“There’s something happening here,” Buffalo Springfield sang in the 1960s. “What it is ain’t exactly clear.”
Back then, in 1966 when the song was released, the issues were the war in Vietnam, growing social unrest, especially on campuses, and a presidency that seemed unresponsive and out of touch. “Paranoia strikes deep,” the song said. “Step out of line, the man come and take you away.”
Sound familiar? Sounds like a description of an ICE raid.
A deep disconnect divides the country. A convicted felon sits in the gilded White House conjuring senseless wars, both trade and otherwise, turning Canada — Canada! — into an enemy. An unhinged nutcase runs the Pentagon, a delusional Luddite heads Health and Human Services and the reptilian brain of Stephen Miller (Anne Lamott’s memorable description) devises a domestic policy so cynical it makes Henry Kissinger’s Peace Prize seem, well, merited.
Elsewhere in Washington, the Supreme Court, with rare exceptions, does Trump’s bidding. Mike Johnson, speaker of the House of Representatives, twice dismissed his charges early, first over concerns that the House would insist on the release of the Trump-Epstein files. In September, seven weeks before the midterm election, Johnson adjourned the House to avoid voting on a resolution from a Republican member, Thomas Massie of Kentucky, to impeach Pete Hegseth, the secretary of defense.
On the Senate side, senators failed by a single vote to pass a resolution calling for an end to the War in Iran, a war now entering its seventh month, a war the president promised would last “four weeks or less.” He also promised a rebate from Elon Musk’s government purge and a “tariff dividend” of $2,000 per person.
Promises, promises. (Another song from the sixties.)
Oh, and by the way, remember that “big, beautiful wall” that Mexico would pay for? Has that check cleared yet? Just asking.
Amid the corruption and dysfunction in Washington, another story is playing out elsewhere in the nation. Americans have grown both weary and wary of the Trump administration. The president’s approval ratings are mired in the 30s. Nearly two of three Americans disapprove.
For that reason, the midterm elections are shaping up as a moment of reckoning. And despite a flurry of gerrymandering, a shift in power may be on the horizon.
Congressional Republican incumbents are being forced to answer for their support of massive tax cuts for the affluent, the war in Iran, high fuel costs, runaway inflation and diminished access to healthcare.
Independent candidates in several red states, especially Dan Osborn in Nebraska, are running competitive races. Other red states appear to be in play for seats in the Senate, including Florida and Texas, where James Talarico, the Democratic nominee, is running against the state’s attorney general, Ken Paxton. Talarico characterizes his opponent, with his well-documented history of graft and philandering, as the most corrupt politician in Texas history — and that’s saying something!
After a disastrous decade of one-party rule in Iowa, a Democrat is currently favored to capture the governor’s mansion, and another Democrat, Josh Turek, is running at least even for a Senate seat. In Michigan, a Muslim, Abdul El-Sayed, is favored in several polls against Mike Rogers, a Trump sycophant.
A Democrat hasn’t been elected to the Senate from Kansas since 1932, but the Democratic nominee, Adam Hamilton, pastor of a United Methodist megachurch, is surging. A New York Times investigation revealed that Hamilton’s opponent, Roger Marshall, the multimillionaire incumbent, used aggressive tactics to collect medical bills from low-income patients during his career as a physician.
Something’s happening here.
A month is a lifetime in politics, and the polls seem to shift daily. Even though most prognosticators think the House of Representatives will swing to the Democrats, close Senate races in places like Ohio, Maine, Michigan, Alaska and New Hampshire will determine control of the upper chamber.
The other factor, aside from the Trump administration’s attempts to suppress the vote, is money. According to several sources, Republicans are set to unleash torrents of cash to shore up their candidates.
But that doesn’t diminish the restiveness across the nation. Something’s happening here, indeed. What it is will become clear in November.
Randall Balmer, author of “America’s Best Idea: The Separation of Church and State,” teaches at Dartmouth College.