One of the responses to undesirable Republican nominees in the general election (specifically the 2026 election) that I have seen goes something like this: "You punish bad Republicans in the primary. You vote to save the country in the general."
We need to calm down. The 2026 election is not a "Flight 93 election." Perhaps you could have made that argument in 2016, 2020 or 2024 due to the immense power of the presidency (although we did survive four years of President Biden) but that does not apply to 2026. If Democrats take the both the House and Senate they will have a fairly small majority. They certainly will not get anything past President Trump's veto pen, which would require a 2/3 supermajority vote in both chambers to pass "Medicare For All" or the "Green New Deal" or whatever other agenda item they have. The worst case scenario for Republicans is Democrats will frustrate President Trump's executive actions and launch multiple investigations.
Let's be clear here: This is not about "saving the country." A Democratic win in 2026 is not going to destroy the country. This is about President Trump getting impeached for a third time. That is why President Trump was so adamant about Republican states gerrymandering their Congressional district maps and why he was determined to punish state senators in Indiana who defied his demand last December. President Trump knows that impeachment hearings will effectively begin on January 3, 2027. This is about his personal interest.
Now, let me be clear: This is not an endorsement of voting Democratic in the 2026 mid-term election. I will be voting Republican all the way down my ballot in the general election. I hope you do too. This is an endorsement of calming down. This is an endorsement of protecting your stomach lining and an endorsement of going outside and touching grass.
The problem with this "save the country" hyperbole is that when every single election becomes an existential crisis for the future and even the survival of the nation, people become increasingly angry and hateful, even to friends and family. Yes, we can emphasize the importance of specific elections and seats, but further fracturing our nation's political climate is not a productive way to do that. Breaking friendships and familial relationships is not worth it.
You also need to keep your powder dry. Save the arguments about "saving the country" for an election with higher stakes, which will be the 2028 general election. (Even then, we need to have some perspective and not freak out too much, and Christians need to have faith in God's providence.) When we are screeching that every single election could herald the end of the country, people eventually tune us out and stop taking our doomsday prophecies seriously. Then, when we have an election where the stakes really are much more severe, our arguments will fall on deaf ears.
So calm down. Stop doom-scrolling on social media. Take a break from the news if you find yourself getting stressed out. Watch a movie or play a relaxing video game. Have coffee with friends. Spend time with your spouse or children. Go for a walk and enjoy the weather when it is nice. But more than anything else, go outside and touch grass.
A Democratic win in 2026 is not the end of the country
Seriously, people, go outside and touch grass.
