Finally the fever was broken

The world watched on with bated breath as the American people spoke. Thankfully they didn’t just speak, they SCREAMED and from the deafening sound comes opportunity for real change.

I’m not sure what the right words are to begin a piece that celebrates the American people’s unequivocal repudiation of a president who has done nothing but extract wealth from the bottom 90% and unashamedly redistributed it to himself, his buddies and benefactors.

My time writing here has been a journey of discovery; it’s taught me that no matter how bad life gets, someone will always give their right arm for the inconveniences many of us see as the end of the world. If you live on the outside but have immersed yourself in American politics the way I have for over six years, it makes you understand how utterly unfit for purpose government has become. I believe these midterm results are the American people saying exactly that.

I sat for a couple of hours this morning with a cuppa, starting slowly after little sleep, while reflecting on yesterday. As the results rolled in, it soon became very clear it was going to be a good night for Democrats. However, as time went on, it became obvious that America wanted to send a clear message. That message was WE’VE HAD ENOUGH. The American people left no doubt that Trump has to be stopped.

Now, before we dissect the outcome, let’s look at Trump’s bunker-mentality reaction. He proclaimed himself Mr. Veto (Donny de Veto, more like), as his simple little mind descended into fantasyland. This is a man who has NEVER respected anyone or anything, let alone the rule of law. I’m sure overnight the catering staff at the White House hid the ketchup bottles and broke out the ear defenders. He had gone from begging people to pretend he was on the ballot to saying Republicans lost because he wasn’t on the ballot. Lunacy has no bounds in Trumptown, I’m afraid, when it comes to his fantasy narratives.

What I’d like to do for the remainder of the week is focus on OPPORTUNITY. The gift that the American people have handed to Democrats to deliver transformative change. If anyone reading this is under the illusion that America embraced the Democratic Party yesterday, can I politely suggest you think again? This was NOT a shift from Republican to Democrat; it was voters fleeing a tyrant, where NOTHING could be worse than what they were being forced to endure. It was an ‘any port in a storm’ reaction to the political abuse of a madman.

It was not a nation falling in love; it was a nation desperately trying to escape, and Democrats just happened to be passing. The sooner their leadership comes to terms with that reality, the sooner America can begin the long, hard road to recovery. As I said in the note I wrote this morning, I’m not ashamed to say I cried before I finally went to sleep at 6 am after a long day and night of studying the key race results. Results which told the story of the absolute rejection of a charlatan presidential snake oil salesman. It was a moment of clarity that reaffirmed that what I do here matters to me. I’m not so arrogant as to think it matters to many others in the grand scheme of things. However, one thing I know for sure: I am better informed than I've ever been about the limits of human endurance when it comes to tolerating economic pain.

Someone I respect said to me in my moment of euphoria this morning: "I hate to tell you, but if gas and food prices weren't out of control, the outcome would have been very different. For all Trump’s wrongdoing, he would have been given a pass yesterday, but for these practical realities.” It was an argument that tragically made a lot of sense. This massive win was not about preserving democracy, despite the fairy-tale illusion some would try to sell. “It’s the economy, stupid,” as James Carville told Clinton’s campaign team in 1992.

Be that as it may, right now I’ll take the win, because the opportunity it provides could deliver real change, and we should all welcome that with open arms. The truth is, America has a two-year window to prepare the ground for REAL CHANGE. However, as we speak, I fear corporate America is pulling on a brand new blue suit and creating the parameters within which the Democrat politicians they own can operate. The gravy-train tickets are already being punched. No doubt a new performative policy agenda is being created to deliver the illusion that change is coming, a bit like the DOGE checks.

I’ve been around politics long enough to know I’ve seen this movie before, and I’m drawing attention to it because Americans MUST NOT be subjected to more of the same old, same old corporate politics. Things can be different. If the majorities in the House and Senate prove to be as big as it seems they will, then Donny de Veto is not a lame duck; he’s a dead duck. That said, as president, he still has tools to resist, and rest assured, he’ll deploy them all, because he understands the risk he now faces of being held to account for what I believe are his crimes in office.

Much though it grieves me to say, Trump may become an irritation over the next two years with his pointless proclamations and attempts to stuff his pockets with yet more money from the public purse. The new challenge comes from those in search of ‘people first’ politics from the current Democratic leadership team. Over the coming weeks, there will be plenty of jockeying for positions of power within the Democratic Party. Sadly, I think the power structure will do what it always does. It will attempt to keep progressive voices outside the tent to placate corporate donors. You’re misguided if you believe it will be any different.

The biggest threat to America over the next two years will be a predictable ‘Republican-lite’ agenda, which I believe is already being discussed in dark, smoke-filled rooms by the usual arrogant bunch of largely older people. Those who have grown fat on the rewards of spending little time listening and more time riding the gravy train. Just listening to the delusional laps of honour being taken would be funny were it not so consequential. Be in no doubt, the American people are going to witness a new political war which won’t involve a single Republican. It will be a war declared by the Democratic leadership on the new progressive voices the people have chosen to send to Washington to represent their interests.

It would be easy to paint me as a harbinger of doom in a moment of euphoria, and I understand that. I make these observations not to put a damper on things, but to share, with love, my thoughts about the threats faced if Democrats fail to deliver the change so many people voted for yesterday.

Tonight, Democrats should be hosting a free bar for independents and Trump protest voters because it’s they who have delivered this historic victory, regardless of the nonsense being pushed by Schumer and Jeffries. They made this possible, and they'll deliver the 2028 election to whoever makes the best case to them. America stands on the precipice of rehabilitating the US on the international stage; holding Trump and his acolytes accountable for what I believe to be crimes committed against the American people, while attempting at the same time to address the affordability crisis.

Democrats can’t achieve this without a unified approach to governing, and I pray to God that they recognise this. Tomorrow, I’ll discuss how I think they could approach the 2028 cycle by stepping outside the box and adopting a bold agenda for change. I hope you’ll indulge me for a couple of days as I lay out a path forward.

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