Instead of "The Apprentice," It's Now "The Biggest Loser"

 It's still early, votes are still being counted and we don't have any idea at the moment of which party will control which house.  I'm prepared for the possibility that the GOP will eventually wind up with a house majority, though there are still races where unexpected vote totals are leaning toward Democrats and the forecasters keep adjusting their GOP numbers downward as early votes and mail-in ballots are counted.  

But there are some things that are really clear after last night.  And yes, my mood is such that these are worth pointing out and pondering.  And celebrating regardless of how everything eventually shakes out. 

This was a referendum on the sitting President.  And regardless of which party winds up controlling either house, the Biden Administration was affirmed by the outcome of this midterm.  Biden got a solid 45% job approval rating out of the exit polling, not great, but better than his predecessor's mid-term rating by 8 points and quite an improvement over the low numbers some polls indicated during the early part of this year.  Against some of the toughest political issues for Americans, inflation in particular and gasoline prices, and a non-stop barrage of fear mongering based on a crime rate that has actually been dropping, the results of this midterm election affirm the direction and progress made by the Biden administration. 

This was a referendum on election denying, conspiracy theories and insurrection.  The former President inserted himself onto the ballot of this midterm election and he lost, big time.  Endorsees that he appeared to help the most were the biggest losers, making me wonder if "The Biggest Loser" is now a Trump media production instead of "The Apprentice."  His election deniers lost to a group of savvy women in Michigan, in a wipe-out of Republican challengers who were involved in some of the more despicable attempts to overturn the election.  Pennsylvania, where it appears Democrats may control the state legislature for the first time in decades, was also a smack-down.  

Christian nationalism lost.  Fascism lost.  Racism lost.  And while it remains to be seen how long it takes some Republicans to realize what happened and separate themselves and the reputation of their party from extremists, it's clear that almost everything the MAGA movement stands for is a minority position, even among Republicans.  Now someone has to have the integrity and presence of mind to call this stuff out and send its supporters packing.  

Whether some Trumpies will see it as such, Dr. Mehmet Oz's concession of the Pennsylvania senate race is also a concession that there was no "massive voter fraud," and that there never has been any.  He knew he lost in a fair and free election.  Even Republicans are now acknowledging that if they don't get off the election fraud claim bandwagon, they are going to lose big in 2024.  

Trump lost again.  The hangover that the GOP has been experiencing since they first nominated him for President still goes on.  I can't help but think, looking at how the counts on many of these house races are continuing to frustrate Republicans, that if he had decided to announce his candidacy for President in 2024 before the midterm elections, stepping on candidates in his own party, we would now be counting how many seats Democrats gained in both houses.  

This midterm has made it quite clear that Trump doesn't have the kind of support he would need to get back to the White House.  If he decides to run, he will lose.  Regardless of where these midterms wind up, that much is crystal clear.  Trump is the biggest loser.

Maybe now we can get back to the give and take, compromise and negotiation way democracy is supposed to work.  I'm not holding my breath, but if the Republicans do take the path that they were shrieking about prior to this election, they will be setting themselves up for a huge defeat in 2024, and they don't have control of the state houses or secretary of state positions they would need to suppress the vote.  The evidence of what the voters would do to them is sitting right in front of them.  

If Republicans don't work with the Biden Administration on the big issues of the day, like inflation and crime, and back off their hardline stance on abortion, they will lose big in 2024.  They are going to have to work with President Biden and the Democrats to resolve the inflation problem, and to deal with the crime problem.  They're fortunate to have an experienced President in office who knows what he is doing.  They have offered no solutions.  But the problems now become theirs.  If they try to undo Biden's accomplishments, they lose.  If they don't resolve the inflation problem, they lose.  If they try to shove through their agenda of investigations and impeachments, they lose big time.  

The people have spoken and they didn't say what Republicans wanted them to say.  So if the GOP doesn't get off its shrill extremist agenda, including all of its planned investigations and impeachments, they will set themselves up for a huge 2024 loss.  The fact that, at this point, more than 24 hours after the polls closed, there's still no certainly about control of Congress, should change the tone and the agenda of both houses.  If it doesn't it's pretty clear the Republicans will pay heavily for that failure. 

The Supreme Court Lost.  Justice Samuel Alito and his five colleagues who decided to abandon their integrity, make their word worthless and render the Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade are largely responsible for the huge Democratic voter turnout.  They lit this fire and in spite of pundits trying to damp it down and claim it was "fizzling out" it showed up at the polls in virtually every state, enough of a majority in many places to turn a potential "red wave" into a puddle, as I heard one journalist call it. 

Voters are demanding a non-partisan court that respects the rule of law, not one that does political favors for the President who appointed them.  This court is now a liability for the GOP that they can't control.  Their Dobbs decision did more for getting women to register and vote than anything else has done in the past 30 years.  Other extremist positions they may take will also motivate voters to elect Democrats, especially progressives who want to change the judiciary act, term-limiting justices and packing the court.

I have every confidence that the Biden Administration will adjust as necessary and for the good of the country, to continue to be an effective advocate for the people over the next two years.  It's obvious that this administration, working with the Democratic party across the country, got the messaging right.  The Republicans can do the same, make adjustments, realize that the polarization and political animosity was rejected by the voters last night, clean up the corruption in their party, drain the Trump swamp and move ahead.  They'll never get my vote, at least, not in any way that I can tell, but they do have this choice and I think this midterm is an indication that if this extremism doesn't go away, Republicans may never win another election.