ANALYSIS – The midterm elections have reminded us that the country is more divided than at 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 into a ripple.
Abortion and Trump tipped 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. (RELATED: It's Time to Consider the Harm Abortion Does to Mothers)
“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 Dobbs, 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. (RELATED: Trump Celebrates Republicans Losing Pickup Opportunity as Control of Congress Hangs in the Balance)
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.
ALD
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.
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Mr. Crespo is exactly right about most of the things he writes about. There seems to be one thing that Mr. Crespo ignores, you cannot go against the wishes of the majority and get elected, gerrymandering by political parties helps but in the long run the majority will prevail, they always have and always will, exactly why the founders wrote the Constitution the way they did, making everything a majority vote, political parties was never mentioned in that Constitution and shortly after it was written, most of the founders agree, that political parties would be the death of this republic.
Exactly what Trump was trying to do turn this USA into an Autocratic country, and he planned on being president for life like the Autocrats he so admired.
Trump did one thing he made lifetime moderate Republicans quit supporting the Republican party, and my family and a lot of friends were in that group who became independents.
President for Life? That has got to be the craziest thing ever posted by a human being!!! Your comment has to be the most unschooled and moronic opinion I have ever read concerning President Trump. If you care to look, your Obrandon is key to the Oligarchy that is running roughshod with our nation since his ill-gotten election in 2020 and his side-kicking as VP with Obscumbo. Trump is a businessman and ran the White House in such manner that the proper actions in terms of employment, our economy, trade policies, treaties, alliance’s, and even race issues, and the PROPER flow of work concerning American governance was supposed to flow. Trump showed that typical bottle-necking of bills and monies and policies that were hazardous to America’s health were stopped, modified, exposed and He placed America on a course that I have never seem in my many years on this planet – Autocratic country1? That is simply a fallacious statement and one that unsupportable nor substantiated. What you witnessed for a few short years was American Governance as proposed to the American Public by our Founding Fathers is supposed to function. There is no such thing as a moderate Republican. You either embrace Conservative Values or you dont – Very much like the Fruit of the Tree of both Knowledge & Evil — One cannot embrace Liberal Fun loose lifestyles and good feel policies and call themselves Moderate Republican because they are embarrassed by the values they live by. You are a Liberal at best and a Leftist – Pro Socialist at worst. Reminds me of the few soldiers I served with that would cower away as to not get shot. You either soldier up or ask for a Dishonorable Discharge. I hearby discharge you from the Republican ( who are not all angels – they like the corruption too) Party. When American Liberty, Freedoms and Rights are concerned – There is no moderation. Sorry.
The people who worship Trump are NOT in the majority. Trump did many good things but his abrasive personality and run-away mouth prevented his own reelection. Most people don’t see further than the fact Trump is a Narcissistic a-hole, and women and young people in particular will not vote for him again no matter who runs as his opponent. Trump has turned toxic and the majority of voters of both parties have had enough of him. We need someone who can win in 2024, and it ain’t Trump. As long as the Trump worshippers continue to feed his ego, we’re stuck with him.
That’s plain silly….
Trump is the republicans worst nightmare. The hate for him runs wide and deep across this country, but his inflated ego won’t allow him to accept that fact. I voted for him in both the other elections he ran, but I would not do it a third time. He most likely is the cause for the republicans to not win as they were expected to do. If the democrats keep the majority in either the house or the senate, our country is in deep trouble.
I feel the same way. Trump will be 78 in 2024 and that’s too old to start a term as potus. His ego will not allow him to willingly step aside. He’s hell bent for revenge which drives his every thought and action. DeSantis and a great vp pick can be a real winner in 2024.
DeSantis for POTUS and Tom cotton for VP
DeSantis would be very wise to let Trump take the hits (as he proved to be able to), and get us back. Then I agree, he would be poised to take the ball and run with it for 2 more red terms.
You apparently fail to grasp the purpose of the electoral college, for all the left has corrupted that as well. It is precisely to PREVENT “mob rule” dictating the POTUS, over the nation; to insure minorities have a voice & vote in that selection too.
Moderate Republicans = RINOs. They are the reason we need a Trump. So sick of the psy-ops against Trump. He and his family have sacrificed more and worked harder than 90% of the smooth-talking, do-nothing Republicans put together. What’s abrasive is attacking the man working the hardest to save this once-great country.
No, the gop needs to take the abortion issue away from the demotards….
For Republican candidates to declare total bans on abortion including aborting deformed children in the womb, victims of rape and incest, and saving the life of the mother, is idiocy. The vast majority of people on both sides advocate abortion under those circumstances or in the very early stages of pregnancy. R-486, the “morning-after” is widely available, cheap, and easy to obtain. Advocating a total ban in all circumstances is a guaranteed way to lose an election. I’m as right-wing as they come and I would refuse to vote for anyone advocating a total ban. SCOTUS is correct—abortion laws belong to the states.
I agree that Trump must go. I voted for him twice, but now he is toxic.
The question should be ‘Can the Republicans work with a completely dishonest president and his administration?’
The answer is “NO!”, indeed, the LEFT should be askingcan THEY compromise & work with others… but that answer is also no.
Rinos and Dems always compromise, they compromise on who gets what before elections, then work in unison to make it a reality. One undisclosed party presenting themselves as 2. Good guy, bad guy routine.
Who??? IF Biden….no but the RINOs like McConnell roll over all of time becoming commies like the Demonrats.
Well, Mcconnell’s proven more than once he can’t so I doubt any RINO can.
The country isn’t divided. The electorate is divided. Washington is divided. The media are divided. The algorithms are divided. The Russian bots and the Chinese bots are divided. And it’s in the best interests of media and party machinery and certain politicians to keep it so.
Ask about what matters most, and Americans are strongly united.
Independents and moderates voted with their feet. And the country has a $10B bill to our for the same old same old in DC.
The Founders were right. Parties are killing our republic. Isn’t there a better way?
All part of the plan, part of Jan 6, McConnell holds back money from candidates secretely plotting to get rid of Trump, make him look bad, and USE DeSantos to move focus away from Trump. Dem Rino all the same. Rinos don’t want to fix it, they just want to control it themselves. Why are they afraid of trump? Hummm.
All I know is, Trump did THAT job already, and what he did worked well, he already knows how to navigate DC, and has a personal interest in doing what needs to be done. He did everything he promised last time, in spite of the dems and rinos.
Does it seem to you they want to control our thought, just like the left.
I would like to know what our Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell did out on the campaign trail to help get Republican Canidates elected ?
…………crickets!
Infanticide/ feticide is the left’s 3rd rail; no matter how you try to grab it, you WILL get a major jolt! We have to STOP using their terms that hide the reality of their outrageously ugly, vicious behaviors. It’s long past time to make the left take a LONG, HARD look at the reality of those behaviors, & to add appropriate penalties in the form of criminal charges to ALL parties involved. Stop pussy-footing around & trying to placate the left.
That’s true of all their ugly policies & behaviors; they need to be made to look them in the face & see the ugly realities, call them what they are, & the very real harm they do to human beings.
Make him Kingmaker then behind the scenes
Has had some winners alone
Yes, it’s time to send Trump packing. He has his portrait hanging as the 45th President of the United States, so he is enshrined forever. Now it’s time for him to retire from politics and return to the business world. I voted for him twice, but now I want a new candidate in 2024. Trump worshippers may cold us the presidency in 2024 if they can’t let go of Trump. .
I also have been a Trumpster. I appreciated all he did in his presidency, and I hated he did not get elected for a second term. However, I have not had a good feeling about 2024. If he runs, we will have a democrat as president again. The red wave was barely a trickle this week. I was thoroughly pissed when he called his governor DeSanctimonius. THAT is who should run for president. Trump will NOT become president and he has to become the nominee first anyhow! Step up and step down permanently, and take the blame, you shot yourself in the foot! You have tooted your little horn too many times. Time now to SHUT UP!! Our beautiful country needs to heal!
It wont heal unless Trump finishes what he started! Those who are pushing this idea of dumping him are the cause of no red wave, now using Ron DE Santis, who trump elevated. He has done a great job as Governor following the AMERICA FIRST plan, and deserved re election, but he was running against looser Charlie Crist for crying out loud. Don’t fall into the rino trap, Rino, Dem are the same thing, they don’t like Trump because they don’t want to change anything!
BS
No, dump the extreme anti abortion movement and you will and do have support to be able to win elections and stop LATE TERM abortions and save many babies that are being killed and will continue to be killed as long as you(Republican Base) continue this all or nothing extreme position.
Dump Trump? Fine, DeSantis is the stronger candidate anyway!
Actually, it’s time the GOP dumps the RINOs like Rollover McConnell. We want real Americans in office who’ll look out for the country and not themelves.
Actually Trump is the only one! Dissecting just who vehemently push banning him, have from the beginning. Why? Because they do not want the swamp disrupted. Rino and dems alike, have enjoyed anointing, and appointing our representatives, by jointly smearing those who would truly represent the people and defend the best interests of the country, that is why he was elected in the first place, and he lived up to his promises, which led ALL races, genders, and persuasion citizens enjoying the best of all state of the union. Only he has the proven track record, guts, determination, and will to do it again.