The midterm election of 2026 is shaping up to be very similar to the presidential election of 1980. Twenty-six years ago, Jimmy Carter asked for the chance to lead an America whose best years were behind her. He offered us managed decline. His opponent, Ronald Reagan, asked to lead an America whose best years were ahead of her – he offered us the rebirth of exceptionalism. We chose exceptionalism over decay.
In this third decade of the 21st century, the takeover of the Democrat party by the Democratic Socialists of America is giving us another clear choice. We will cast our ballot knowing that we are choosing either the messiness of individual liberty, or the servitude of collectivism. As Dennis Prager famously says, “Clarity is more important than agreement.” When deciding matters of such gravity as we face this year, I consider clarity a true blessing.
This year is giving us a level of clarity the American people haven’t had since The Gipper last ran for office. Since the Reagan revolution, establishment politicians – both center-left and center-right – have offered us the choice of big government, or really big government. We were offered the choice of the party which created Obamacare, or the party which preserved it (Thanks Maverick, that’s your legacy.). The only difference between the parties was their sales pitch. The Democrats promised to solve every problem with a government solution, and the Republicans said they could do it better. Neither questioned the implication of government control over every aspect of our lives.
That choice left us on a four-plus-decade march away from individual liberty – sometimes faster, sometimes slower, but always away from what makes America exceptional. We’ve lost government accountability – hindering our self-governance. Government regulation has exploded – hindering our ability to manage our own affairs. Government spending has spiraled out of control – hindering our ability to achieve prosperity.
We became sick of entering the voting booth, and being offered the choice of bad or worse.
That’s why Donald Trump has such a rabidly loyal following. He gives us a choice we haven’t had in generations. Trump is the first President since Reagan, to recognize the true nature of government. Like fire, it’s only useful while contained – and highly destructive otherwise. The Fauci diaries and the recently declassified evidence of election fraud have proven that we’ve lost containment.
When Donald Trump said that America didn’t have to go the way of Canada and Europe, that it could be great again, we embraced his vision. But of course, there are those who believe that government is the solution to all problems. Hence, a counter-movement to MAGA was inevitable.
The Democrat party has become the anti-liberty party – placing collectivism over individual freedom. Senator Bernie Sanders opened the door for socialism. Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez and “The Squad” normalized the insurrection. Now the Piker/Mamdani socialists are drawing the battle lines.
According to Megan Romer, Co-Chair of the Democratic Socialists of America, the DSA’s mission is to:
- Eliminate the Senate – eliminating legislative resistance.
- Eliminate the Supreme Court – the last line of defense for the Constitution.
- Place all executive and judicial functions under the control of
a single politburoCongress – eliminating all checks and balances. - Legalize all border crossers – replacing the voters with those having no allegiance to America.
- Free the criminals – apparently to make room for the dissidents.
- Privatize essential industries – seizing the means of production.
Pundits argue that the ascendance of the DSA has created an internal civil war in the DNC. That may be true on a personal level for some politicians. But organizationally, the DSA and the DNC are in complete alignment – with the DNC promising to lay the foundation upon which the DSA can build its communist utopia. The current Democrat party leadership has promised to:
- Pack the courts – so the Constitution may be “interpreted” into irrelevancy.
- Add blue states – to permanently shift the balance of power.
- End the filibuster – to nationalize elections, seize firearms, and politicize law enforcement.
- Eliminate border enforcement – to replace individualist voters with collectivist voters.
The DNC’s platform is a blueprint for one-party rule – just as the DSA is demanding.
The election pitch is no longer about how to create a better America. Now it’s a debate about whether to keep America, or end it. That’s a level of clarity we haven’t had for generations.
Pundits talk about political polarization as if it’s a bad thing. When it comes to the choice we’re facing, I don’t see it that way. In the pre-polarization days – before TDS became a diagnosable condition – elections had become a formality, not self-governance. Casting a vote every two years was mere ceremony, not a decision.
In November of this year, we each have an opportunity to vote with absolute clarity about the choice we face. We will choose liberty, or we will choose slavery. With no deception, we will deserve whatever we decide. That’s a bitter lesson which New Yorker’s are currently learning.
[Image generated by ChatGPT]
Author Bio: John Green is a political refugee from Minnesota, now on strike in Galt’s Gulch – which the locals call Idaho. He is a retired engineer who spent much of his career applying engineering principles to organizational development (yes, really). He has written for The American Spectator, Convention of States Action, and American Free News Network. He can be reached at greenjeg@gmail.com.
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