Before the U.S. midterm elections in 2022, all indications pointed to significant Republican victories. Almost all political analysts, including the majority of Democrats, predicted a "red wave." The only uncertainty was just how bad it was going to be.
There was only one "red landslide," as the campaign's quick final surge has settled. Early in the evening, there was speculation about how Charlie Crist's defeat by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis was a sign of greater things to come. Although it should have been, it wasn't.
J.D. Vance defeated Tim Ryan of the Democrat Party in Ohio. The Republicans wanted to conquer even more territory. However, there was never anything even faintly like a red wave. The red wave essentially diminished to a trickle.
So, what happened? Political pundits quickly began dissecting the Republicans’ failed attempts to overwhelm their liberal opponents. Some pointed at weak candidates, especially those endorsed by former President Trump.
But President Trump supported J.D. Vance, and Vance beat Tim Ryan handily. Herschel Walker is still alive and kicking in Georgia. Other high-profile U.S. Senate candidates endorsed by the popular president had yet to receive final tallies.
Then there is the U.S. Senate candidate from Colorado, who adamantly distanced himself from President Trump. While gracious in defeat, Joe O’Dea’s loss wasn’t because he had ties to the controversial former president.
O’Dea lost despite criticizing President Trump. So, we need to look deeper into why Republicans woefully underperformed. Leading up to Election Day, many right-wing commentators felt the Democrats were off base in their messaging.
They were lying through their teeth, but they stayed consistent. They kept telling Americans that “democracy was at stake.” Now, we don’t think that’s why the red wave turned into a dribble. But not enough conservative candidates used the counterargument.
The Democrats were right in their messaging. Democracy was on the ballot. But the reasoning was the complete opposite of what they were saying. The radical agenda of the progressive left is to push socialism on the American people.
Clearly, there is now a sense that right-wing prognosticators may have sent the wrong messaging as well. Many conservative voters may have felt Republicans had things wrapped up. They didn’t. Analyzing that reason for the underwhelming performance will take time.
That brings us back to the lack of emphasis Republicans placed on countering the “democracy is at stake” claim. The price of democracy is knowledge. Poorly informed voters make poor choices. Unfortunately, classes about government are no longer taken seriously in our schools.
The vast majority of Americans probably couldn’t tell you what a U.S. Senator’s job entails. Likewise, they couldn’t tell you the difference between socialism and democracy. This is as disturbing as not knowing who your governor is. The average American voter is clueless.
The 2022 midterm results prove it. This political ignorance is rampant in the U.S. Tuesday’s midterm election proved how rampant. Looking at all the political indicators, Republicans should have overwhelmed their opponents. They didn’t. Were they weak candidates?
No, they were not. Did Democrats have a better message? No, they did not. Did many Americans really not understand what was at stake? Anyone who insisted that democracy was at stake was correct. However, it was at stake for the opposite reason.
Democracy was on the ballot, but socialism was there too in the fine print. It appears many voters were too ignorant to realize that. The price of democracy is knowledge, and the American voter needs to be better educated on what democracy truly means.
