“I claim we got a hell of a beating. We got run out of Burma and it is humiliating as all hell. I think we ought to find out what caused it, go back and retake it.” – Joseph Stilwell
Certainly, that is how many conservatives viewed the November 8 elections. Like the American army that got run out of Burma by Japan in 1942. Except it wasn’t. At this remove, it appears November 8 was a Republican victory, just not the big victory it was hoped for.
In Civil War terms, we hoped for a Battle of Chattanooga with a smashing Union victory or a Battle of Nashville with the enemy army destroyed. The way many are reacting to it, you would think November 8 was equivalent to First Bull Run, where the Union Army was routed from the battlefield.
It wasn’t. Rather it was the Battle of Antietam, a bloody draw turned into a tactical Union victory by possession of the battlefield at day’s end. In this case, possession of the House of Representatives by the Republicans, and a draw in the Senate, which ensures the Democrats will not eliminate the filibuster. Advantage Republicans.
Like Antietam leadership threw away opportunities for a larger victory, McConnell, McCarthy, and Trump played the roles of McClellan and Burnside. All three were more intent on furthering their own agendas than winning the election. Including Trump. And yes, we have Copperheads among us who would not put aside their animus for these generals to the point where they actively worked toward the election of Democrats. So, we end up with a minor victory rather than a decisive one.
That is not necessarily all bad. The last two wave elections (1994 and 2006) resulted in then-Presidents Clinton and Obama triangulating, adopting Republican positions, and using the improvements resulting in the two years after the midterms to cruise to victory for their second terms. That will not happen this time. Biden intends to double-down on his failed policies of the last two years. That means the next two years will be worse, especially economically, than the last two. Crime will continue to soar in blue states. Big Tech will be going through major tribulations, which will reduce its impact on the next election. (Anyone remember the dot-com bubble? This looks to be worse than that.) The chickens are coming home to roost.
Additionally, while all eyes were focused on the Washington DC theater, out in the hinterlands, the Republicans had their own U.S. Grant racking up major victories. What happened in Florida is the equivalent of Forts Donelson and Henry. It has become a bright red state, and DeSantis has shown how to do that type of transformation. He is now being imitated, at least in part, by Greg Abbott, and soon by others.
The real relevant part of my quote is the last part: “I think we ought to find out what caused it, go back and retake it.” In this case, what caused us to win an Antietam rather than a Nashville. If we do, we retake the White House. If we do not, we deserve to get what the American people vote for, good and hard.
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