‘Went to Bed Red, Woke Up Blue’: Enough Already…It’s Time to Deal With What’s Next

Not being in the political punditry business, we’re obligated as journalists to play the ball as it lies and navigate from the middle of the road. That’s a tough assignment after witnessing a political cycle when it appears General Custer planned one party’s strategy.

As one of my industry friends explained it on Wednesday morning: “Went to bed red. Woke up blue.” He wasn’t the only one who woke to unpleasant surprises. From Texas to Maine, candidates with “locks” on their elections found themselves on the receiving end of pink slips.

It was what pollsters once called a clear high message: “You didn’t do what you promised, so you’re fired.” Despite believing most voters have short memories, an old time butt-whipping leaves a lasting impression that’s impossible for even jaded politicians to misinterpret.

But…what’s ahead for the industry?

Some, including the Second Amendment Foundation, are predicting another run on guns. “We may be about to witness a surge in gun buying not seen since 2020,” says SAF founder Chairman Alan Gottlieb. “We also anticipate a flood of new, anti-Second Amendment legislation designed to further restrict the rights of law-abiding citizens, especially in states with legislatures controlled by Democrats, and from Congress.”

Could be.

Or we could all be guilty of reading too much into voters simply saying, “Enough is enough. We expect accountability. Getting back to affordable gas and grocery prices would be a good start. You didn’t deliver, so we’re letting others have their shot.”

It wasn’t a repudiation of conservative values or endorsement of extreme liberal politics. If you doubt that, simply look at the state and local measures that were approved. Conservative values aren’t dead, but broken promises were decidedly recalled and repudiated.

For the short-timer Republicans serving out their terms, this would be an excellent opportunity to deliver on some of their seemingly empty promises to voters. You can only lose an election once, so there’s not much in play other than their reputations. Sure, scars remain, but outgoing Congressional leadership has the opportunity to get to work righting some of the ills facing us today.

“Make a good impression when you start your job” was a piece of common sense advice I was given before starting my first job nearly sixty years ago. It’s still true. But “leave a great impression on the way out” was a piece of uncommon advice that helped turn a bad early job experience into the beginning of a long career.

Doing the right thing could be seen as unprecedented in Washington, but actually doing what you said you’d do could smooth a transition or help set the stage for the future. I’m old enough to remember when Washington ran on cooperation, not conflict.

There will most assuredly be plenty of battles ahead. We can’t relax regarding 2A rights or back off the progress made in the past two years. But it’s critical to remember that laws regulating suppressors, SBRs, etc. remain on the books. A last-second push to get the the ATF’s relaxed position made permanent as law wouldn’t be a bad thing for outgoing Republicans to push, whether successful nor not.

Taking the long (and admittedly optimistic) view, the overwhelming Republican losses might not be as cataclysmic as initial interpretations fear.

For too long, both sides of the political aisle have had narrow majorities. Numbers that made every caucus member’s vote critical. The need for every vote, every time has allowed the squeaky wheels on the extreme ends of the spectrum to make demands and essentially steer the conversation. They had more power because of their ability to stop legislation.

That will not be an issue for the Democrats come January. They have a majority in the Senate, and an overwhelming majority in the House. Leadership won’t need to worry so about the extremists. The far left can be moved back toward the more centrist wing of the party.

Hopefully, the majority leaders won’t lose sight of the moderate issues that passed as their more liberal candidates defeated longstanding Republicans. Voters didn’t demand extreme change, they chastened underperformance on critical issues. If they doubt that, they only need to look at the numbers from last week. They could be repeated in reverse in two years if voters feel they’ve failed to deliver, too.

Republicans in the minority aren’t powerless. Significantly diminished, their numbers still remain strong enough to prevent legislation that requires more than a simple majority. And there’s the matter of a sitting president who has the veto power.

My optimism is driven by a need to find something positive about the political shellacking last week. That’s why it’s critical to remember voters didn’t reject conservative values, they simply rejected the party that promised, but failed to deliver. The Democrats won on a promise to restore what Republicans promised they would do, but didn’t.

The Democrats did not receive a mandate for extreme change. If (a big if) they recognize that, they have the opportunity to minimize the screeching extremists and allow the moderates who won their majorities to deliver on their campaign promises. That will take cooperation, not confrontation. Hopefully, both sides remember that.

If they don’t, voters have proven themselves capable of delivering an unpleasant message: you’re fired.

We’ll keep you posted.