After Tuesday’s elections, many pollsters cited two major reasons for the GOP’s dismal performance: Trump wasn’t on the ballot and the government shutdown.
However, Trump was on the ballot. His poor job performance ratings hung like an albatross around GOP candidates’ necks. This was mostly due to Trump’s failure on promised lower prices and increased unemployment. The ongoing actions of ICE likely also cost the GOP votes, especially among some minorities.
Trump deservedly got blamed for the government shutdown too. Normally, a congressional impasse would have been resolved through negotiation, but Trump thought he could have it his way. He ordered House Speaker Johnson and Senate Majority Leader Thune to hold the line hoping either the Democrats would cave, or he could convince Thune into promoting the elimination of the Senate’s filibuster rule. This has yet to be resolved.
American voters understood all this. They realized that by supporting GOP candidates, they would just be helping support Trump’s negative regime, so they voted Democrat.
Now the question becomes, can Trump find a way to redeem himself, or will his actions continue to leave him in the doghouse resulting in even more losses for the GOP in next year’s midterm elections?
Sherman Schapiro, Eureka
This article appears in Green-and-Gold Washing on the Menu?.