BLUE WAVE/BLOODBATH

By: Larry Gordon

This might be a good time to take a break—or at least tone down our addiction to the news and cable television networks that have so thoroughly misled us politically over the past year.

President Donald Trump knocked himself out, delivering more than 30 campaign rallies over the last several weeks. Hundreds of thousands of enthusiastic supporters turned out, many waiting for hours just to get inside. Those who attended undoubtedly voted Republican down the line. But the millions who weren’t there, who didn’t wait overnight for a place to stand and cheer, apparently had other ideas.

It’s a new day in America, and the political battle lines are being redrawn.

The good news, if there is any, is that the winners of this week’s shocking elections will not take office until January. That gives President Trump and the Republicans who survived Tuesday’s political bloodbath some time to assess the damage, regroup, and figure out what comes next.

Trump still has more than two years remaining in his presidency. The onus now shifts to the Democrats to demonstrate what they intend to do about the price of eggs, gasoline, groceries, and just about everything else Americans purchase to get through an ordinary day. And, of course, we will soon discover just how much they intend to raise our taxes.

Tuesday’s elections brought some deeply troubling political personalities into positions of power. The encouraging news is that, for the most part, they represent a noisy, extreme, and frequently hateful minority. They may attract enormous attention, but that doesn’t necessarily translate into the ability to govern effectively.

Fortunately, there are still good, responsible, and influential people representing this country, particularly when it comes to the United States’ relationship with Israel.

Locally, members of Congress such as Tom Suozzi and Laura Gillen remain important voices in the pro-Israel camp. In Florida, Congressman Jared Moskowitz, an outspoken and dependable advocate for Israel, won reelection.

Powerful voices such as Senators Ted Cruz and Tom Cotton remain in place. In Florida, Senator Ashley Moody won a close contest, as did Governor Byron Donalds. They are joined by Senator Rick Scott, a longtime and unwavering friend of the Jewish state.

And then there is the genius of our constitutional system. Despite the disappointments and political reversals, the president remains in office, with the power of the veto firmly intact.

Even with a projected 55 seats in the Senate, Democrats would still need a two-thirds majority to override a presidential veto, along with the same supermajority in the House. That is a formidable obstacle.

And those 55 Democratic senators might effectively be only 54 when it comes to Israel, considering Senator John Fetterman, who has emerged as one of the most outspoken and courageous pro-Israel voices in American politics.

The El-Sayeds, Mamdanis, and Pikers of the political world will undoubtedly command considerable media attention. They are the political equivalent of the old journalistic expression about a man biting a dog. Their statements are provocative, their positions often outrageous, and their ability to generate headlines seemingly unlimited.

But headlines are not accomplishments.

Consider Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, who has been in Congress for eight years. Aside from making a great deal of noise, much of it directed against Israel and its supporters, what exactly has she accomplished? From where I sit, remarkably little.

Some of these candidates may have won because of their embrace of slogans such as “Free Palestine” and “From the River to the Sea.” They may have discovered that inflammatory rhetoric can attract attention, energize certain voters, and even win elections.

But rest assured, their chanting will not bring a Palestinian state into existence, nor will it fundamentally alter the realities of the Middle East.

Sure, mistakes were made. Political campaigns are never perfect, and this one was no exception. President Trump now faces the prospect of dealing with Democrats controlling both the Senate and the House.

We have seen this movie before.

Democrats attempted to impeach Trump twice during his first presidency. Neither effort ultimately removed him from office, and neither did much to improve the political atmosphere in Washington.

For many Americans, these are difficult times. Food prices remain painfully high, gasoline is expensive, and families are struggling to make ends meet. Democrats campaigned on promises of change. Now they will have an opportunity to demonstrate whether they can actually deliver it.

I hope they succeed in bringing prices down. Every American should hope for that. But I remain skeptical.

And before we know it, the 2028 presidential campaign will be underway. By next summer, the political maneuvering will begin in earnest, with ambitious Democrats and Republicans positioning themselves for the ultimate prize: the White House, where the real executive power resides.

In the meantime, Israel continues to have important friends in Congress and, perhaps more significantly, one of its greatest friends ever occupying the Oval Office.

The incoming Democratic Congress appears determined to launch investigations, conduct hearings, and exercise oversight ad nauseam.

Of course, Republicans spent much of the last two years doing essentially the same thing, investigating Joe Biden, Hunter Biden, and various members of the Biden family.

And what did all those hearings and investigations ultimately accomplish?

Not much.

We also lost some excellent political personalities this week, including Mike Lawler in New York and Jeff Van Drew in New Jersey. Their departures are disappointing, particularly because they have been dependable voices on issues important to our community.

But two years is not a very long time in American politics. The next congressional elections will arrive before we know it, and there is every reason to believe that some of those seats can return to Republican hands.

For now, the anti-Israel socialist wing of the Democratic Party has a louder voice than usual. Its representatives will enjoy their moment in the spotlight, delivering sensational pronouncements, denouncing Israel, and competing to see who can attract the most attention.

But there is a limit to how much outrage the American public can absorb.

After a day or two of headlines, the same inflammatory declarations become repetitive, tiresome, and ultimately counterproductive. What initially shocks people eventually becomes background noise.

The American people are interested in more than slogans and political theater. They want safe streets, affordable groceries, reasonable taxes, good schools, and a government that functions.

Those are the real tests of political leadership.

It’s a new day in America, with new challenges, new political realities, and perhaps some unexpected opportunities.

Some will argue that this is precisely how the American system is supposed to work. Elections produce winners and losers. Power changes hands. Voters express their dissatisfaction, and elected officials are forced to listen—or eventually face the consequences.

Perhaps that is what truly makes America great.

But that observation might sound a little too close to MAGA for comfort.

And after Tuesday’s political bloodbath, we may have to confront an even more unsettling possibility.

Perhaps this is the day the post-MAGA era begins.

Then again, Donald Trump has spent the better part of a decade proving that political obituaries written about him tend to be premature.

It would be a mistake to start writing another one just yet.