The world has not ended, but it did take a hit.
Like millions, I was shocked my adopted home state of Texas elected a child to the Senate. I think Bill Maher put it very well, “For Republicans, losing Texas was like finding out your girlfriend is dating a lesbian. You knew she was unhappy, but you didn’t think she’d go that far.” Listening to Ted Cruz’s podcast the next day, he said something that was a rhetorical slap in the face. “I will soon be the only Republican state office holder left in Texas.”
The soon to be senior senator from Texas seemed to be a hit shocked himself, with good reasons. But has the world ended? I would say no. A few things to keep in mind.
1. On Wednesday morning, the sun rose, and a new day began. That’s a good start.
2. Two, the meltdown in Texas was not complete, by dumb luck. The senate elections are spread over three cycles, so the GOP still holds the upper house, but there is an issue there. The lieutenant governor will soon be a democrat, and for those of you who don’t know, she handles law making in the chamber. The lieutenant governor decides which bills make it to the floor. It is not a position where you just check the health of the governor and attend conferences/funerals. So we still have a little power left.
3. Some things are more constant as the Northern Star. You win elections with two things, peace and prosperity. Remember James Carvil, “It’s the economy stupid.” Recall the last presidential landslide in 1984. Ronald Reagan won 49 states and over 59% of the vote with peace and prosperity, and promise of more.
Do we have peace? Relatively, yes. The Iranian actions are not as significate as Iraq, Afghanistan or Vietnam. But they give the impression we are not at peace, and they are tied to something that limits prosperity. High fuel prices.
Gasoline is higher now, but not as high as under Joe Biden. But people feel that. And they fell the high cost of other items in the store which are shipped on trucks that run on diesel. Transportation cost much more at six dollars plus than three bucks a gallon.
I had a discussion with a family member and I explained how, in spite of the fact we are producing so much oil, fuel cost are now high. As I explained in a previous post, energy, like all business, needs something. Stability. Right now the flow out of the Strait of Hormuz is questionable as the Iranians are continuing to impede traffic. Once the threat to shipping is over, oil will flow consistently and prices will drop.
We are still better off than four years ago. In 2022, a barrel of oil was $123.00 (about $143.00 today). Last week West Texas Crude was $90.40 (around $103.00 four years ago).
4. Two years after Richard Nixon won reelection with a 49-state landslide, the Republicans lost 48 Representatives and 5 senators in another red meltdown. The 94th Congress had 291 Democrats in the House, with 144 Republicans. The Senate was 62/38 Democrat. Yes, the Democrats held a 2-1 majority in the House, almost that in the Senate. It was after this then California Governor Ronald Reagan made a statement very appropriate for now:
The meaning of the last election will not be found among those who voted. It will be found among those stayed home-the biggest non-voter bloc in our nation’s history. And why did they stay home? Well, because they said they couldn’t see any difference between the two parties…You have to give them a compelling reason to vote for you. Stand for something. Be bold, unapologetically conservative, offer a clear contrast and more importantly, deliver on the promises you campaigned on…
Can we say we’ve delivered on the promises we campaigned on? Yes and no. First and foremost, the border is secured and we are deporting millions of illegal, but some glaring issues remain. The Epstein Files, why have they not been released fully? I know come next year the Congress will do nothing to change that but why give your enemy a club to hit you with.
Forever wars. I would not call the Iranian actions a “forever war,” but Americans were given the impression this would be a quick strike and done. Going from a negotiated completion to regime overthrow and back is confusing. Make the points you want to and explain them to the American people so they can understand them.
If we want a good example, Florida. Governor DeSantis and other GOP officials ran on certain issues and won. Florida’s governor is coming in promising to continue on DeSantis’ great record. GOP, get it. Explain what you want to do and do it. Works every time and Florida is still red.
5. Unlike the Democrats, the Republicans have a serious party discipline issue. After they were defeated in the primary, John Cornyn (R-TX) and Bill Cassidy (R-LA) were not helping. Cornyn joined former President George W Bush and Karl Rove in fund raisers in the Lone Star State. For candidates outside Texas. Think Ken Paxton could have used financial support? But both Cassidy and Cornyn are very sore losers and would do nothing to assist the GOP candidates (thankfully Julia Letlow won in Louisiana, no thanks to her predecessor). As I’ve covered in previous postings, the GOP wasted millions getting into state nominating campaigns, when they should concentrate on getting our nominees elected in the general. An issue for the very near future.
6. Texas’s incoming senator said something very stupid. I know, shocking. James “Six-Genders” Talarico said on Fox News, “I will work with the Trump administration on border security.” Not as much a lie as when he claimed to have “called out the Biden administration on the border,” but still funny. Jimmy, let me explain something. You are one of several new senators. The soon to be majority leader, Chuck Schumer, will explain to what you know, what you think, what you say, where you sit, when you eat, what you eat, and when and where you use the bathroom (hint, it’s the boys room, not the girls room). You are no one, you “work” with no one, don’t go rougue. Otherwise you will have a very short and miserable six years. Capiche?
7. Finally, the party that promised “affordability” as soon as they got into office…well, let’s just say a leopard doesn’t change its spots. Robert Garcia, the incoming chairperson of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, issued a statement late Tuesday evening, “vowing to take on the Trump Crime Family, corporate corruption, DHS and ICE abuses, and the cover-up of the Epstein files. Lawyer up.” A Texas Democrat announced on Facebook, “Texas Democrats have a once in a generation chance to finally end the absurd Texas property tax exemption (ag-exemption). It would be political malpractice to ignore this change to finally fix (i.e., jack up) public school funding.”
Not to be outdone, Fauxahauntus Warren is proposing “solutions” to Social Security’s pending collapse. They won’t “raise” payroll taxes, just “remove the taxable maximum so that Social Security payroll taxes apply to all income. Their argument is that doing so would extend Social Security’s solvency and reduce the risk of future benefit cuts.” Spoiler alert, it won’t. You give a politician a dollar for a specified purpose, they will spend at least five for other items and demand you pay more.
In summary, the world has not ended, at least for the time being. The people in general and the GOP need to start getting ready for 2028. The presidential campaigns are in full force now (Ron Desantus, J.D. Vance), but the Republicans need to start recruiting candidates to challenge Democrats nationwide. Democrats are constantly working, we are already behind the curve. Get moving
Michael A. Thiac is a retired Army intelligence officer, with over 23 years experience, including serving in the Republic of Korea, Japan, and the Middle East. He is also a retired police patrol sergeant, with over 22 years’ service, and over ten year’s experience in field training of newly assigned officers. He has been published at The American Thinker, PoliceOne.com, and on his personal blog, A Cop’s Watch.
Opinions expressed are his alone and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of current or former employers.
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