ANALYSIS – The midterm elections have reminded us that the country is more divided than any time since the Civil War.
While the GOP is likely to retake the House with a narrow majority, the Senate is still split evenly with a runoff in Georgia likely to decide control in January.
Meanwhile the red wave, or tsunami many predicted, including me, turned to a ripple.
Abortion and Trump tip the scales.
While there is, and will be, a lot of finger-pointing among conservatives for the tepid results, I believe there may have been a few factors at play beyond just an evenly split and polarized country.
Among them is the abortion issue.
While the standard narrative is that the Dobbs Supreme Court decision removing the wrongly decided ‘constitutional right to abortion’ mobilized the left against a highly unfavorable decision, I would argue that conservatives simply caved on the issue.
They allowed the left to set the narrative and at times added fuel to the fire by pushing too fast on added restrictions giving Democrats a bogeyman to scream at.
Instead, the GOP should have defended Dobbs and the Court, and positioned itself as the reasonable party on abortion.
“Let states decide. The left is extreme on abortion.” That’s how we should have played it.
While I am strongly pro-life, I understand political reality.
As Pew Research notes:
A majority of Americans say abortion should be legal in all or most cases, but many are open to restrictions; many opponents of legal abortion say it should be legal in some circumstances.
This is why instead of running from the issue in fear or focusing on pushing more restrictions immediately after Dobs, the GOP should have zeroed in on Democrats’ radical abortion-on-demand, anytime, anywhere agenda.
This approach could have helped neutralize a lot of the fears of middle-of-the-road Americans fueled by the left and its media allies.
But beyond the abortion issue, former president Trump likely played an outsized role in the red wave turning to a ripple.
As Fox News reports:
Many conservatives put the blame on former President Donald Trump for the GOP’s underwhelming midterm election results, which saw Trump candidates across the country failing to gain office.
Many conservative commentators took the election results as a sign it was time for the GOP to move on from Trump. Commentators argued that Trump had endorsed outlandish candidates who turned easy victories into close races, and close races into losses.
Others compared Trump’s failure to secure wins across the country with the huge wave of support for Republicans in Gov. Ron DeSantis’ Florida.
“All the chatter on my conservative and GOP channels is rage at Trump like I’ve never seen,” Michael Brendan Dougherty, a senior writer at National Review, wrote on Twitter. “‘The one guy he attacked before Election Day was DeSantis — the clear winner, meanwhile, all his guys are s—ing the bed.'”
And as someone who has been a strong Trump supporter, and voted for Trump twice, I believe this sentiment has validity.
Continuous ranting about election fraud in 2020 makes the future about the past.
And forcefully demanding GOP loyalty to one man doesn’t help either.
It also makes everything about Trump rather than conservative ideas, policies, and candidates.
But most importantly it doesn’t win elections.
Nothing mobilizes the Democrats, the media, and the Left like Trump.
As one reader, redryder996, commented beneath the Fox piece:
People voted against Trump, who was not on the ballot. This is a repudiation of Trump, as a person and as a candidate. If we want to elect a conservative government in 2024, Trump must not be in the picture.
Opinions expressed by contributors do not necessarily reflect the views of Great America News Desk.
People are still killing the messenger. Trump was a great leader who kept his promises. Our problem is not with Trump or the Demon C’d Rats, it is the party leaders who allow the party to be steamrolled by the opposition and fail to get conservative policies passed. They are the weak link and need to be replaced. Overlook Trumps personality quirks and focus on his leadership.
That’s really a stupid question to ask. Who else in the whole history of this country has given of himself as President Trump has? As he has said himself on several occasions he has taken the arrows for us. He didn’t need to do this. He had a wonderful life before he became President. I am convinced from all the research I’ve done and alternative news I’ve listened to that this current so-called administration wants all of us gone so that they can possess everything. It’s too evident from all the events that have taken place in the last almost three years and are currently still going on. God bless our wonderful President Trump and his family and may God also bless our country.
Thank you for putting it onto words. I, too, would like to see him take the Presidency and finish cleaning out the swamp.
How about we dump all RINO’s instead!
The 2 previous commenters are exactly correct.
Anyone who watches a Trump rally and thinks voters will turn away from Trump for President is either unconscious or deluded.
Contrary to the bs propaganda from the MSM and the pointless neo-Con National Review, Trump did not “attack” DeSantis. Trump has as much appeal to the new emerging Republican majority in Florida as DeSantis. They work together.
Trump did not drive anyone away from Republican candidates. Someone who did do that was Mitch McConnell and his cronies, who not only attacked candidates who were pro-Trump, but also denied funding to their campaigns. Every one of these RINOs has to be driven out; they are the ones who cause division in the party in pursuit of their own lust for power.
Ignoring the election fraud in the past guarantees more of it in the future. We all know the fraud was rampant in this election, and it was augured by Biden’s suggestion it could be days before the results of the elections would be known. It was also signaled by the Dems’ usual pre-election preparations to accommodate mountains of mail-in ballots and to prevent poll-watchers from doing their jobs.
The GOP better hope Trump doesn’t drop them. If he ran as an independent in any of their races he would siphon enough votes from the GOP to make them irrelevant.
President Trump: Greatest President this country has ever had.
I totally agree with both comments. President Trumpwas a wonderful President who kept his promises and got nothing but grief in return. If he chooses to run in 2024, he has every right to, as does any other challenger. That is what democracy is. If these naysayers believe he should go away, keep in mind that Trump has done more to empty the swamp and get rid of the RINO’s. Let’s see what the Republicans do in these next two years. McConnell needs to go and they should look long and hard about the Speaker of the House. Much better choices than McCarthy. Not sure but think he is also a RINO.
Ditto!
Mc Carthy is a rhino & he should not be speaker of the house !
Trump has been a liability ever since Jan 6. His b.s. unsubstantiated claims point towards a dangerous, crass, boorish narcissistic bum. Americans want better, less confrontational, more middle of the road president. The electorate did not vote for Biden, they voted against Trump. Throw all your support behind De Santis, a very likeable, presidential stature, achiever and not a bullshiter. He swept Demmings off the floor. He reversed the democrat South Florida voters by over 25% compared to 2018 results. For the Republicans to win, they must convince the independent voters that they are a better option. The only thing that Trump wants is a prominent place in the history books. If he would have gone into hiding like Biden did during the 2020 elections, he would have won. He mesmerizes the white trash and turns everybody else off with his appearances.
Mr. Weissberger, you are either a Democrat or a progressive who I’m sure, has not contributed to the conservative movement, and has no business commenting on this thread. Go back from whence you came please, sir!
As you can tell from the engaged, intelligent people commenting, this divisive horse dung narrative an out nobody wanting Trump anymore is simply a main stream attempt to get rid of the man who has done everything for our movement. It will not work. Trump is the man who can get this done.
The way you write your piece is somewhat offensive. You should think twice about injecting your opinion into a news article. News flash, your opinion is not worth more than mine. So report fact.
Absolutely!
If anything, is it time to dump fake news agencies and writers that ask such stupid questions?
The country was golden under Trump’s rule. Economy, jobs, foreign relations, oil independence, you name it. And that’s with constant impediment from Ds and RINOs. But he got it done anyway.
He’s the first POTUS in my lifetime that was solid and followed through on his promises.
Now, D rule… they are the insane congenital liars running the asylum. Crime, murder, and homelessness is their trademark. They tear down any good thing they have control of.
The ONLY reason to publish such an article is to plant a seed. Well, your seed can find no purchase. Get out of here with that shit. And any “2020 being a fair/honest election” and “Biden being a fairly elected POTUS” bullshit.
Anyone without their head up their ass can clearly see the fraud and the fake news supporting it.
I didn’t see anybody else out there raising millions of dollars and campaigning for hundreds of candidates. I did see RINO Republican leadership try to undermine some of the conservative he endorsed. We need fighters like Trump who won’t cave in to the Democrats time after time.
How about we dump all RINO’s instead!
Make him kingmaker alone only
Aid reamaking the GOP anew
History will prove Donald Trump was one of the greatest Presidents since Ronald Reagan and one of the most viciously maligned, hated, and politically attacked Presidents by the woke, socialistic Left Democrats, “Gen X” voters and most women. What he has endured and will continue to endure is beyond comprehension in this wonderful Republic of America and probably would have never occurred but for his last Executive Orders putting the Deep State bureaucrat’s employment at risk.
Unfortunately, he is too toxic to unify the Republican Party and the nation for another Presidential run for office.
I hope TRUMP will run in 2024!!! This Country was a lot better off with Donald Trump as President. I’m 80 years old. This is the worst I have seen this Country in since Johnson was President. He wanted the War in Vietnam. I am an Army vet. during Vietnam. Trump would never started that war or any war!!! BEST PRESIDENT” GO TRUMP!!!!
It’s time to move on, is it?… We shouldn’t talk about the stolen 2016 election because THAT was in the past? Jan 6, is in the past too, but that hasn’t stopped the dems from droning on and on about it.
There’s been plenty of people in the GOP who have been saying we should move on from Trump ever since he announced back in 2015. I already tuned these people out long ago.
Oh, and “Outlandish” candidates? Doesn’t that include anyone who’s not a RINO?
The “GOP” can decide what it wants… I’ll make my own decisions thank you.
Don Bolduc was in a competitive primary race for the Senate in New Hampshire. The other candidate was the stronger candidate. But Bolduc said the 2020 election was stolen from Trump, he got Trump’s endorsement, then won the primary. But then in trying to win the general election, Bolduc said the 2020 election was NOT stolen. Bolduc came across as a self-serving hypocritic, and lost a Senate race the Republicans should have otherwise won.
Trump accomplished many great things as POTUS. However, now he seems to be serving his bruised ego more than Conservative causes.
I think it’s time to move on!
UNFORTUNETLY THE GOP IS NOT MUCH BETTER THAN THE DEMORATS. THEY LIE AND CHEAT, JUST AS THE DEMS DO. INSTEAD OF GIVING PRESIDENT TRUMP HIS JUST DO, WITH FULL SUPPORT FOR TH 2024 2ND TERM, THEY SNEAK BEHIND HIM, TO DRAG HIM DOWN, THE “SWAMP” IS IN EVERY DEPT WITHIN THE GOVERNMENT CONGRESS / JUDICIAL DEPTS. NOW THAT WE KNOW HOW GREEDY AND FULL OF WAT MONGERS AMERICA IS, THIS COUNTRY IS NO BETTER (RIGHT NOW) TAN ANY OTHER 3RD WORLD COUNTRY.