The day a blue tsunami swept across the national electoral map, handing Democrats control of the Senate and the House, I read a headline that truly shocked me: "The Scale Of Trump’s Failure Is Bigger Than You Think."
It came from Issues & Insights, a site run by the former editorial team at Investor's Business Daily
. It's a team many on the right consider principled, pragmatic, well-informed and reliably pro-Trump.The editorial board noted that President Donald Trump began his second term with great promise: "But then the wheels started coming off. Instead of focusing on wringing inflation out of the economy, Trump launched an erratic, unfocused, divisive trade war that opened him up to the charge – rightly so – of raising prices instead of cutting
them."
On Iran, the board, which supports the war, argued that the attacks "could have stopped with the bombing of its underground facilities." The wider campaign, it added, drove up the price of gas and food.
Trump's war of choice in Iran lit the fuse
To be sure, much of the MAGA base will defend the president to its last breath. But most Republicans I speak with agree that two tremors triggered the blue tsunami: questionable tariffs, most especially those levied against major trading partners Canada and Mexico, and the war against Iran.
They also believe much else sped it along.
There were the truly disturbing images of Hispanic moms and dads swept up in Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids, which fueled a punishing reversal of Latino support for Republicans. Democrats won 62% of Latino voters in the midterm elections, according to NBC News exit polling.
There was gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy's vile ad in Ohio featuring his opponent's estranged mother. There was a focus on ballrooms and monuments over the cost of meals.
Add poorly vetted candidates, perceptions of corruption, disgraced administration officials and broken promises.
And there was the deaf ear turned to working-class Americans, whose paychecks have been losing ground to inflation while the upper classes rode a record-setting stock market.
But most I speak with believe the brutal repudiation of the Trump-controlled Republican Party began on Feb. 28, when the first bombs fell on Iran.
It was a war of choice, one the U.S. intelligence community reportedly warned could spiral. And it was a war of choice that lit an inextinguishable fuse. It set fire to the Republican brand, put America's Persian Gulf allies and much of the Middle East at greater risk, and raised the threat of terrorism here at home.
Republicans should own it, then wait
So what is a massively rejected Republican Party to do? Four things, starting now:
First, congratulate the Democrats, and take care not to insult their voters.
Second, take accountability. Don't whine. Don't point fingers. Don't shift blame. As the party in control of the White House, the House and the Senate before Nov. 3, Republicans own this loss, including the war of choice that set it in motion. Humbly accept the will of the American people and move on.
Third, take a deep breath and don't panic.
And last, wait. Let the dust of the political explosion settle.
It was truly a crushing night for the Republican Party, but give it time. When the new Congress is sworn in come January, Democrats will have to start governing. They will hold the reins in both chambers, though Trump still holds the veto pen.
And as the Democrats' vision becomes policy, the American people will begin to hold them accountable.
While that reckoning plays out, Republicans need to stop with the personal insults and go on a national listening tour. They should listen most closely to our nation's forgotten working class, the voters desperately reaching for an increasingly elusive American dream.
More than that, Republicans need to recruit candidates who truly resonate with that constituency, which makes up a majority of the American electorate. These are citizens who are "America First" in the truest sense. They put the welfare of their children and bread-and-butter issues well before neocon-pushed wars of choice.
The political pendulum never stops swinging. Two years ago, all seemed lost for Democrats in Texas. Now, James Talarico has won a U.S. Senate seat there, and Gina Hinojosa ousted Gov. Greg Abbott to become the state's first Democratic governor since Ann Richards. Those monumental victories shocked the political world.
Let Democrats and their supporters celebrate. They earned their wins and are entitled to enjoy the moment.
As for Republicans: Congratulate your opponents. Take accountability. Draw a deep breath. Don't panic. And wait. The pendulum will swing again.
Douglas MacKinnon, a former White House and Pentagon official, is author of "The 56: Liberty Lessons From Those Who Risked All to Sign the Declaration of Independence."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: The GOP's midterm wipeout started with the first bomb on Iran | Opinion
