A Moment of Opportunity

Spectator

By Stephen Tuttle | Nov. 14, 2026

The pundits, including some conservatives, have spoken. They believe the war in Iran was the proximate cause of the Democratic landslide. That was certainly part of it.

We might recall Tulsi Gabbard, then Director of National Intelligence, testified before Congress that the Iranians had no nuclear weapons program and that they had been abiding by a treaty they had signed with Barack Obama. But Trump undid the agreement, fired Gabbard, and then claimed we had to go to war to save the world. Never mind that the chances of Iran attacking the U.S. were, and are, as close to zero as possible.

It didn’t help that we were told the war would end within two weeks, that we had “totally obliterated” their nuclear program, their navy, and their air force. Here we are, nine months later, tens of billions spent, 23 U.S. service members killed, 3,000 or more Iranian civilians killed, the Strait of Hormuz blocked, and international petroleum supplies choked. More expensive fuel means more expensive everything else, since nearly every product we buy spends time transported by truck or van. Crops were planted with equipment using more expensive fuel, enriched with more expensive fertilizer, harvested using more expensive fuel, and brought to market using more expensive fuel.

Almost everything became more expensive, but the current administration kept talking about the success of “the markets” and how well 401Ks and IRAs and their portfolios were doing. That’s because the president surrounded himself with billionaires who haven’t a clue about day-to-day expenses of average Americans. These are not people who have pumped their own gas or spent time in a grocery store in years. The cruel increase in the cost of something like ground beef means little to those dining on filet at fancy DC restaurants, and the price of gas is irrelevant when you’re sitting in the back of a limo on the way to your private jet.

Then there was the too often violent immigration crackdown. We were on board with finding and quickly deporting real criminals who had found their way here or committed violent crimes here. Instead we implemented a system that appeared to be dependent not on criminal histories but on skin color and language. These are people who work the fields that provide our food, work in the slaughterhouses and packing plants we prefer to avoid, and build many of our homes. The administration didn't even care when U.S. citizens were rounded up and deported; according to Pro Publica, 519 U.S. citizens have been illegally detained and four U.S. citizens have been shot and killed in the raids.

We also weren’t crazy about the roll back of so many environmental protections, either. Mining and drilling in National Monuments and National Wildlife Refuges? Really? We removed already approved funding for wind and solar projects, and we continue to ignore the obvious impacts of climate change occurring right before our eyes.

Irrational and ultimately deemed improper tariffs added to many higher prices. We appear to have taken the wrong side in the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and we have a president who substitutes insults for actual governance.

All of the above pushed voters to engage in an electoral revolt. There is no evidence they were in love with all the Democrats they elected, but there is overwhelming evidence they just became tired of Trump and MAGA and their broken promises.

Now the Democratic majority has a short window—about a year until the 2028 presidential campaigns begin in earnest. They can govern as adults with the mandate they’ve been given or waste the opportunity.

Someone should tell them they need to take several immediate steps.

Have a chat with New York Senator Chuck Schumer, praise him for his loyalty and dedication, then politely tell him he cannot be majority leader of the Senate. It is time for someone else. They then should meet with the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) and tell them, honestly, we are not going to do most of what you want done because the votes are not there and it will ruin the chances for 2028. Tell them they might get some bits and pieces, but the wholesale changes they seek are not likely. Then they should meet with those Democrats hell bent on vengeance and tell them to stop. Investigating those with whom they disagree wastes time and energy and impeaching anybody when the votes for conviction are not there is self-defeating.

Finally, meet with Republicans willing to work collectively on issues like Social Security, Iran, the idiotic tariffs, and the rest. MAGA hardliners will have to watch from the sidelines along with DSA complainers as the real work gets done by a bipartisan coalition who understand the job.

This is the moment. They can seize it, or watch as it drifts by and Congress devolves into further incompetence.