Democracy Won

The midterms are over, at least so far as casting ballots is concerned. Some races remain undecided as ballot counting proceeds in some western states. So what is the outcome?

First and foremost, democracy seems to be the main winner. Despite oceans of ink spilled and airwaves filled with political ads (now radiating out to the universe), Donald Trump once again failed the political party he hijacked. It appears the public, including a healthy swath of independent voters, tired at last of his stolen election schtick. He is too much a narcissist and sociopath to admit that but the cracks in the GOP are widening. In two days he will probably announce he is running for President again in 2024. The announcement is probably as much about his fear that he will be indicted for his myriad crimes while in office; he views being a candidate as some sort of talisman that will prevent the law from seeking accountability. We will see.

Second, although there were many election deniers that Trump lined up who were elected to office, a notable exception was races for state secretaries of state, those who oversee elections. Trump’s candidates in those races lost across the board. The MAGA crowd now pins its hopes on the Supreme Court, which will hear a case about the “independent state legislature theory” this session. This theory would liberate state legislators from any checks and balances to influence selection of Presidential electors, thus rendering voters irrelevant. We will see if SCOTUS has sobered up after the Dobbs decision.

And Dobbs seems to have been the straw that broke the MAGA back. Having chased the automobile of abortion rights and Roe for half a century, SCOTUS (courtesy of its Federalist Society cabal of justices) caught the car, killed Roe, and proved it isn’t nice to make women second-class citizens who no longer have a say in their bodies and their healthcare. Women, people of color, and young people said NUTS! to that. 

So, I return to the first point. Democracy won. I am sure the Republicans will continue their obstruction, political theater, and malfeasance. Perhaps there will be those in the GOP who now understand that successful governance is a matter of compromise on policies, not on wedge issues like culture wars. Democrats should look for opportunities for genuine bipartisanship. I think that will require both Trump and Trumpism to be gone, however. Ah, but we can hope.