It’s the insanity, stupid

Beginning this month, the GOP will control the White House and both chambers of Congress, the result of Donald Trump’s stunning November victory (and formidable coattails). Shell-shocked Democrats vowed serious soul-searching. What could explain voters choosing a felon and a hillbilly over Vice President Kamala Harris?

That question had The View’s Sunny Hostin practically spitting teeth on-air as she asked House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, “How did a convicted felon resonate more with Americans than a hyper-qualified woman of color? Do you think that racism and misogyny played any part in this election?”

Jeffries replied, “The economy was the dominant thing for a lot of folks.” He went on to note that voters moved toward Trump across all demographics, including women and people of color. (Which kind of torpedoes the racism/misogyny canard.)

But the economy may not have been the pinnacle of Dems’ troubles. They will also have to win back formerly committed liberals—like the massage therapist who’s part of my dystonia treatment. “Brett” is a 40-something Democrat who quietly marked his ballot for Trump in November. Brett was never a centrist: In the 2016 primary, he voted for the socialist Bernie Sanders because he liked Sanders’ economic plan. Since then, though, he felt his own party had gone “insane.” His word, not mine.

I asked Brett to rank the two factors, the economy or the insanity, to explain his Trump vote. He didn’t hesitate. Insanity was No. 1: It was the gender-bending, pronoun-­proliferating, fossil-fuel banning, anti-white, anti-male, faith-bashing, sieve-border insanity. It’s also why he and his wife now homeschool their kids: to keep them away from government indoctrination bots.

All this got me wondering: What course corrections will we see Democrats make to win back the Bretts of the world in the 2026 midterms?

It may seem premature to be thinking about midterms. But I am reminded of the 2004 presidential election, when George W. Bush and the Republicans also pulled off a hat-trick, holding onto the Oval Office and building on their majorities in the House and Senate. Analysts said “values voters” had put the GOP over the top that Nov. 2. And lo, barely a week had passed when then-Sen. Hillary Clinton began salting her speeches with references to God and Scripture. Other Democrats ramped up religion-speak, too.

Next, Dems shone a spotlight on their Blue Dog Coalition. The Blue Dogs, a more centrist caucus, had been around since 1995, founded in response to losses in 1994. In 2006, in a feint to the center, the Democratic National Committee gave them starring roles in the midterms. The gamble paid off: Blue Dogs picked up nine House seats amid the 31 Democrats gained overall. Along with six Senate pickups, Democrats swept back into power in Congress. The Blue Dogs’ glory days lasted only four years, though. They’d served their purpose.

Now, with seriously liberal voters like Brett marking their ballots for Republicans, I would not be surprised to see the DNC making nice with the Blue Dogs again. I also expect to see the left trotting out media surrogates to opine on a newer, bigger tent. One that has room for traditional values, maybe even Biblical Christianity, which many elected Democrats have publicly shamed over the last four years.

Finally, I suspect Democratic officialdom will trot out fewer Sam Brintons wearing mustaches and tea-length gowns, and fewer histrionic Squadettes. Instead, they’ll send centrists a-courtin’ in Rust Belt states to win back blue-collar workers who declined the insanity agenda in 2024.

After all, what else is left for Dems to do? The all-out, 24/7 media jihad against Trump failed. Lawfare in jurisdictions from New York to D.C. to Georgia failed. All the scary op-eds failed: democracy’s imminent collapse, Trump-as-dictator, fear-mongering on abortion. It’s as if Harry Truman dropped America’s only two nuclear weapons and still lost World War II.

When Trump is inaugurated on Jan. 20, Democrats will inaugurate their strategy to retake power in 2026. Will their purported soul-searching produce a real course correction, or will they just hide the crazies in the attic long enough to win?

A quick P.S.: For health reasons, I will be changing roles at WNG (see WORLD Notes, in this issue) and am excited to hand this magazine into the care of Les Sillars, who I know will take us higher and farther than ever before. Meanwhile, I’ll see you back on this page each month!