While many news outlets have labeled the midterms as a "report card," or "referendum" on President Trump's first two years in office, this could not be farther from the truth.  To the contrary, President Trump's performance speaks for itself and is a compilation of successes.  These midterms are actually a referendum on the American voters and will gauge whether they want to continue winning and moving forward or whether they want to seek revenge against a president at their own expense.

In just two years in office, President Trump's accomplishments are extraordinary.  The economy is thriving, unemployment numbers are down, fewer Americans are on food stamps, relations with Israel are excellent, military members are being cared for, Americans are taking home more money due to tax cuts, our borders are more secure, the Obamacare individual mandate has been eliminated, and many regulations have been eliminated.  The president still has a lot of work to do, but the country is undeniably heading in the right direction.

Most Republican voters will likely support their respective Republican candidates on Tuesday.  The question is what Democrats will do.  After all, many Democrats have reaped the benefits resulting from the Republican-controlled House and Senate.  Will they allow their dislike of President Trump to dictate the way they vote despite the benefits they have enjoyed?

Democrats who are doing better now than they were two years ago (and that means most of them) should refocus their hatred towards President Trump.  To vote against his policies during the midterm election is to vote against their own successes.  They don't need to openly admit it.  They can continue to hate President Trump.  But to push for gridlock that will harm the economy and reduce their own potential for increased fiscal success is ludicrous.  Will they cut off their noses to spite their faces?

Democrats need to understand what is at stake.  Some in their party have been quite clear about their intentions.  Maxine Waters threatened Republicans with revenge: "What am I going to do to you?  What I am going to do to you is fair.  I'm going to do to you what you did to us."  California Democrat Adam Schiff threatened additional investigations:

"The question, though, that I don't know whether Mueller has been able to answer – because I don't know whether he's been given the license to look into it – is were the Russians laundering money through the Trump Organization?" said Schiff. 

"And that will be a very high priority to get an answer to.  For the reason that if they were doing this, it's not only a crime, but it's something provable..."

Schiff added that while the "Republicans walked away from the investigation, the Democratic minority has continued" their investigative efforts, adding "And that work won't stop when we take the majority."

On a broader scale, if Democrats win the House and Republicans hold the Senate, there could be a virtual stalemate on a variety of issues, including the budget, voting rights, immigration, infrastructure (i.e., the border wall) and health care.  This could slow down, or choke, various portions of Trump's agenda.

The New York Times reports Democrats are planning for political revenge, with a blitzkrieg of "investigations into nearly every corner of the Trump administration."  Large numbers of House Democrats are likely to push for impeachment either of Trump or, following Sen. Dianne Feinstein's lead, of newly appointed Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh."

It doesn't matter that, with the Senate probably firmly in Republican hands, there would be no chance of securing the two-thirds vote needed there to remove either one from office. The very effort to impeach would dominate House activity and headlines, further ratchet up a toxic political atmosphere, detract from any ability to handle even the most basic legislation, and cause political and cultural instability that could shake the U.S. economy and undermine the country's international standing.

The midterms have very little to do with President Trump and more to do with whether the Democrats are willing to "punish" the president at their own (very heavy) expense.  The Republican-led Congress has delivered more jobs, lower unemployment, more security, better border control, tax reform, more money in our pockets, and more respect around the world.  Democratic voters have a choice.  Will they vote based on emotion alone, or will they overlook their personal feelings and support the policies that are helping them succeed?

Mr. Hakim is a writer and a practicing attorney.  His articles have been published in The Washington Examiner, The Daily Caller, The Federalist, The Western Journal, American Thinker and other online publications.   

https://thoughtfullyconservative.wordpress.com

Twitter: @Elad3599