The beginning of midterm primary season is still one year out, and that leaves a lot of time for President Donald Trump or his congressional allies to make a major blunder. More importantly, it means Democrats in the Swamp hoping to regain control of one or both chambers have breathing room to pray for an electoral gift – like the one the Supreme Court handed them in 2022. The Dobbs ruling, which effectively overturned Roe v. Wade, granted Joe Biden’s party a unique opportunity to fend off the anticipated red wave. Now, it seems a return to that same abortion “outrage” is being battle-tested on an unwitting public ahead of the coming elections.
Democrats Trying to See What Sticks
As Liberty Nation News Editor-at-Large James Fite noted, the 119th Congress hasn’t passed that many bills in its first six months, but the legislation that has been completed is significant. He wrote, “President Trump can retire from politics in a few years knowing he pulled off a legislative agenda the likes of which many presidents never achieved.” The largest of these achievements by far is the Big Beautiful Bill, and it is here that congressional Democratic leaders are – currently – focusing their efforts.
“People are going to die” has become the refrain regarding cuts to Medicaid. “It’s a death sentence,” said Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont (although an independent, he frequently caucuses with Democrats). Much of the chagrin, however, boils down to paperwork hurdles, while Republicans defend the bill as an effort to cut waste and fraud.
It’s a popular topic for Democrats hoping to flip at least one chamber. But it lacks the immediacy of overturning Roe. In fact, the cuts are phased in over time and leave ample opportunity for states to pick up any slack. An unspecified number of people possibly, maybe, dying at some point in the next ten years if they can’t get their paperwork right is not a compelling message. So if this lacks the urgency, what other policies could gain the midterm spotlight?
Other Potential Levers
When Trump returned to the White House, he hit the ground running in terms of illegal alien arrests and deportations. While the vast majority of Americans support the removal of non-citizens who commit violent crimes, the national mood is a lot more divided.
The media and elected politicians have attempted to sculpt this issue into individual stories. Who can forget the tearful family of the “Maryland Man,” who was deported and then returned to face charges of human trafficking? By putting a human face on each person arrested or removed, Democrats are hoping that a heartstrings narrative will come to dominate. But it’s a difficult story to sell.
Certainly, illegal immigrants who are otherwise law-abiding will be removed, but so will those who commit heinous crimes seemingly with impunity. And with illegal border crossings stopped almost entirely (at least compared to the Biden era), it’s tough to sell the idea that America goes back to the free-for-all that was formerly US policy.
And, of course, there’s the Jeffrey Epstein saga, which looks as if it will never end.
And if All Else Fails …
Should these policy protests fail to gain traction, it seems the party is willing to fall back on an old favorite: Orange Man Bad. And it appears that at least a few senators are ready to ride that wave.
Cory Booker of New Jersey – once again – got heated and overly emotional, calling out his fellow Democrats for not providing enough obstruction against the current administration. On the topic of police grants, he railed:
“What are the very people here elected to defend the Constitution of the United States saying? ‘Oh, well, today, let’s look the other way and pass some resources that won’t go to Connecticut, that won’t go to Illinois, that won’t go to New York, that will go to the states that [Trump] likes.’
“That is complicity with a totalitarian leader … It is time for us to fight and draw the lines.”
The overturning of Roe v. Wade was a lightning rod for donations, activists, and energy on an issue that was almost completely owned by the Democrats. They rode the coverage to fend off what was predicted to be a “red tsunami” and ended up just losing the House but winning a Senate seat. The minority party is hoping to make gains sufficient to show that America has rejected Donald Trump and MAGA, and the only real way to reflect that is if they can flip one or both chambers.
But without a unifying and animating cause behind them, it will be a heavy slog for congressional Democrats.
Dig Deeper Into the Themes Discussed in This Article!
Liberty Vault: Roe v. Wade
