Less than three months out from the midterms, Republican chances of taking back both chambers of Congress are growing increasingly dimmer and dimmer by the day. While Republicans will still likely take back the House of Representatives, with significantly less seats than originally expected, taking control of the Senate is looking very unlikely at this point.
What happened?
Did Joe Biden suddenly get a grasp on record high inflation? Did the President finally put an end to the influx of illegal migrants crossing the border?
We all know the answer is a resounding no, but what did happen is Republicans stopped legislating. It is very easy to do what the Democrats did under all four years of Trump, blame and filibuster, unfortunately, that is what Republicans have become.
In a glaring example of waning enthusiasm for Republicans, a special election in Minnesota should be a flashing red light for Republicans to rethink their strategy over the next few months. In a district that Trump held by 10 points, State Representative Brad Finstad beat his Democrat opponent by a mere 5 points and now becomes the member of Congress for Minnesota’s 1stCongressional District through the end of this term. In a year of a so-called red wave, numbers like these should be more than double what actually occurred.
So, what do Republicans have to do?
Getting any legislation passed at this point is extremely unlikely due to the power structure currently in Washington. However, instead of continuing to bash the Biden administration over their many mishaps, Republicans must put forth a forward-looking agenda of what a return to power would look like.
How will they curb record-high inflation? How will they stop the illegal drug and migrant flow at our southern border? How will they deal with issues overseas including China and Russia just to name a few?
The times of just getting by on the failures of their peers are no more. The American people are practical and smart and know political speak from real action.
Now is the time the Republican party can proclaim itself as the party of a future to believe in as opposed to one that dwells on the past.
We are at a time where if the right Republicans are elected, staying power, which is ordinarily a misnomer in the political world, is achievable. Enough of the looking back to the 2020 election, the 2022 and 2024 elections are right in front of us, and if Republicans don’t seize the moment, the Biden-Schumer-Pelosi regime will live on.