We can now happily say that the 2018 general election is behind us, and the blizzard of TV ads, debates, mailings and other annoyances has now come to an official end. For a very short time we may get some peace and quiet, but that will soon be ended by the next round of second-guessing and speculation about the future of the two-party system and who the next leaders will be.
For now, I prefer to look back at the just-concluded election and try to figure out what trends have emerged and what changes we should hope and pray for. Let’s start with the national Republican Party. Once upon a time, the party of Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, Eisenhower, Reagan and the Bushes actually stood for something, even if you didn’t always agree with it. They were free traders, people who occasionally worked with those across the political aisle, and they worshipped every word of the Constitution.
The leaders of this year’s Republican Party no longer have an agenda that reflects the dreams and aspirations of their supporters. They have become beholden to Donald Trump, who is not a Republican and who has found dozens of ways to rob the party of its historical identity. Senate Leader Mitch McConnell and retiring House Speaker Paul Ryan became lap dogs to the president, each afraid of insulting or challenging him when it counted.
With the death of Sen. John McCain, the party has lost the one person who remembered what it stood for over the past century. The retirements of Senators Jeff Flake and Bob Corker will be another blow to the Grand Old Party. Whatever is left of it after this historic election will have to decide whether it will continue to pander to the president or instead try to regain some of its past luster by becoming a lot more independent. Party stalwarts shouldn’t hold their breath waiting for this change.
The Democratic Party, which entered this election year splintered into numerous factions, faces a dilemma of its own. If it swings too far to the left, it will wreck its chances against Trump should he seek another term. The Democrats in the new Congress will have to find their way to the center of the political spectrum or face the prospect of a disastrous defeat in 2020. It may not be easy, but nothing in politics is.