Midterm election might not change divisive atmosphere

Those who believe that the warring fringe factions of our two-party system are planning a kumbaya, you’re either eternally optimistic or trapped in the metaverse.

It’s unclear what will happen in the wake of the 2022 midterm elections, and risky for those willing to put their crystal balls at risk. Yet, the thought of muting the voices of divisiveness and returning to a less agitated political discourse is alluring.

It’s far from certain that the country has rejected extremism, and who knows if the seething extremists are willing to extinguish their torches. So, there’s a degree of solace that election denialists and senatorial candidates Blake Masters and Adam Laxalt and gubernatorial candidates Doug Mastriano, Kari Lake and Tudor Dixon lost their races. However, Trump-endorsed candidates J.D. Vance and Ted Budd won Senate races, and GOP incumbents who challenged the validity of the 2020 election of Joe Biden – Matt Gaetz and Marjorie Taylor Greene – retained their House seats.

It’s fanciful to believe that after a pandemic that took the lives of more than a million citizens, an insurrection that rattled the underpinnings of American democracy and a historically epic midterm defeat, the political animosity is suddenly at an end. I was hoping it didn’t come to this, but in my best Brooklynite voice, “Fuhgeddaboudit.”

Unfortunately, the discord and absence of sensibilities will, if anything, grow, and finding mutual ground will be more challenging.

The moderate wing of the Republican party might be asking themselves, “how do we expel these individuals from our ranks?” Yet, the infiltration by a handful of rabble-rousers who’ve cost the GOP every election since 2018 won’t be easy.

There may be a few election deniers and QAnon quacks who are quaking in their boots. However, they are mostly encouraged by their growing sway within the party. Therefore, despite a strong message from voters that enough is enough, they will ignore the voters’ resounding rejection of the attack on democracy.

Instead of chalking up the thumping as a bellwether of voter sentiment and acknowledging what the historic midterm election says about the state of American politics, the extremists will wield influence in the 2024 presidential race and ramp up their incivility and indecency. Nothing indicates that challenges to the rule of law will end.

There are a few bright spots, like millennials and Gen-Zers, ages 18-29, who showed up in record numbers, estimated at 27%, boosting overall voter turnout, stopping the anticipated red wave and reenergizing the democratic process.

In Illinois, a Democratic stronghold, as expected, incumbent Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker soundly defeated Trump-backed conservative Darren Bailey. The resounding defeat prompted Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin, whose recent gubernatorial bid brings attention to the GOP’s tepid midterm performance, to say, “I truly believe we as Republicans need to recognize the writing on the wall …”

Irvin is among a small group of Republicans whose moderation on core issues like party inclusiveness speaks to the struggling GOP and its listless midterm performance.

“Republicans got a severe beating throughout the country on Election Day, especially in the blue state of Illinois,” Irvin said. “I would hope that would send the clear message to the Illinois Republican Party leadership that I have been echoing for years, if we want to survive and compete as a party, we must change the focus of our messaging. If we continue to focus on ideology versus sound policy, we lose, hard stop. If we continue to require what can only be termed a “purity test” to claim Republican credentials versus being welcoming to all willing to identify with the core values of true conservatism, we lose.”

I like how comedian Mort Saul summed up the most important reason for a crisis in American politics. “A conservative Republican is one who doesn’t believe anything new should be tried for the first time. A liberal Republican is one who does believe something should be tried for the first time – but not now.”

Anthony Stanford, named the 2014 Outstanding African American of the Year by the Aurora African American Heritage Advisory Board, is an opinion columnist, urban theorist and author of the book, “Homophobia in the Black Church: How Faith, Politics and Politics and Fear Divide the Black Community.”