By Carl WeinschenkIt is possible to argue that the midterm elections coming up in soon – 97 days as of this writing – are among the most important in the history of the United States. Indeed, they are conceivably the most important elections we’ve had since the days of Roosevelt or even Lincoln. We are deciding who we are as a people.
That sounds odd. For one thing, the president is not even on the ticket. It’s also strange because at the end of the day very few seats in the House of Representatives and the Senate will shift. It will take only a net gain by the Democrats of five seats in the House and four in the Senate to take control. That’s nine seats in 468 elections.
The New Folks Running the Show
So why is the election so important? Why is our future at stake?
The reason is that the president and some of the people working with him are involved in a project. That project is to change the definition of what America is.
Many of these folks–including the president–see the change in what America is as a byproduct of their primary goal, which almost certainly is making untold amounts of money. The idea is to bake changes to how we are taxed deeply into the foundation of our laws and regulations.
I don’t know the etymology of the word oligarch. But what that term has come to mean in relation to Russia holds the key to what it means in the context of our future. After the breakup of the Soviet Union, a small class of entitled people with more rights and more money–far more money–than others emerged. The gap between them and the rest of the population is vast. The same thing could happen here.
Beyond the folks chasing the money are folks whose interest is political/philosophical. They want to strip out any vestige of what they call the “welfare state.” The problem is doing so will hurt the health, living conditions and overall well-being of millions upon millions of people. They don’t care.
Ditto our social institutions. Things with which we grew up, such as the separation of church and state, the United States not having an official religion, the equality of the races and sexes and others will be up for debate will be on the table. It’s difficult to process the changes both because of how radically things will change and that they deal with things that we always assumed to be our birthright.
In short, the changes we are facing are huge.
For the most part, the people Trump appointed during his first term didn’t hold these views. They were conservatives, but not interested in undermining the pillars of our nation.
This is not the case during this administration. All bets are off. The radical nature of what is happening is exacerbated by the president’s legal situation. Trump is far more vulnerable as a private citizen than he is as president. He wants to either stay in office past January 20, 2027 or hand off power to a toady who will pardon him. He has a sense of urgency regarding the midterms because his personal prospects are better if the Republicans are in charge until the next presidential election.
Why are the Midterm Elections Important?
That brings us to the midterms. The entire House and a third of the 100 senators are elected. It is the last best chance of turning the tide.
Trump and many of those working with him (or in the case of Elon Musk worked with him in the past) are evil. That doesn’t mean they aren’t smart. If they are allowed two more years of unfettered control it may be impossible to reclaim the nation our forefathers envisioned.
If the Democrats win the House of Representatives the decay can be slowed. If they also win the Senate the healing truly can begin. (There is virtually no chance that the Democrats lose the House and win the Senate.)
The key, and “ask” at this site, as always, is for you to get out and vote despite any reluctance.
Helpful links include an election Q&A, 10 reasons voting is important, links to Spanish language information and state-by-state voting information.