If the polls and the mood of the nation are any indications, it appears that the GOP is going to obliterate the Democrats in the midterms.

While that is definitely good news, let’s refresh our memories about 2017.

Donald Trump had won the Presidency while the GOP controlled both the House and the Senate. The GOP should have been in charge and the Democrats mere spectators.

But instead, the Washington Democrat Establishment seized the narrative by concocting the Trump-Russia collusion hoax even before Trump was inaugurated. The hoax was amplified and mainstreamed by the news media. It caused the appointment of Special Counsel Robert Mueller.

The partisan Mueller probe loomed like a sword over the Trump Presidency for two years. Trump’s Attorney General, on the advice of Department of Justice career bureaucrats, had recused himself from the investigation. This probe that began in 2017 meandered through the 2018 midterms while the media carried the fake news of ironclad evidence of 'collusion' that would force Trump out of office. The charade cost $32 million and two years of instability.

Back then, many Republican officeholders displayed an attitude that ranged from hostility to indifference towards President Trump. Only a scant number of Republicans such as Devin Nunes stood by Trump and confronted the various establishment falsehoods.

The cloud of doubt created by the Mueller probe probably caused a significant segment of voters to be sickened of the chaos and believe that electing Democrats was the only way to stop ‘Russian Mole’ Trump. 

Hence the Democrats managed to win back the House on the basis of a malicious sustained disinformation campaign.

One wonders what would have happened had the GOP had shown some spine.

What if the then-GOP leaders of the House and Senate, Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell, along with various other Republicans had dismissed and ridiculed the premise of collusion from the day it surfaced in a coordinated manner. Perhaps Mueller’s appointment would never have occurred.

The first two years of the Trump presidency would have been stable and the MAGA agenda could have been implemented much faster. There would have been fewer angry tweets from Trump. The GOP probably would have retained control of the House during the midterms in 2018. President Trump would not have been impeached twice on flimsy grounds. The federal government would have managed Covid-19 more adeptly. In 2020, Trump would have won by such an emphatic margin that the electoral malpractices would have had little impact.

The media would have been relegated to barking dogs who couldn’t bite.

There would be no Biden, Harris, or Pelosi in positions of power. There would be no ‘insurrection’, the economy would still be strong, there would be no energy crisis, illegal immigration would be under control and there would be peace all over.

But that was not to be, because elections have consequences.

The modern Democrat party is a left-wing extremist party that views political opponents as enemies.

The Democrats weaponized the government machinery and investigative agencies to intimidate and punish Republicans. They already have branded parents who oppose the teaching of critical race theory in school as domestic terrorists. They used Covid-19 to impose mandates and restrict freedoms.

The modern-day Democrats do not accept electoral results unless they win. Their goal is a monopoly on power like they have in New York and California. Consequently, they see the GOP not as a rival but as an impediment that must be overcome. They have already called the GOP a front for terrorists.

However, most of the GOP still seems ignorant of these facts and frequently displays subservience to the Democrat establishment.

The January 6 partisan probe is merely a sequel to the Mueller probe. The goal is to create the perception of guilt to prevent Trump from running again in 2024 and to persecute MAGA supporters.

The occurrences of January 6 were nothing more than protests that went overboard. There is reason to believe that the break-in was incited by mysterious proxies of government agencies.

The Republicans are aware of these facts, yet many endorse the Democrat groupthink.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell called it “a violent insurrection for the purpose of trying to prevent the peaceful transfer of power after a legitimately certified election from one administration to the next.”

Senator Ted Cruz during a Senate hearing described the Jan. 6 protest as a "violent terrorist attack”. He did walk back those comments on TV, but official records will reflect his utterances in the Senate.

Mike Pence grandstanded with the claim that "The presidency belongs to the American people and the American people alone." Hence implying there was no fraud.

Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, who are leading the assault, were rightly censured by the Republican National Committee and are beyond hope.

Republican Senators Burr of North Carolina, Cassidy of Louisiana, Collins of Maine, Murkowski of Alaska, Romney of Utah, Sasse of Nebraska, and Toomey of Pennsylvania broke party lines and voted to convict President Trump for the occurrences of January 6.

Beyond Jan. 6, many within the GOP are unreliable.

Senator Lindsey Graham sways according to the direction of the wind.

Rep. Dan Crenshaw, who seemed like a rising star, branded members of the House Freedom Caucus as “grifters”. These pejorative epithets are used by Democrats to denigrate the GOP.

There have been myriad instances of Republicans siding with Democrats and voting against the interests of their voters.

In recent times 80 House Republicans voted to fund the creation of a federal vaccination database that could be used against the citizenry in the future while 19 Republican senators voted to resettle unvetted Afghan refugees in the U.S.

Overall, Republicans may say the right things on Fox News and during the hearings, but their actions don’t always reflect their utterances. There are many who continue to be mute spectators to the Democrat assault on the founding values of the nation.

It proves that the Establishment runs deep and gets to everybody in various ways.

The Freedom Caucus and the likes of Senator Rand Paul have been a sole source of hope.

What lessons do we learn from this?

That meticulous vetting of each and every candidate is most essential. It is essential to dig deep through records and judge them by both their character and record.

Every major endorser, especially President Trump, has to be thoughtful while handing out endorsements. It has to be remembered that Romney was elected to the Senate following an endorsement from President Trump.

History has shown us that every single seat in both Congress and the Senate matters. Even a couple of dissenting senators can block a crazy spending bill or prevent a conviction during an impeachment.

Getting an establishment Republican elected will be better than electing a left-wing Democrat, but the difference won't be significant. The establishment candidate will capitulate when you need them the most.

This is not just another election; the results will decide the future of the country. 

The Democrats have to be stopped, for that, the GOP leadership must display courage. A nasty article in the New York Times, or the Washington Post, or attacks from MSNBC, or a rebuke from the establishment should not deter them. 

They have to be brave, confident, uncompromising, articulate, and ideologically committed warriors who faithfully and fearlessly represent their voters.

Graphic credit: Max Pixel public domain