Will Democrats Misunderstand Their Victory?

The Democrats achieved a historic victory in the midterm elections the day before yesterday, and we congratulate them on regaining real legislative power. But the question now is: What lessons will they draw from this win? Will they return to the same mistakes they made during Joe Biden’s tenure, which cost them a heavy political price in the 2024 elections?

The first and most fundamental lesson is that voters gave the Democrats power in order to deliver a slap to President Donald Trump. They see that he failed to fulfill his promise to lower prices, and they are dissatisfied with his transgressions regarding the rule of law, tariffs, mass deportations of immigrants, and the abuse of power for financial gain.

However, voters did not vote in favor of the Democratic Party, which has a satisfaction rating of no more than 29 percent, according to the latest NBC poll—a figure even lower than the 38 percent satisfaction rating for the Republican Party. Nor did they embrace a Democratic political platform, simply because the party failed to present a clear one. Its candidates merely repeated Trump’s name as if it were a political talisman, then spoke about the high cost of living and corruption, without offering any notable details on how they would lower prices.

Undoubtedly, one of the Democrats’ priorities will be investigating the executive branch’s performance and the business activities of the Trump family, and some oversight in this area is indeed justified. Trump’s misuse of clemency powers, his investments in cryptocurrencies, and Donald Jr.’s investments in companies dealing with the government are all matters that warrant scrutiny. The same applies to government loans and investments in private companies, particularly those in which the Trump family holds stakes.

Furthermore, increased scrutiny of certain policies could reveal important information. Who actually restricted Ukraine’s access to Starshield satellite services? What is the truth behind the U.S. agreement with Alejandro Betancur, a partner with political ties to the administration, regarding the preferential deal to exploit Venezuelan oil resources?

However, the political danger lies in the possibility that the Democrats will fail to curb their impulsiveness. They failed to do so during Trump’s first term and paid a heavy political price. One of the key tests will be their ability to resist calls for his impeachment again. Nancy Pelosi could not resist such calls, and her efforts only served to consolidate Republican support for the president. Unless the Democrats uncover serious enough misconduct to push Republican senators to vote for conviction after impeachment in the House, it would be better for them to limit themselves to oversight and revealing the facts to voters.

Legislatively, the coming years will see frustrations stemming from divided government. Unfortunately, Congress has grown accustomed to resolving its differences by increasing spending, despite U.S. debt nearing $40 trillion and the deficit reaching $2 trillion last year.

Have the Democrats learned a lesson from the massive spending wave during Biden’s tenure, which fueled inflation and contributed to his electoral loss? With workers worried about rising energy prices, will the party immediately return to imposing climate restrictions and providing subsidies for expensive electric vehicles?

The same question applies to other ideological overreach during the Biden era. The Democrats pushed hard for the "HR 1" bill, which aimed to impose federal election rules similar to California’s model, including overriding state laws that prohibit collecting ballots on behalf of voters. Will this bill return to the forefront?

As for Hakim Jeffries, who is likely to become the next Speaker of the House, he has called for a “radical overhaul of the Supreme Court,” a move that Trump would never support. However, if Jeffries continues to make such demands, it will give voters a strong reason to lose faith in his party, should it seek total control of power in 2029.

If Jeffries and the likely Democratic leader in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, wish to pursue a better path, they could seek compromises with Republicans that serve the country’s interests. Reforming the visa system is one example, and immigration could be another area of potential agreement.

Trump has occasionally spoken of his desire to help immigrants known as “Dreamers,” who came to the United States as children. In response, Democrats have criticized the president for torpedoing a border bill negotiated in 2024 by Republican Senator James Lankford of Oklahoma, which would have established stricter legal standards for granting asylum.

Amending the law in this direction deserves Trump’s support, as it would remain in effect after he leaves office and make it more difficult for any future president to reopen the southern border.

However, one problem for Democrats will be the extremist elements within their ranks. The number of members of the so-called “Squad” in the House of Representatives will double, while the socialist left will feel more empowered. Representative Daria Lisa Avila Chevalier, elected from New York, stated that deporting criminals, even violent ones, is unethical.

Meanwhile, Senator-elect Abdellah Sid, wants to oust Democratic Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania because he believes in Israel’s right to self-defense. Additionally, Representative Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, has proposed increasing the number of Supreme Court justices to 13. None of these actions will improve the party’s popularity; rather, by the 2028 elections, they may lead voters to conclude that the Republican Party in the post-Trump era is not as bad as all that, after all.