The last time my family shared a political watch party was when then-President Joe Biden debated Republican candidate Donald Trump in June 2024. We were filled with enthusiasm, which became muted when it was revealed how mentally decrepit Biden was. By the time it was mercifully over, we could barely speak or move.
Therefore, it was with some trepidation that we watched the 2026 midterm results at another family affair. We had learned not to trust predictions or polls, but as one improbable victory followed another, the mood lightened up. And when Texas not only went blue, but super-blue, the margaritas began to flow. I finally got to bed at 1 a.m., still in awe of the Democratic tsunami we had just witnessed.
Being the Aquarius that I am, I already began to calculate the next steps that needed to be taken for both parties; what to learn and what pitfalls to avoid.
Supposedly, Napoleon observed that one should never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake. Such a dictum sank the Republican Party, which made many, all of them fatal. They learned the hard way that gerrymandering, accepting Musk’s dirty money, scapegoating Muslims and trans kids, having ICE thugs murdering American citizens while terrorizing American cities, didn’t work. So it’s time for it to separate from Donald Trump and the MAGA cult that has hijacked their party and admit that his pathological egomania, deceit and blatant corruption no longer sit well with the American people.
Furthermore, it’s time to clean out the crazies of their party (Patel, Hesgeth, and RFK Jr.) who have not only embarrassed us but horrified the civilized world. Having Hesgeth clamor for a public execution via live television and Vivek Ramaswamy (with Trump) supporting the woman who allowed her 12-year-old daughter to be raped were acts of such unbearable indecency that even the base could not stomach them.
MAGA would be insane to repeat the Jan. 6, 2021, coup d’état. Not only has Trump declared he’d accept the election results (we shall see) but this time the mood of the country is different. Americans will not abide such treason and the party of Lincoln would be disgraced for years.
While it stands to reason that the 2026 midterms were a windfall for diversity, Democrats should note that those women, gays, people of color and Muslims were elected less for their ethnicity but because they understood the needs of the American people, more so than the tone-deaf Trump flunkies running against them. That love affair, however, can change in a hurry if the Dems don’t deliver. Never forget the many Obama voters who switched to Trump. That was not an aberration. It’s imperative that the new Democratic majority remember what it was that propelled it to such an astronomical victory, namely the issues of affordability, the high cost of living caused by the Iran war and tariffs, while feeling betrayed by Trump’s lies and corruption. With healthcare, medication and food costs reaching beyond the means of many Americans, dealing with these issues is of the utmost priority. Ignoring them will alienate the very people who turned their states from red to blue.
There will be the usual conflict between the moderates and the radicals of the left who want to tear down the entire establishment. Americans don’t want that. They want and need stability. Not surprisingly, the flashpoint will be Israel and Gaza. The Democrats need a clear message that rejects both AIPAC and those calling for Israel to cease to exist, a threat which implies the ethnic cleansing of the 7 million Jews who live there, 80% of whom are native born. American voters could care less because it’s a side issue that doesn’t affect them directly. That said, I’m all in favor of calling Israel to account for its brutal destruction of Gaza, but agree with Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed that we should refuse to sell weapons not only to Israel but to Egypt, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and others who are equally guilty of oppression. It’s time to separate our foreign policy from the military-industrial complex, no easy task.
So I hope the Democrats proceed with pragmatism, wisdom and humility. One breakdown of the election demographics was a wonderful surprise. Americans aged 18 to 29 voted 70% for the “Blue Wave.” This is a heartening development, but one that should not be taken for granted. They are the future, and we need to create one that allows them to live and breathe. If not, their desperation will forge its own path.
Daniel A. Brown lived in Franklin County for 44 years and has written a monthly My Turn column for over two decades. He lives outside of Santa Fe, New Mexico, with his wife, Lisa and dog, Cody.