What now?
Hi friends!
Good morning out there, wherever you are!
Last night, this post didn’t have exclammation points or as cheery a tone, but I figure if Paul can rejoice while he’s even in chains, I too can follow his example.
So, let’s state the obvious.
Trump won. And he won decisively.
And let’s also state that I was wrong in my predictions. I have to eat my humble pie (as if that’s even close to being that big a deal compared to the circumstances we face now). But for the gloaters out there on socials, who’ve already come for me, I’m saying it here, as well.
I was wrong.
I’m also a human being. And I experienced every form of grief and fear last night — through that very long night.
I was sad. I was devastated. I felt sick.
There’s no question about it: We have been knocked down.
At this moment the question is simply, “What do you do now?”
I suppose we could say it’s rigged, march on the Capitol, and “peacefully protest,” but I’m betting you’re a better person than that or you wouldn’t be reading these words.
Let’s get real.
We are here. The side we wanted to win lost. And the Dems even lost the Senate, which was expected even if Harris had won. (The electoral map for the Senate was TERRIBLE for Dems this year.)
But do not despair. We get to vote again to control the Senate in two years and Dems will have the advantage in that election because Republicans will have to defend way more seats.
Also, Republicans will be in power so they will have a harder time defending their record.
Oh, I heard some of you out there? “We won’t even have elections by then.”
Listen, I think you’re over-reacting. But if you think that, go buy guns and ammo today, make your plans, and just hunker down.
I don’t think that’s wise, Biblical, or the most effective strategy, myself. So, let’s continue.
As I reflect on things, I don’t think Trump can destroy the Constitution in two years. (Based on some of the aging that he’s shown — let’s be real, he’s not as sharp or focused as he was in 2016 — I’m not even sure he can fend off Vance, Thiel, and Elon for two years — because make no mistake, they’re coming for him and his power.)
But Trump will be President in a couple of months and in two years, there are 33 U.S. Senate seats up for regular election in 2026—13 seats held by Democrats and 20 held by Republicans as of July 2023. (Link.)
This will be part of our buffer.
These Republicans will be campaigning like in less than a year, and they will be scared and trying to defend the actions of Trump. (Yeah, that ain’t going to be easy to do.)
The other part of our buffer will be the House, which Dems almost certainly won — assuming Calfiornia didn’t let us down. We won’t know the answer for like two or three weeks, but Dems should control the House.
That House is 1/3 of our government, and it’s a powerful one.
Also, Jamie Raskin will likely take over the Oversight Committee.
If you don’t think the House can be a pain, you haven’t been paying attention.
Do the words Benghazi, Hillary’s emails, and Hunter Biden mean nothing to you?
Besides these two buffers, never forget that minds and hearts can be changed.
Those people on the Right that you’re SOOOOO angry at in this moment? They will get over their glee and they will be the friends we need to keep our country and Constitution secure.
They will be the folks that help us win the Senate back and the Presidency again in four years. (Reminder: The campaign for the Presidency starts in like two and a half years. Too soon to bring that up? Sorry to be that guy, but you’re looking for hope, right?)
As the great Abraham Lincoln said, "Public sentiment is everything."
I’m not sure if Trump actually plans to be a dictator for a day or do mass deportation, or if those were just funny lines in his speech that we shouldn’t take serious. (It’s hard to tell sometimes with the other side when we should take him serious and when we should take him literally.)
But I do know Trump’s record.
He once promised to build a wall and that Mexico would pay for it. That was his primary campaign promise in his first term. And he literally wouldn’t shut up about it.
What did he actually do?
Almost nothing. A whopping 500 miles. Except even that isn’t the real story.
Because of that 500 miles, most was replacing existing structures.
A 2023 report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAS) said about 458 miles of wall were built between January 2017 and January 2021, 81 percent of which replaced existing barriers.
A U.S. Customs and Border Protection report in 2021 broke this down into two categories: primary and secondary wall. It said that 52 miles of primary wall and 33 miles of secondary wall were built in locations where no barriers previously existed.
So, first step is to breathe.
Nothing slows down any plan or action like Washington, D.C., with its hundreds of high-level beauracrats.
Does Project 2025 give me pause? Do deportations give me pause? Does a hundred other things give me pause?
Of course they do!
But you can find fear by the barrel everywhere else.
I’m here to give you hope and sustenance.
Wihtout question, I could write a column that absolutely terrifies you. I could. I really could. (And honestly, it’d be a lot easier.)
There will be dozens of those written today. Probably hundreds.
Being a doomsayer is easy. It’s the normal response.
But I have always looked up to Abraham Lincoln. He has always been one of my favorite political leaders, and in so many situations, I have often asked myself, “What would Abraham Lincoln do?”
The man’s strength and endurance was legendary, and I won’t bore you by sharing too much about that right now.
But I will aim to be a source of light.
Back when I served in the Marine Corps, it was the positive and strong leaders that I respected. Those who didn’t shudder at adversity and they never did the “worst case” or “catastrophizing” in their mind — or at least out loud — around the troops.
These leaders encouraged people around them when it was the hardest. They kept us together. They kept us alive.
I will strive to be that light. I will strive to be that person.
I will be writing a lot.
Like a lot, a lot. Share this column. Tell your friends.
Because we need community. We need reassurance. We’ve got a lot to work through.
And that work begins now.
More later.
Required Bible stuff, because that’s just who I am.
And, I always like to end each post with this one:
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Love and peace,
Stan R. Mitchell
P.S. Don’t forget that I also put out a weekly podcast about defense news and our military. Here’s that link:
I've also written twelve fast, exciting books.
Finally, I also write a faith blog about God and the Bible. (As a child, I was wounded badly by the church and left it to study other religions, before returning to the faith of my roots.)
