Thank you for reading Message Box. This is a community of more than 160,000 activists, organizers, political junkies, and others who care about our democracy. I’m privileged to write for such an incredible group. Special thanks to our paid subscribers, who make it all possible. If you’re not yet one, I hope you’ll consider upgrading to support one of the few outlets not owned by a MAGA billionaire. How Republicans Are Choosing to Lose AgainAfter the worst midterm loss in 50 years, Trump and the GOP are doubling down on everything that got them there
Any election loss—no matter how close—is an opportunity for reflection: to look inward, figure out why you lost, and learn how to prevent it from happening again. This is particularly true after the biggest midterm loss in 50 years. Republicans lost the popular vote by nearly 14 points. Democrats are on the cusp of 56 Senate seats and nearly 260 House seats. Heck, Republicans lost in solidly Red states like Kansas, South Carolina, Texas, and Mississippi. Not a single Republican represents a district that Trump won by less than 9 points in 2024. It was an ass-kicking for the ages. So if there was ever a time for Republicans to engage in some introspection and change their approach, it would be now. But that’s not what’s happening at all. Based on almost everything they have said and done since the election, Trump and the GOP seem wholly committed to learning nothing and instead doubling down on the exact strategy that led to their losses. Trump’s first move after the election was to fire Susie Wiles and replace her with Stephen Miller. I have never agreed with the DC press corps’ general consensus that Wiles is some sort of political and organizational mastermind. All the available evidence shows she did a pretty shitty job. Maybe that’s mostly Trump’s fault. Either way, the problem isn’t firing Wiles; it’s hiring Miller, who is responsible for most of Trump’s least popular and least successful moves. The House Republicans followed by picking Jim Jordan, the pugilistic MAGA warrior, to be the minority leader. Both of these moves and Trump’s statements since the election show that the Republicans are not satisfied with just one giant loss; they seem committed to losing another one in 2028. 1. Still Denying RealityTypically, when presidents get crushed in the midterms, they make adjustments. Bill Clinton declared that the “era of big government is over.” George W. Bush tried to pivot his Iraq War strategy. Barack Obama pivoted towards a more economically populist message. Trump is doing none of the above... Continue reading this post for free in the Substack app
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