[Edgewise] US midterms: After the blue tsunami, what is to be done?

End the Iran war, abolish Trump’s tariffs, and stop ICE abuses — among others Voters expressed a desire for Congress to take a more active role in checking the presidency, leading to a record number of diverse candidates elected to public office. Democrats are encouraged to push for immediate reforms on key issues despite potential vetoes from Trump, as there is a strong demand for change among the electorate. This is AI-generated. Read the article for full context. Report any errors. We went to bed happy on November 3, woke up ecstatic the next morning. Republicans knew they were going to get wet in the midterms, but they didn’t expect to be swept away by a blue tsunami and unmoored by seismic shifts among voters that had put them in power just two years ago. GOP ex-House speaker Kevin McCarthy, arguing defensively on ABC News, maintained that the Democrats didn’t so much win the midterms as the Republicans lost it. If that consoles him and his party mates they’re welcome to the delusion. At any rate it’s irrelevant. Donald Trump asked voters to pretend he was on the ballot. And that’s precisely what they did. Democrats now have full control of both the House (240 vs 147 ) and the Senate (54 vs 44). Voters simply have had enough of the soaring cost of gas, housing, and consumer goods triggered by Trump’s irrational tariffs and the war on Iran. Voters showed they are appalled by Trump’s brutal crackdown on immigrants and are awakening to its debilitating impact on the agricultural, construction and service industries. They need access to health care. They reject AI data centers as threats to precarious energy resources, water and local environments. They’re angered by Trump’s open self-enrichment and marriage to a heartless tech oligarchy that spent hundreds of millions in vain in favor of the GOP. And they’re irked by his capricious priorities in the midst of crisis — the ballroom, triumphal arch, and reflecting pool. Sure enough, the first thing he talked about the morning after the elections was his “beautiful” ballroom. No wonder an Associated Press poll showed that most voters were not just worried about the economy and the future of the country, they also had a “strong desire for Congress to take a more forceful role in checking the presidency.” In a clear rebuke of Trump’s blatant racism and misogyny, voters brought record numbers of Blacks, Hispanics, Native Americans, Asians and women to public office on many levels. The Democratic Party is now well positioned to challenge or obstruct Trump/MAGA’s regressive agenda. Despite the Democratic Party What exactly happened? American voters took matters into their own hands by choosing Democratic candidates despite the fact that the Democratic Party is only slightly more popular than the GOP. Party leaders Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries’ party leadership widespread criticisms of overcautious response to Trumpism. Voters chose Democrats and progressives not only for Congress, but also for state and local positions, seizing a majority (28) of the 50 governorships for the first time in two decades, reclaiming states such as Texas, Ohio, Georgia, and Iowa and now leading nine of the 10 most populous states, excluding Florida. State and local governments are key players as they mediate the implementation of federal agendas­–if law enforcement will cooperate with ICE roundups, if access to abortion will be allowed in the state, or if AI data centers will be strictly regulated or banned. State and local governments are also crucial cogs in a party’s machinery for national elections. The Democrats’ midterm triumphs on these levels bode well for their chances in 2028, when a new president would be chosen. Democratic Socialist or DSA-backed candidates also racked up wins, scoring least 127 victories out of 294 congressional, state and local races, thanks to younger voters who don’t fear socialism. Their gains are important in building pressure from the left within the Democratic Party for the expansion of social safety nets like Medicare for All, the abolition of ICE and resuscitation of civil rights. Democrats: What is to be done? The blue wave is so overwhelming that any Trump schemes to overturn the election are now out of the question. He both promised to “work” with the Democratic Congress and be a “veto President.” We may add “lame duck” to that. There will be time for investigating Trump’s wrongdoings, impeachment, and even possibly abolishing the Electoral College to give way to the primacy of the popular vote. But it would be wise for the Democratic Congress to first make an immediate push for broadly resonant priorities: end the Iran war, reinstate premium subsidies to Affordable Care, reverse cuts to Medicaid, bring back congressional say on trade policy, abolish Trump’s tariffs and stop ICE abuses. Newly elected Democrats should insist on these reforms despite the threat of Trump’s vetoes. Though Democrats may not be able to override them, Trump’s vetoes could hang an albatross on Republican ambitions in 2028. There’s a powerful demand for change among the American electorate. Democrats and progressives must seize on it to begin putting a nail on the coffin of anti-democratic Trumpist and MAGA values. – Rappler.com Rene Ciria-Cruz is a Filipino American journalist and writer who has worked extensively in U.S. and Filipino media. He was US bureau chief for Inquirer.net, the official site of the Philippine Daily Inquirer. He was also editor-in-chief of Filipinas Magazine and wrote and edited for other publications and sites PositivelyFilipino.com and has contributed to U.S. newspapers like the San Francisco Chronicle and San Francisco Examiner as well as magazines such as California Lawyer Magazine. How does this make you feel? Loading