Whatever the final count, it looks like voters are unhappy with President Trump.
asserted
voters → look → Trump
The Iran war is unpopular, and sky-high gas prices are, well, fuel for voters’ continued fury over the ongoing affordability crisis.
asserted
prices → continue → crisis
But what will Democrats do with that discontent?
asserted
Democrats → do → discontent
As Axios noted in a prescient preview, Democrats’ celebration of their triumph — be it a ripple or a wave — might be short-lived.
uncertain
it → note → triumph
After all, their banner isn’t just less popular than that of their Republicans counterparts; it’s more reviled than the IRS’s.
asserted
it → ’ → IRS
The party’s elites and their media allies have spent the better part of two decades now shaming the rest of the country for not joining them on their reckless ride leftward.
asserted
elites → spend → ride
Joe Biden and his hapless deputy Kamala Harris were run out of Washington, DC, just two years ago, after foisting on Americans an agenda they’d never agreed to.
Wide-open borders, transgender madness, profligate spending and a submissive, self-conscious approach to geopolitics that compelled a surrender to the Taliban in Afghanistan — while inviting the invasion of Ukraine and the atrocities of Oct. 7.
Voters’ last memories of Democratic governance aren’t pretty ones.
And even if they end up with control of both chambers of Congress come January, it’s unlikely that Democrats will be doing much governing at all.
asserted
Democrats → run → governing
With President Donald Trump in the White House and his veto pen in hand, they won’t be able to push through any of their major agenda items — even if they succeed in nuking the Senate filibuster, doing away with the much-needed check on majoritarian impulses that’s kept our out-control-politics from really spinning out.
Of course, they could pursue a more prudent strategy of horse-trading that could move their ball forward.
uncertain
that → push → ball
Trump is extremely susceptible — the opposite of immune, really — to a charm offensive; just ask Mayor Mamdani or Tsar Putin.
asserted
Trump → ask → Mamdani
When it comes time to fund the government, could they not offer Trump something, like, say, permitting reform to increase domestic energy production and lower costs in exchange for more funding for their beloved welfare state?
uncertain
they → come → state
And why not try to pair another criminal-justice bill like the First Step Act with a crackdown on fraud of the sort that’s run rampant in Minnesota?
asserted
that → try → Minnesota
Because it’d kill them to, is why not.
asserted
it → kill → them
Soon-to-be Speaker Hakeem Jeffries has just run an entire campaign on not just acting as a check on Trump, but on holding him accountable.
asserted
him → run → Trump
He’s even taken to calling Election Day, “Judgment Day.”
asserted
He → take → Day
His caucus won’t let him work with Trump during his waning days in the White House — even if it’d be better for them if they, you know, tried to do their jobs.
asserted
you → let → jobs
And the messaging will all be geared toward mollifying the craziest members of their base, not on reassuring the average Joe.
asserted
messaging → gear → Joe
They’ll scream bloody murder over Trump’s every move.
asserted
They → scream → move
They’ll do everything in their power to reopen the floodgates at the southern border and grind immigration enforcement to a halt.
asserted
They → do → halt
They’ll propose unworkable budgets that would only inflame inflation.
asserted
that → propose → inflation
They’ll warn that without whatever they’re calling the Green New Deal now, the world will end — this time for real, though.
asserted
world → warn → whatever
They’ll champion the cause of boys competing in girls’ sports.
asserted
They → champion → sports
They’ll all but take Iran’s side over America’s.
asserted
They → take → America
They’ll take Hamas’ over Israel’s.
asserted
They → take → Israel
And eventually, they’ll find something to try impeaching Trump over, and quite possibly pull the trigger on another trial in the Senate — just like they did the first time around.
uncertain
they → find → Senate
Democrats will likely be enjoying mimosas on Wednesday morning.
asserted
Democrats → enjoy → morning
But they’re equally likely to give themselves a years-long hangover — by reminding Americans of who they really are.
asserted
they → ’re → Americans
The Aporia
