MIAMI – If Republicans couldn’t rating their “crimson wave” victories predicted by many pundits – and even some Democrats – in these midterm elections, what’s subsequent for them? All the problems had been on their facet – inflation, excessive gasoline and meals costs, an open border, underperforming faculties. In the event that they couldn’t win with this gale wind at their backs, on what points can they prevail?
Voters in Pennsylvania elected John Fetterman, a hard-core leftist who believes, in the course of against the law wave, that numerous violent criminals needs to be launched from jail, or not be incarcerated in any respect. They apparently didn’t care about his incapacity to talk clearly as a result of a stroke.
One brilliant spot for Republicans got here in Florida. Gov. Ron DeSantis and Sen. Marco Rubio had spectacular nights. Each beat their opponents by practically 20 factors. DeSantis seemingly boosted his presidential prospects for 2024, regardless of what former President Donald Trump decides (Trump is prone to announce subsequent week that he’s operating once more).
Credit score for such highly effective victories goes primarily to the huge migration of voters from different states to Florida, and its exploding Hispanic communities. Democrats had erroneously hoped that Hispanics would possibly vote for his or her candidates. It was the alternative. Miami-Dade and Palm Seaside counties, which had been reliably Democratic for many years, flipped. DeSantis is the primary Republican to win Miami-Dade in 20 years.
In his victory speech Tuesday night time, DeSantis electrified the gang at his headquarters when he declared “Florida is the place the woke agenda goes to die.” He blamed that agenda for individuals leaving liberal states and coming to what he referred to as “the promised land.”
He mentioned he stored his guarantees to voters when it got here to COVID-19 and reopening faculties and companies. “Freedom’s right here to remain,” he shouted to wild applause.
It might have been a speech launching a presidential marketing campaign, which is prone to come later, relying on whether or not Trump’s authorized troubles have an effect on his presidential prospects. DeSantis slammed “failed management in Washington.”
Florida additionally demonstrated run an election. Florida has a “discover my poll” app that enables voters to trace their ballots, like one can observe a letter or package deal, or a checked bag on an airline. The software program tells voters when their poll arrives on the counting station, when it’s opened and when it’s counted. This course of enormously enhances election integrity and religion that the end result is professional, defending towards conspiracy theories. Florida needs to be the mannequin for the nation. They’ve come a great distance from “hanging chads” within the 2000 presidential election.
When all votes are counted and if Republicans win a slim Home majority (whether or not they win the Senate or not), they’ll nonetheless thwart a lot of the Biden administration’s agenda. Will Democrats observe towards the center and embrace moderation, as a substitute of wokeness? Will the left permit them?
The media, which is all the time there to help Democrats in defeat and cheer them in victory, is unlikely to vary. Failure to lock up violent criminals can also be prone to proceed. That’s as a result of politicians whose insurance policies have contributed to crime – similar to profitable Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York – are unlikely to do a lot to include it since she is in denial about the issue.
People who find themselves completely happy or respiration simpler due to the end result of this election now personal its penalties. Inflation, excessive gasoline and meals costs, and an open border are prone to proceed. Republicans have numerous work to do to vary voter attitudes. Possibly one other two years of struggling will do it, assuming the nation survives.
Readers could e-mail Cal Thomas at tcaeditors@tribpub.com. Search for Cal Thomas’ newest ebook “America’s Expiration Date: The Fall of Empires and Superpowers and the Way forward for america” (HarperCollins/Zondervan).
