Amidst all the finger-pointing, Republicans need to acknowledge a fundamental truth: Their party has lost its grip on the basic idea of what it means to be an American.
Americans like their freedoms. This include a woman’s right to choose, anybody’s choice to smoke marijuana, everyone’s freedom to move around at will, listen to the music they like, eat whatever they want, make friends freely and fall in love with whomever they choose.
Restrictions on these and other freedoms will never fly again in this country. Almost the only exception in our time is in the case of climate change. As more and more people comprehend the magnitude of that threat, Americans like all others on the planet will begin to moderate their diets, use of fossil fuels, and propensity to occupy places that are becoming less habitable due to global warming.
When we consider what happened on November 8th in the midterm elections, the GOP-packed Supreme Court’s decision to outlaw abortion played a big part in the outcome. But the decision by so many Republicans to mouth Donald Trump’s lies about a stolen 2020 election also factored in their defeat.
In every swing state, those election deniers who ran to gain power over the outcomes of future elections lost. Every single one!
Finally, the continued threat of authoritarianism is the darkest cloud hanging over this country. The ongoing investigations into the January 6th riot have reminded voters what they do not want to see happen again.
The attack on Nancy Pelosi’s husband factored in here as well, because it was a reminder of Jan. 6th. The inexcusable decision by many Republicans to make light of the attack on Paul Pelosi by a man wielding a hammer that broke the 82-year-old grandfather’s skull did not play well.
After all, this is America. We don’t like criminals here. By making fun of what happened to Pelosi, Republicans instantly transformed themselves into the political party that is soft on crime.
That, my friends, doesn’t play well here in America.
NEWSLINKS:
The Republicans’ Post-Midterm Reckoning with Donald Trump (New Yorker)
Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell: Republican anger over midterms (BBC)
Trump is calling his political allies and encouraging them to blame Mitch McConnell for GOP's poor midterm results, report says (Business Insider)
GOP finger-pointing in every direction as party absorbs election losses (Politico)
Democrats surged to flip state legislatures, defying past GOP gains (WP)
Pelosi says Republican’s ‘red wave’ turned into a ‘little, tiny trickle’ (CNBC)
Trump Angst Grips Republicans (Again) as 2024 Announcement Looms (NYT)
Democrat defeats election denier for Nevada secretary of state (WP)
Shorter voting window could cut turnout in Georgia runoff (AP)
Voters Reject Election Deniers Running to Take Over Elections (NYT)
Abortion rights wins in Kentucky, elsewhere stoke supporters (AP)
Election deniers lose races for key state offices in every 2020 battleground (WP)
Democrats Have Very Narrow Path to a House Majority (WSJ)
The midterms didn't produce a wave. Here's what that's meant historically. (NPR)
How Joe Biden and the Democratic Party defied midterm history (CNN)
Yellen says U.S. debt ceiling hike by lame-duck Congress would be 'great' (Reuters)
Labor Market Mystery: Where Are the Older Gen Z Workers? (WSJ)
Winter Will Be a Major Factor in the Ukraine War, Officials Say (NYT)
The Taliban In Afghanistan Is Still Preventing Girls From Getting Above A Sixth-Grade Education, So This Kabul Resident Is Running A Secret School (BuzzFeed)
Most Detailed Mapping of Our Brains' Memory Bank Reveals Something Surprising (ScienceAlert)
Exiled Iranian Who Inspired Steven Spielberg's 'The Terminal' Dies At Paris Airport (NDTV)
Man Worried Antidepressants Will Leave Trace Of Original Personality (The Onion)
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