If the Republicans Lose the Midterms, Who's Really to Blame?

I agree with Speaker Mike Johnson to a point: if the Republicans lose the midterms, it really could mark the end of the Trump presidency. But he's wrong about the why.

A president's agenda only becomes durable when Congress codifies it. Executive orders are a great tool. But they can be wiped out with the stroke of a pen.

Remember day one of the Biden administration? Anyone?

Johnson's latest remark on the midterms suggests Republicans might lose because of Trump's recent State of the Union remarks about potentially cutting federal Medicaid funding in Minnesota over fraud concerns. And sure, that may influence some voters. But it's not the real issue.

The real problem is that Republican voters are frustrated. They feel like the party has been sitting still since Trump was elected. What major legislation has been passed? How much has Congress actually done to advance the president's agenda? Did they codify the DOGE findings?

No.

What did they do to eliminate the filibuster—something they could have done during the prolonged government shutdown? Something they should have done, given that Democrats have made it abundantly clear they have zero interest in helping Trump move anything forward. Compromise of any sort is out the window, even if it something actually makes sense.

Sure. The filibuster does have its purpose. Even I can agree with that. It encourages debate and compromise. In a rational political climate, it even makes sense. It's a way to balance power and give both sides a voice on bills.

But we're not in that climate. Democrats are angry, defiant, and convinced Trump is an existential threat. They're not budging on anything, even if it's reasonable. They couldn't even stand in support of putting American's safety in front of the safety of illegal immigrants, for Heaven's sake.

Ending the filibuster would have allowed the Republicans to pass the SAVE Act and other key parts of Trump's agenda.

What Johnson—and frankly much of the GOP leadership—seems to miss is that voters elected Trump for a reason. Despite what the media suggests, and what Democrats want to deny, it was a mandate. Yet Republicans in Congress have often acted just as resistant to Trump's agenda as Democrats. That's a problem, because Republican voters don't show up just to keep a party in power. They want results. And when they don't see results, they hold their own side accountable.

So, if Republicans lose the midterms, it won't be because of anything Trump said. It will be because Congress refused to act.

Johnson is right about one thing: if Democrats win in November, they've already told us what's coming—two years of investigations and potential impeachment hearings, their own end to the filibuster, endless legislation designed to box in the president, and total gridlock. It would turn this administration into one of the most powerless lame-duck presidencies in modern history. Any hope of advancing Trump's agenda at all would evaporate.

That's why Johnson's comments concern me. They suggest he doesn't understand why Republicans are actually at risk. If you don't know why you're losing, you can't possibly strategize how to win.

It's not too late. The SAVE Act is already in the Senate. It just needs to be brought to a vote. Yes, getting 60 votes under the current filibuster rule is unlikely. Even reverting to a talking filibuster might not be enough. But at least voters would see Republicans trying—showing urgency, showing fight, showing they understand the stakes.

If the Republicans lose the midterms, it won't be because of Trump. Forget what the polls say. Americans want Trump's agenda. That was made clear when he was elected, because his agenda is exactly what he campaigned on that got him elected. If the Republicans lose it will be because they refused to hear the voters who elected them to do the work to codify the mandate.

Voters gave Republicans their trust in 2024. They expected action. They expected progress. They expected the mandate to be honored. If Republicans squandered that, and they mostly have, they shouldn't expect voters to hand them another chance.

Republicans only win when they act. They don't get the free passes Democrats do. They have to listen to their voters. They have to do the work. And they have to earn every vote.

So, to Speaker Johnson and Leader Thune, the question is simple:

What are you going to do to win the midterms? We, the voters, are ready to do our part. When will you do yours?

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© 2026 Jim Bauer

How About American Interests Over Political Games for Once?

Sometimes my critiques of Democrats leave readers guessing—am I rooting for them or scolding them from a place of support? Neither. My goal is to highlight where they are going wrong, why their ideas miss the mark with the masses, and just how far off the rails their positions have become. 

Let's face it. Liberal ideology has gone off the deep end, and it's only getting stranger. Just when you think it can't, they hit you with a "hold my beer" moment. And oh, there's always more.

For me, the growing political divide today is unsettling. While clashes and disagreements have always been part of the process, we've reached a point of absolute "no compromise," and that's deeply concerning. How can we ever hope to find common ground and make progress?

Consider the Democrats' dramatic shift on border security and protectionism when Trump ran for president—positions they once championed but abandoned as soon as Trump adopted them. You'd think they could have stayed consistent on these issues, but instead they flipped entirely. Sure, many Republicans have also shifted their stance on these things, being more open to cheaper labor and free trade and globalization, but let's not forget that many Democrat voters crossed over to support Trump, likely because of these very issues.

If you've been with me for a while—and many of you have—you know where I stand. I've always supported secure borders and protectionism, even when it meant challenging my own party. To me, these are just common sense. We need strong borders, we need to protect American jobs, and we must ensure we can produce what we need for our safety and national security. I've been crystal clear on that.

This brings me back to the troubling divide we face. On secure borders and protecting American jobs, you'd think we'd finally found common ground—even unions are backing Trump's push to make more things here in the U.S. Yet, here we are, stuck in disagreement. Democrats, who rallied for these causes for decades, suddenly want no part of these issues, and we're back to square one, bickering endlessly and stalling progress.

I'm not rooting for Democrats to win. Not hardly. I disagree with over 75% of their positions. They often seem irrational, failing to think through the consequences of their actions. When they blindly push through their agenda, bad outcomes follow—that's just reality. We've seen it firsthand and lived through the fallout of their poor decision making.

I simply want a more democratic approach. When we finally agree on something, it's a rare chance to come together, hash out the details, and even celebrate the moment.

I don't believe Republicans have all the right ideas, just as I don't think Democrats have all the wrong ones. What truly serves the American people is compromise—solutions that benefit us all, not just political outcomes.

My criticism of Democrats isn't about elections or wanting them to win at the polls. It's about urging them to listen to the American people—to the majority voice that truly matters. Being misaligned on every issue feels deliberate, and if that's the case, it undermines American interests and serves no real purpose.

I'm highlighting just how disconnected Democrats are now from The People—a disconnect that hurts us and shifts the focus away from what truly matters. Hopefully, I've managed to clear the air on that. We can never expect to agree on everything. But we should be able to at least sometimes agree on something.

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© 2025 Jim Bauer

The Democrats Are Poised to Lose More Than Just an Election

I swear they (the democrats and the media) have become more unhinged than ever before. And it makes it all too clear they know they are losing. It's not even really a question anymore. They simply know it and it is driving them literally insane.

Because they've tried everything, and nothing has worked. It's all falling apart, and they can't stop it. Not this time.

Yeah, I know. I'm one of those who seriously calls the legitimacy of the 2020 election into question. Either way, does it really matter now if they did or didn't? I mean, it's a dangerous thing if they did and could succeed in doing it again. But that's the thing. They can't do it again with the numbers so stacked against them.

So, it doesn't really matter anymore. The American people have the power to right the ship, and they are steering it correctly right now as we speak. The democrats don't have enough manpower to grab the wheel strongly enough to make it go the way they want it to.

They simply failed. The democrats. They failed. They failed to win over the hearts and minds of the America people to buy into their narratives. They failed to prove the criminality of Trump and they failed to prove that his ideas weren't actually better than theirs.

It's over. The fat lady has begun her song.

I mean, take the latest accusation as a measure of the insanity. Now they want to say he will be a dictator. They are comparing Trump to Hitler and the Nazi Party. 

Think about that for a minute. A former president who so strongly supported Israel and planted the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem, and all but declared it the Capitol of Israel. He's going to be compared to Hitler and the Nazi Party who sought to destroy Jews and wipe them off the face of the Earth in the worst genocide perhaps the world has ever seen.

And since when did communism, Marxism and fascism become good things? When did those espousings become akin to democracy and American freedom? Because that's what they are saying leads them to the comparison. Because Trump says he wants to root those things out.

The dictator argument is just the final straw to clutch for them. "Ooh, we'll really get people running scared now and thinking twice about putting this evil man back into the White House."

The problem is that the American people are not so stupid to actually believe this. Nor are they stupid enough to think that any of the things Trump is talking about rooting out is bad for America. These are exactly the problems we have, that have permeated certain aspects of current culture and dug in like a cancer.

These are things destroying America right now. 

The democrats are learning one thing. They can't unseat Trump. The more they try to knock him down the more firmly he stays upright. And people are listening to his message. They are examining their own lives and seeing the reality which is in stark contrast to what the Biden administration has struggled to sell them on.

I think even J6 failed miserably, the false narrative of what the democrats have tried so hard to convince the American people of. Even if you admitted that these were in fact Trump supporters, perhaps the realization by many is that what they actually were, were Americans who simply stood up for their values and principles and a country they love.

Who do you blame for it happening? Donald Trump? Or the government itself which caused the faith of the American people to be shattered in such a way that they felt there was a need to try to take back their country?

In other words, people simply had a reason to question 2020. Because after four years of relentless attacks on Trump by the left and the media, fostering manufactured hate that many, who voted for Trump, questioned the source and the strength of, were given enough reason to doubt the results that they went seeking answers.

Whether or not that's what was really behind J6, other than the other idea that it was manufactured by the democrats to hide the real results doesn't matter. You can see it both ways, and both ways still point to questions Americans have had about what really happened.

The bottom line here is that I think the democrats know the writing is on the wall. And the fact that they have lost their power to control the hearts and minds of the American people has them fit to be tied.

They can't throw Trump in jail. They can't kill him. They can't steal another election from him. They can't keep him off ballots. They can't bar him from running. And more importantly, they can't convince the American people of any of the wild things Trump has been accused of being.

And what's worse for them? They can't stronghold the advancement of their agenda which is to fundamentally change America into a country far removed from the aspirations of the founding fathers. And that bothers them too. That the vast majority of the American people can't be swayed. They can't be forced to adhere to a new way of thinking. They can't be convinced that the America we knew was the bad place, and wrong idea they've wanted so badly to portray it as.

If Trump wins in 2024, and I think he will, it sends a clear message to the democrat party that America is not dead and is stronger than ever. That the resolve of the American people has not been chipped away at. That there is still hope America stands just as strong and as proud as it did for so many generations before.

In an odd way I think one might be able to astutely compare the democrats to the old Empire of Japan, who falsely saw America as a nation severed from its values and strength to preserve Her. As Isoroku Yamamoto once rightly observed, "I fear we have awakened a sleeping giant." I think that is exactly what the democrats have done here, and the majority is now poised and ready to bring down the evil regime that sought to bring the country to its knees and turn Her into an unrecognizable place far removed from who we once were.

If Trump wins, it may just be the end of the progressive agenda ever having the chance to succeed again.

And perhaps that's what the left fears more than anything. Not just losing an election. But losing their power forever and losing their ability to create the New America they wanted so badly to give birth to.

I guess I can relate to their pain and insanity. When you have lost everything, that hurts. And it makes you lose your mind. 

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Evaluating Politics Has to be On the Basis of Honesty and Openness, Not Party Divisions

Let's face it, political discussions are hard. What gets in the way is either denial, defiance, or outright bias. Often times, there's just no winning—but having an open and honest political dialogue is important because so much of what happens in politics has a direct impact on our lives and even our livelihoods. 

What gets in the way as well is often not a matter of reality, but rather personal perspectives. For example, if you have someone who has always earned low wages in a fast-food restaurant or retail store, they are going to tend to view the world in a very different way than someone who is a middle-class earner. 

On top of that, in order for someone to truly evaluate what is happening politically, one has to be able to be honest with themselves, honest about the assessment, and able to step away from one side or the other and do our own homework. Because we also have to know that the media is not going to always tell us the truth any more than our politicians themselves are going to do it.

In other words, we can't even take our guy's word for it. We have to decide for ourselves what is working and what is not, and not separate ideas by political party, but acknowledge ideas by how successful they are or aren't.

I bring this up because of discussions we have about former president Trump and current president Biden and my personal observation that I just don't think anyone is being honest with ourselves about the facts. Granted, I come at this with a little bit of obvious bias. I supported Trump and I dislike Biden, and I am also a conservative republican.

But let that not sway you from my general point here.

The thing is, sometimes there are things that are simply undeniable on an intellectual, informed level. When it comes to Trump, many of us can agree there were things he got right and there were things he got wrong. Same thing with Obama to be fair. The same goes for any president or politician we have ever known. 

Let's take gas prices. We cannot deny that gas prices were cheaper when Trump was in office and is more expensive today under Biden. I think, if we are being honest, that there are also key things that one can point to that Obama did regarding policy, things that Trump did regarding policy, and things that Biden did regarding policy that had a very visible impact on what gas prices were in all three administrations and why.

In other words, we normally hold the thought—and fairly accurately—that presidents do not control gas prices. But there are policy decisions presidents can make that do impact prices at the pump to an extent. If gas prices were to have been lower under Trump and then remained lower under Biden after reversing Trump's energy policies on day one of his presidency, then we could safely assume that something other than Trump's policies drove down the price of gas.

Regardless of what side of the aisle one resides on, it should be clear that energy policy had a notable effect on what we pay for gas. Yet on the other side, there are deniers. Their argument is simply that Obama's policies finally kicked in and by the time Trump was out of office, his policies reversed Obama's course.

It's just not the case.

The stock market is another glaring example of one's economic situation over another. And again, just like with gas prices, presidents do not control the stock market. But they can have certain economic policy that either fosters a strong business climate or hinders it. 

Granted, under Obama, the stock market did not do badly. In fact it did rather well. But it really did so, mainly, due to quantitative easing which flooded the economy with money to bolster it because the real underlying economy was faltering. It ended essentially in 2014 although a 4th round came after the Covid thing happened. 

There was no QE, essentially, during Trump's term and there were clear things he did regarding policy that helped to free up business to operate and grow. It bolstered the economy and created spending activity which also, of course, fueled market returns.

Biden's economic policy has not had the same result. Inflation aside, which cannot be entirely blamed on Biden, but certainly the trillions of dollars added to the deficit under two bills and Biden's energy policy contributed greatly to it.

There are simply things you can point to that determine why something happened. And again, we have to be honest about all of that if we want to make informed decisions the next time we have to decide who is right or wrong to get us headed in the right direction. Or to decide whether or not maybe we made a mistake. Or that we missed an important detail in our evaluation.

We cannot deny failure just because it is our side failing any more than we can deny success because it is not our side succeeding. 

When Trump was president, GDP rose. That's a fact. Even after Obama told us 2.5% was the "new normal and we would just have to get used to it." Poverty rates declined under Trump. It's statistically true. Black, Hispanic and women unemployment rates dropped to historical lows under Trump. We can't say that didn't happen. Wages rose considerably under Trump, and we cannot deny that either.

It is not to say Trump was perfect. By no means. But in order to fairly assess his presidency overall, we have to at least acknowledge what he did that worked, and if not entirely give credit to Trump for having done it, but ask ourselves why we are not holding Biden to account for the things he did differently that are not working in the way they did under Trump?

Why would we not say, "Hey, Mr. Biden, what he did in this area worked. Why not keep doing that and instead of focusing on denying what worked and changing course, instead find the things that really didn't work and work on those things?"

Trump's immigration policy worked. In fact, to some extent, Obama's immigration policy was more effective than Biden's as well. Why not keep it? Trump's economic policies mostly worked. Why not keep going with that? Say what you want about Trump's tax cut, his cuts worked much like cuts JFK made and Reagan as well made. Trump's energy policy worked. Why not keep that going as well?

The bottom line is that knowing what's happening and being honest about it serves everyone in pursuing what's best for the country at large. If we can do that, all sides win, and heck, all sides can claim the victory as well.

Both sides have good ideas and bad ideas, and we as the American people are in charge of deciding which ones are good and which ones are bad, and electing people who will do the things that work as opposed to denying them and changing course, which accomplishes nothing.

Is this a call to bring Trump back in 2024? No. Not hardly. It is simply a call to open our eyes, be honest, and listen to both sides, honestly evaluate the results, and elect the next guy to lead us based on the merit of what he offers and on the basis of what the last guy didn't deliver.

If we are able to be honest. America only succeeds if we can honestly evaluate policies that work over which party made the policy, or which side we wish had.

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Clint Eastwood Attacked By The Left

If I said, "Here we go again," would I sound too cliché? But here we go again. We are living in a time when the left can pretty much say whatever it wants to. Bill Maher can openly attack Sarah Palin and her family and make terrible off color jokes and get away with it. Nigh time talkies like Jay Leno and David Letterman (now both retired incidentally) can say horrible things about conservatives. But whenever a conservative or republican has anything to say, it's lights out and full attack mode on.

And such was the case at the Spike TV awards where Clint Eastwood made a joke about Bruce Jenner, calling him "Caitlyn Somebody," that has the left calling for Eastwood to never see any stage again, and of course the joke will be removed the airing of the awards show.

Notice I said Bruce Jenner and him.

Quite frankly I don't give a rats ass what parts you have surgically removed or altered, your DNA is your DNA and it doesn't lie. Bruce Jenner is a man no matter what he wants to be, and calling him a hero and courageous for being someone who is essentially mentally ill is just stupid.

I refuse to be politically correct about this.

I am tired of the glorification of progressive ideology. Actually, not so much being able to talk about progressive issues. Fine. It's a free country and free speech is free speech. Everyone is entitled to it. But rather what bothers me is the in-your-face ramming down the throat progressive ideology and shutting down anyone else who happens to have an opinion that differs.

You cannot do that. It is unconstitutional.

It is high time that the American people begin to wake up and realize that their thoughts are being controlled by the media, and by the left that controls it. It needs to be realized that the people nodding their heads and agreeing with shutting down the speech of guys like Clint Eastwood, Vince Vaughan, and Rush Limbaugh are simply not paying attention  to what's really going on. They are allowing themselves to be lap dogs and slaves to an ideology they probably don't even fully understand. They are allowing themselves to be lead by the hand to a world in which there is no gray area, and where only the speech of the left is allowed or acceptable, even when it is as downright cruel as some of the things said on the right.

Clint Eastwood has an opinion. He is entitled to it. His joke is no worse than any other joke that has been said by lefties on the stage of similar ceremonies that don't get banned or cut out or ridiculed or attacked.

It's just sickening to me that we continue to allow the media to have their say with a leftist agenda in mind, and so few people call it out for what it truly is. Really folks what we are dealing with is the worst form of censorship. I call this...

A load of bullshit!