It seems that I’m getting in the habit of providing a little commentary on elections in the past few years. The mid-term elections, touted as “historical,” was an interesting set of races that saw seats flip, governorships contested, and debates about mandates ubiquitous. At least two states have elected their first black governors.
I’m not going to focus my commentary on why Democrats took both the House and the Senate. Nor am I going to pander to arguments regarding ideological agendas. I am going to make a few observations that, to me, are critical in moving forward as a nation in need of serious repair.
My commentary comes as advice to both parties. Take note, elected officials!
To my Democrat Friends: You have taken control of the Legislative Branch. One of the constitutional obligations of Congress is to be a check on the other branches of government, particularly the Executive. You will be tempted to do just that from day one, and I implore you to avoid jumping into any impeachments or oversight hearings. I heard one far-right cable news outlet commentators say that, with the ascension of Democratic lawmakers, impeachments are sure to follow. This is fearmongering; don’t prove the outlet right.
Go humbly. Remember that although many Democrats were elected to office, the party is very unpopular right now. You’re mandate is not to swing the nation far to the left. Instead, model what it means to lead from the middle. I know that President Obama ran on this philosophy of governance and got crushed for it, but this is a new day. People are hungry for bipartisanship. Republicans will try to make the claim that the wins for Democrats are slim at best so it is not a rubber stamp to enforce typical Democratic policies, but Republicans failed to take the same advice two years ago. Don’t make the same mistake they did.
Policies — not policing — are at the heart of this election. As I argued in 2025, elections are always about the economy. People are looking for immediate change: namely, healthcare reform QUICKLY. My own experience is showing premiums tripling by 2027, practically pricing me and millions of other people out of healthcare options, as well as Medicaid. Florida Blue Cross quoted me a minimum premium price that is three times my mortgage, and a third of our entire household income. Who can afford that?
Affordability goes beyond healthcare. Policies have to alleviate costs that are being affected by a chaotic market stemming from tariffs and lack of tax relief for the majority middle class. Farmers and ranchers want to sell their products again at affordable prices. Middle class Americans don’t want to lose on every metric in the economy, from fuel to groceries. Those who are on fixed incomes don’t want to shoulder costs that only benefit wealthy friends and family of lawmakers. We have to stop rewarding wealth and reward hard work again. The morale of a majority of Americans is in the gutter; America is sinking.
Reign in corruption, roll back the power of ICE and the DOJ, and shore up careless foreign policy boondoggles, including ill-defined wars. Our nation needs to gain trust nationally because people are tired of seeing their hard-earned money going into pockets of corporations that profit from violence and division. Our nation needs to gain trust globally by rebuilding alliances with nations, particularly Canada and Europe, that would rather lean into China than do business with the United States. Restoring foreign and domestic aid will also help that cause!
You have an opportunity, but it is not a blank check. It is just enough permission to walk a very narrow, intentional path where you’re tasked with bringing people along with you. If you leave anyone — especially hard working Americans — behind, the Democrat party will become all but obsolete.
To my Republican Friends: Stop blaming Biden already. Enough is enough. No one is buying it, and it is ridiculous to try to lie by saying that President Trump brought down prices since he’s been in office. People have the internet, and it only takes a few seconds to fact check that “line” and see that it is utterly stupid. We are not stupid, and you’re treatment of your base as if they are stupid has backfired.
You are losing not because Republicans have had bad policies in the past but because you have lost your way. Instead of reforming healthcare, your hate for Obama and the ACA has literally destroyed healthcare for every American. Instead of supporting small businesses, you failed to police the President’s chaotic pet projects or leveraged your power to roll back tariffs. Instead of promoting family values, individuals in your party have only proven to become more misogynistic, sexist, and predatory. You have lost credibility with families, women in particular. In your aspiration to curb illegal immigration, you ended up scapegoating anyone who is brown, black, or other. You have supported an administration that has literally killed Americans in our nation’s streets. We’ve seen the videos; stop making excuses and take responsibility.
You no longer have a monopoly on faith in America, though I would argue that you never had it in the first place. Many Democrats who ran and, in many cases, won, are deeply religious. Instead of Christians giving ear to the policies of James Talarico, whose Christianity infuses his rhetoric and vision, they continued to support one of the most corrupt politicians in modern Texas politics in Ken Paxton. Adam Hamilton is a tenured pastor who handily won Kansas, the first Democrat to win an elected position in nearly 90 years. The efforts of a mass of Christians, including Baptist preacher Raphael Warnock, turned Georgia blue, with South Carolina not too far behind. These are not liberal Christians — they are just more to the left than you are (when you are so far to the right, that gap seems wider than it is, trust me).
This point brings me to discuss briefly the elections results of a tiny race in Tennessee State Senate district 31, which covers Memphis. My friend (one of the godliest, wisest men I know) is a Democrat and ordained Baptist minister who serves as a chaplain in a pediatric hospital — David Weatherspoon. He lost to incumbent Brent Taylor, who admitted to sending nonconsensual nude texts to several women. When asked about it, Taylor said that he should not be held accountable to “youthful indiscretions,” although he is alleged to have sent pictures as late as 2021, at the age of 51. But voters in the buckle of the Bible belt chose to back him rather than Rev. Weatherspoon only because Weatherspoon has a “D” after his name. Christians chose to retain power than trust someone of their own kin — an ordained pastor at that — in exchange for someone whose integrity is as thin as tissue paper.
A Jesus-centered faith of a Talarico or a Hamilton is your reckoning, and you need to, first, take responsibility (for the love of God, take responsibility), and, second, re-read the Gospels, the Sermon on the Mount, and your Sunday School curriculum from when you were in grade school. Sing, “Jesus Loves the Little Children” and reclaim the faith that you once championed since the Second Great Awakening, when Christians forged abolitionist policies and working-class family protections. A Christianity that made converts out of activists such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton and brought together the likes of diverse voices such as Woodrow Wilson and William Jennings Bryan; you know, people who had legitimate differences of opinion politically but had some sense of decency and character.
You’ve lost your way because you lost your grip on history, your own fiscal conservative philosophy, and Constitutional clarity. I’m sorry to be so harsh, but when I have to give a deep sigh practically every week that passes with this administration, I can’t help but come down hard and remind you that you lost the Congress for real reasons, which have nothing to do with “socialism” or “evil”.
To everyone in between: Have mercy on your ministers. We really are trying to be non-partisan in the pulpit, but our nation’s addiction to cable news and ideological vacuity is making our jobs very difficult. Fickle rhetoric that parrots policies so bad on the nose is driving people away from the church. Remember that we have only one mission and that is the Great Commission.
We get so caught up in trying to preserve or claim political power that we forget that Jesus expects us to value the dignity of all life even if it means losing at the polls. Let’s learn how to lose gracefully rather than risking the loss of our souls.
Remember that no election is changing the tide of history. Elections do not change God’s purpose and plan. Election results do not surprise God. God’s agenda is the only one that demands our total allegiance. Governments wax and wane, rise and fall. Elected officials for the most part try their best, but they need to be held accountable regardless of party line (the reason for this article in the first place). We need to hold ourselves accountable for maintaining the kind of ethical behavior and worldview that pleases only Jesus, which is not likely politically popular or expedient.
Don’t give into the extremes, and don’t let the sensational social media distract you or entrap you in fear. God does not give us a spirit of fear, but of power. It is not political power, it is power that thrives on abandoning places of privilege to meet people in their most needy and broken moments, to meet people on the margins, people who do not thrive on ideological agendas or fearmongering but require real relief.
Jesus became a scapegoat and willingly gave his life on the cross so that we would no longer scapegoat others for the hardships that we and our fellow Americans face. Our message is a “cease and desist” to the violence, division, and hatred that we are experiencing from both sides of the aisle. Ours is a “third voice” of compassion, hope, and — ultimately — salvation in the one God through the person and cross of Jesus Christ, whose message of love transcends all politics local or otherwise.
Picture by Tim Mossholder, unsplash.com
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