Conventional wisdom tells us that, in a mid-term election, voters typically turn against the party in power if it has failed to make a compelling case for why it deserves to hold Congressional majorities.
President Biden and Vice President Harris delivered record-shattering results in their first year in office.
They grew our economy, tackled the climate crisis, created more new jobs in a single year than any prior administration, helped cut the unemployment rate to 3.9%, reduced child poverty, expanded access to affordable health care, reduced hunger, and made significant investments in climate resilience, electric vehicle chargers, expanding the power grid, infrastructure, and providing clean drinking water to all Americans.
Those results make a compelling case for voters to reward Democrats with increased margins in the House and the Senate.
Right?
Wrong?
Maybe?
Let's see.
The media would have us believe that Congress is hopelessly gridlocked and that Democrats and Republicans are equally to blame.
Despite evidence to the contrary, Republicans would have us believe that Democrats are not only unable to deliver but are determined to destroy America as we know it.
The truth is that in 2021 the House of Representatives, led by a Democratic majority, delivered for the people by passing over 200 life-changing bills supported by overwhelming numbers of Americans, including:
- Background Checks for Gun Sales
- Protecting Seniors from Emergency Scams Act
- Protecting the Right to Organize Act
- Reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act
- The Build Back Better Act
- The Equality Act
- The Freedom to Vote Act
- The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act
- The Pregnant Women Fairness Act
- The Rural Education Act
Despite widespread support, 50 Republican senators representing 41,549,808 fewer Americans than 50 Democratic Senators used the filibuster to block debates and votes on those bills.
Why?
The Republican Party's mid-term strategy to win back majorities in the House and Senate depends on blocking crucial legislation so candidates can claim that Democrats are unable to get anything done.
Between now and November 8, Republican candidates will loudly and proudly claim that Republicans will deliver, but only if voters turn "do-nothing" Democrats out of office.
The Republican Party's mid-term strategy to win by fear-mongering instead of presenting a needs-based, goal-driven agenda to address pressing issues is rooted in its biased belief that voters are too stupid to care about facts.
If fear trumps facts and Republicans manage to terrify enough folks to win in November, will GOP voters eventually LIKE or DISLIKE the following quote?
"The government you elect is the government you deserve." ~ Thomas Jefferson
Which will it be?