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If you have been paying attention to reports, many politicians, including some Republicans and those often-wrong pollsters, believe the November election is a foregone conclusion. According to reports, Democrats will win a House majority and possibly take over the Senate, too. History proves it, they say, because the party out of power almost always is victorious in midterms.
Except when it’s not.
Two recent examples should give Republicans hope. In 1994, the year many people remember, a “Republican Revolution” headed by Georgia Congressman Newt Gingrich and his Contract with America, captured the House and the Senate for the first time in 40 years. So-called “experts” predicted narrow losses for Bill Clinton and the Democrats. The key was Gingrich’s optimism and a detailed agenda which could fit on a postcard.
In the 2002 midterms, Republicans again bucked the historical trend, gaining seats in both chambers following the post-9/11 political climate.
What Republicans need to do this year, if they want to keep and even expand their congressional majorities, is to get inoculated with a heavy dose of optimism. In addition to attacking the radical ideas of people like Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, Republicans must learn to accentuate the positive.
Especially younger voters need to learn why capitalism is better than socialism and why promises of free stuff will come at a huge cost.
Republicans should feature in political ads and during live appearances people who have emerged from socialist and communist countries. They could testify about the virtues of the capitalist system. In Florida, a large Cuban community knows what communism was like under the Castro brothers and current leadership. Some might be taken on the road and featured in live appearances, or at least have their stories recorded and included in campaign ads. Havana is having trouble keeping the lights on and providing food for their people.
Most people have formed opinions about transgender athletes in women’s sports so minimize that issue and focus more on the power each of us possesses, a power – the power of individual initiative and persistence – that has sustained America for 250 years.
There are many African Americans who have similar stories to tell. “Rags to riches” testimonies have been the bedrock of America’s history.
Bring up the unnecessary and wasteful government programs that should be eliminated. Yes, it’s worth a “DOGE 2.0.” People hate waste, especially when it comes to their tax dollars. Promise a rebate to every taxpayer when the size and cost of government is reduced. Make a case for reforming Social Security and Medicare to preserve it for current and future generations.
Pollsters, the modern equivalent of soothsayers, are increasingly wrong. Perhaps some voters will decide not to vote, believing the election is a fait accompli. Pessimism is a destination that leads to defeat. Optimism can lead to victory. Republicans need to try the latter and reduce the negative.