to bring about their vision of centrally managed “common good” constitutionalism—whatever that means. This fact did not escape one Twitter observer:
It does appear there is a sort—of sorts—going on, with more working class Whites, Blacks, and Hispanics moving toward the GOP as the Democratic Party seems to be locking up single women of all sorts and those with college degrees and up.
Interestingly, lost in this sort is someone….like me. Relatively well-educated (for a public school guy) and conservative. There seems no place for conservatives—as the go-to moves of the Democrats are utterly in conflict with the instincts of an American Conservative, while this new breed of Republican actually blames people like me for the declining fortunes of the Party as they repudiate all that American Conservatism has grown to encompass, while embracing authoritarian nationalism.
My hope is that the GOP will come to its senses. I realize that my gauzy longing for the party of the Romney/Ryan ticket is out of favor, but try this thought experiment: close your eyes and pretend Romney/Ryan won the 2012 election, and then are re-elected in 2016. Then, apply that team/administration to the world events that actually occurred in those eight years—and ask yourself—would this country not be FAR BETTER OFF TODAY had they been in the White House? Would America NOT be in a better place without the second Obama Administration creating the demand for the ruinous Trump Administration?
I think I’ve depressed myself for the day.
Parting Shot
The GOP won’t learn anything from this. They don’t believe they lost; they believe they were robbed. Their response will be lawsuits and a campaign of vitriol on social media, rather than a tough and honest assessment of why they were rejected. All of which will culminate in Trump’s announcement (to tumultuous applause) that he’s in for ‘24. Only Desantis could challenge him and that fight will lead to the Great Election heist of ‘’24 where Biden dons a ninja suit and breaks into every polling station with dead people to stuff ballot boxes.