With the 2018 midterm elections only weeks away, many think this is the most important election of recent times. Much is riding on the Republicans maintaining control of Congress. If the Democrats win the House, all current investigations into the Deep State will cease, replaced by every single Congressional committee opening an investigation into Trump and his administration.

Subpoenas for documents and endless testimony will paralyze the Trump administration. The media will fan the flames, breathlessly reporting every leak and fabrication from House committees. Then there will be an effort at impeaching President Trump, depending on the extent of the new House majority.

The Senate is unlikely to flip, but if it does, impeachment could potentially result in Trump’s removal from office. I say potentially because that would start a civil war, but don’t put it past the Bookers and Blumenthals of the Senate to give it a try. Judicial appointments would cease, with a Democrat Senate only confirming judges politically to the left of Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Yet this is still only the second most important election of recent times. The most important one was two years ago, by far. If that one didn’t play out as it did, everything mentioned above would be moot.

Imagine Hillary Clinton winning in 2016, by the landslide that her media fanboys and fangirls all predicted. Like in the Christmas movie, It’s a Wonderful Life, how would life in America be different if Donald Trump never existed, at least in terms of the 2016 presidential election?

No one would have heard of Judge Brett Kavanaugh. He would be a Circuit Court judge, one of many that few Americans know the names of. Instead the Merrick Garland nomination would have gone to Loretta Lynch with the Kennedy replacement going to Eric Holder or perhaps a far-left young senator like Kamala Harris or Cory Booker.

Justice Clarence Thomas, after decades of service, might see the futility of his conservative voice in a strong liberal majority court, retiring only to be replaced by an uber leftist such as Cheryl Mills or Debra Katz.

These picks would be approved by the cowed “reach across the aisle” GOP Congress, afraid to cross Madame President for fear of compromising information being leaked from her intelligence agencies or IRS.

Gun rights and free speech would be in peril. The Constitution would be rewritten in the Holder/Obama manner, without resistance.

We would have another Russian reset, Putin getting the green light to annex all of Ukraine, with some condemnation but little else. UN Ambassador Ben Rhodes would offer up excuses and justification.

Iran would be full speed ahead on nuke production. ISIS would be alive and well, taking over the Middle East. Secretary of State Marie Harf would be ushering in the new world order with a jobs program for ISIS terrorists under the mantra of make America mediocre again

The Paris Climate Accords would be in effect, as would a carbon tax. Paul Ryan would complain that Republicans need the White House to get anything done legislatively, afraid to stand up to Madame President. Hurricanes Michael and Florence, not getting the message, would have hit the U.S. this year, with the same force and devastation, despite a climate friendly administration being in place.

The only difference would be that the Clinton Foundation, rather than FEMA, would be in charge of hurricane disaster relief. In keeping with tradition, most of the money flowing through the foundation would go to “administrative expenses” and the Clinton bank account rather than actual charity work. Clinton friends and family would be running the show, doing a bang-up job like they did in Haiti.

Taxes would still be high, especially the corporate income tax. Factories would continue moving abroad. The unemployment rate would we significantly higher than the GDP, opposite to what we are now seeing. This is the new normal, is what we will be told by the smart set on CNN and MSNBC discussion panels. Get used to it.

Black and Hispanic unemployment would still be sky high, blamed on the Republican-controlled Congress, used as a campaign issue to vote in Pelosi and Schumer as majority leaders. Consumer confidence would be in the cellar and optimism for a better future would be tossed to the wind.

Harvey Weinstein, Meryl Streep’s god, would still be raping and harassing women, as would Matt Lauer, Charlie Rose, and Al Franken. The #MeToo movement wouldn’t exist, as it would be inconvenient for the First Man, himself a serial sexual predator and credibly accused rapist.

ObamaCare would remain in full force. Its shortcomings would be blamed on fat-cat business owners, not the failed legislation and regulations. Bernie Sanders Medicare-for-all would be the legislative priority of the Clinton administration. Congressional Republicans would eventually give in, under the onslaught of an energized national media, and threats from the deep state to key members of Congress to vote a certain way or else unflattering information might be released to the Washington Post.

The IRS, under commissioner Lois Lerner, would leak confidential tax return information to influence the behavior of anyone standing in the way of the Clinton administration, including those in Congress opposing her agenda.

James Comey would be running the FBI. Or perhaps he would move to CIA or DNI, with Andrew McCabe running the FBI. Sally Yates would be Attorney General, a reward for loyal service rigging the election. Other names in the news today would remain in obscurity -- Peter Strozk, Lisa Page, Bruce and Nellie Ohr. All would be promoted and rewarded.

No one would have heard of Fusion GPS. The FISA warrants on Trump would continue to this day and be expanded to spy on his family and business. Any irregularity would be fully investigated by the DOJ with strategic leaks to the NY Times.

Trump’s tax returns would be leaked to Preet Bharara, still a U.S. Attorney, and to Eric Schneiderman, still New York Attorney General. Something, anything would be found or manufactured to indict and convict Donald Trump and his children of fraud, conspiracy, or tax evasion, with fines to bankrupt the Trump Organization sending some Trump’s family to prison.

Treason charges would be leveled at Donald Trump over colluding with a foreign government to subvert a presidential election. A bevy of witnesses to this conspiracy would appear, under threat or payment, from Michael Cohen to Stormy Daniels, all witnesses to secret strategy sessions between Trump and Putin.

The message would be clear: no outsider should ever threaten the deep state again. The people don’t choose their leaders, the establishment does. Anyone daring to challenge the established order will be destroyed.

Lastly there would be no every other day campaign rallies by Madame President, who would not be seen trotting up the stairs leading to Air Force One, even with a piece of toilet paper stuck to her shoe. The media would not be permitted to see the U.S. President entering Air Force One on a ramp or lift, on the rare times she even flew anywhere. Public appearances would be few and far between, as would the impromptu pressers now held as the President leaves the White House.

I could go on, but it’s clear that the most important election was two years ago. That being said, the election in a few weeks is the second most important election as it is the difference between continuing the Trump agenda versus jamming on the brakes. Now is not the time for complacency, only the time to vote.

Brian C Joondeph, MD, MPS, a Denver based physician and writer. Follow him on Facebook,  LinkedIn and Twitter.