2022 Midterm Elections

Midterm Elections are on the horizon and it has many people on edge, especially politicians. Without a doubt 2021 has been a disaster for the Democrats. Between a deteriorating president, making no progress with COVID, and the increasing struggles of the American people, the fear of a Red Wave is real. Midterms have always been a changing point within a president’s administration. With the uncertainty of the current Biden administration, there are indications that things will change. 

History of Midterm Elections

Midterm Elections have been around since the founding of the United States. The Framers were focused on checks and balances when developing the U.S. Constitution. For Congress, that meant term limits that would balance experience and new ideas. The short term was meant to encourage representatives to keep up with their constituents’ thoughts on policies and preferences. If their term is short, then these elected officials have to consider their decisions.   

At the beginning of the Civil War era, a trend began to form that established the era of the modern presidency. The fact that midterms were considered a hindrance for the party that controls the White House. In fact, this trend can be devastating for the establishment within the House and Senate. And it’s more common than not. 

Midterm Setbacks and Disasters

There are plenty of historical midterm flips that have shown to be devastating for the White House establishment. In fact, a midterm flip is a norm. The reasons can vary, but we can look back into historical midterms to see the trend. So, let’s go over a few. 

1938

During the midterm elections in 1938, President Roosevelt tried to convince the American people to pull together as a nation. World War II was on the horizon as the president was pushing the New Deal agenda. 

However, the voters disagreed with Roosevelt’s sentiments. After all, the United States was in the midst of the Great Depression and the White House was spending more money than ever. Furthermore, FDR had attempted to pack the Supreme Court by removing conservative democrats. As a result, 81 seats within the House were picked up by Republicans. 

1974

The 1974 midterms elections were rough on the Republican White House. The Watergate scandal was on everyone’s mind. So, many voters were frustrated when President Ford decided to allow Nixon to resign, instead of charging him for his crimes. In addition to high inflation, the Republicans suffered major losses in the House and Senate.

2010

Obama’s midterm election was a major blow to his political agenda. American voters were starting to perceive the current administration as weak during the recession. At that time, the Tea Party was having a high tide, sharing the same fury as conservatives over Obama and Obamacare. Democrats barely held their Senate majority. However, they completely lost the House. 

Through these three flips, you can see a pattern to why these flips were huge. And all of these factors are indicating a Red Wave in the 2022 Midterm Elections. 

Indications of a Red Wave

So, let go over the factors that lead to huge losses for the party in the White House. All of them have a similar theme that caused the flip. These indicators are: 

• Dissatisfaction with the Administration’s Response
• Economic Problems
• Scandals
• Disapproval of Current Policies and Agenda

All of these fit the current state of the United States this election cycle. Without a doubt, 2021 has left a lot of citizens frustrated and dissatisfied with the Biden Administration. Within 1 year, the president and his party managed to create a bigger mess than before. 

Biden and the Democrats have been failing on every level. Biden has admitted there is no federal solution for the COVID-19 pandemic, meaning all their forced mandates and restrictions were wasted money and time. Yet, they are still pressing for them! The border crisis has been spiraling out of control. The administration’s continuous overreach to control the backlash of American citizens, especially amongst parents.  

This is just the surface level. To say that the Biden administration is a hot mess is an understatement. It is more like a huge traffic accident that people cannot turn away from. It has gotten to the point where Joe Biden’s disapproval rating has hit an all-time high. With all of these events, there is a reason for Democrats to be afraid. 

Clear and Unclear Choices

There are many clear and unclear choices going into the 2022 Midterms. It is obvious that the current administration is failing miserably on all fronts, however, finding a way out of this mess is going to be hard. This is why midterm elections exist. To be a check and balance for the executive and legislative branches of government. If the establishment is failing in its policies and promises, it allows the American people to make a change.

The history of devastating midterm elections tells us that the American people control the agenda. At any moment, the midterms can pull the rug out of the current ruling party. Because allowing the legislative branch a long term allows them to install policies without care and consideration of huge segments of the population. 

The midterm elections are a powerful check towards administrations that are failing the United States through their actions. It is unclear what choices we can make to change the damage done. However, it appears the 2022 midterm elections are going to spell disaster for the democrats.