First things first. Today is Veterans Day, a time to recognize our Armed Forces’ countless accomplishments and appreciate the sacrifices those who serve make on our behalf. Secondly, conservative Republicans reeling from last Tuesday’s crushing defeat might welcome a real-life, inspirational comeback story.
And on both counts, what better source than a stirring bit of American Naval history?
In 1779, in the seas off England’s Yorkshire coast, the Bonhomme Richard — a single American vessel far from home — found herself face-to-face with the HMS Serapis, one of Britain’s finest new frigates. Bonhomme Richard was actually a refurbished old French merchant ship, pressed into service as a warship in our fledgling American Navy, under the command of the now-famous John Paul Jones. Clearly, she was no match for the modern, heavily armed Serapis.
A fierce sea battle ensued. Early in the fight, two of Bonhomme Richard’s guns exploded, killing several and nearly destroying the ship. The Serapis commander, presuming the battle to be over, asked Jones to surrender — to which he famously replied, “I have not yet begun to fight!” The brutal, bloody combat continued late into the night, and when the smoke finally cleared, Jones’s outmatched crew and sinking ship had won the battle.
Jones directed his battle-weary crew to board the ship they had just defeated. They watched their own valiant vessel slip beneath the waves, and then — conveying a message that in retrospect has a distinct scent of “take that, King George!” — they sailed off in their captured prize.
The difference-maker in that legendary comeback was not manpower or guns; it was motivation. The British sailors followed orders from their admiralty; the Americans fought for survival and freedom.
By comparison, the hard road ahead for Republicans after last week’s election thrashing is not as dire as it may seem. The battle ahead is an internal one. Both sides in the political struggle are on our side, the American side. Winning means doing what’s right for the country, not vanquishing our political opponents.
Last week’s staggering Republican loss was a decisive defeat at the hands of their Democrat opponents, nothing less. Democrats made huge gains in the House, projected currently as a 259-176 advantage, and as much as a nine-seat pickup in the Senate (all for six-year terms), along with multiple state governorships and a wide range of down-ballot wins.
How could that have happened? There’s not much mystery. The midterm elections were a referendum on President Donald Trump — one that he lost spectacularly.
For the most part, analysts attribute the Democrats’ overwhelming win to voter concerns about affordability, gas prices, and the war with Iran. True enough, but that’s not the whole story. Voters’ verdict reflected the media’s two-year campaign to deepen public distrust, dissatisfaction, and ultimately hatred of their elected president.
It worked like a charm. The pervasive Trump hatred worked against any candidate who supported Trump or his policies, or whom Trump had endorsed. It’s a sick strategy — we should be voting for the people and policies we like, not voting against the ones we don’t like. But more importantly, it’s bad for the nation. Our elected leaders need and deserve our support, regardless of party affiliation and even if we disagree on policy. That’s always the case, particularly critical in dangerous times.
In fairness, Trump brought much of the voter dissatisfaction on himself. His actions, policies, and personal behavior gave his opponents plenty of ammunition. Worse, the overconfident Trump took the bait and urged voters to vote as if he were on the ballot — and so they did exactly that.
But like the John Paul Jones anecdote, that’s history. What matters from this point is how our divided nation moves ahead. How will the newly elected Democrats act, and how will the Trump administration react? Will Trump and his advisors hear and heed the voters’ crystal-clear message? Will Democrats use their House and Senate majorities to follow through on their promises to fix what’s wrong, or will they focus instead on exacting revenge via investigations and impeachments? Will the unpopular war end soon and prove its worth?
Unfortunately, from a purely political standpoint, the Dems will likely double down, keeping their Trump-hatred and Trump-blaming alive. In the days immediately following their election win, they were already sharpening their investigative knives, issuing multiple warnings for Republicans to “lawyer up” and promising a blizzard of subpoenas.
Meanwhile, on the GOP side — where no one has ever seen Donald Trump shrink from confrontation — the administration seems also to be girding for all-out political war. Trump signaled so by changing his chief of staff, replacing the steady, widely respected, and all-business Susie Wiles with the ever-combative Stephen Miller.
By nature, strong leaders have enormous confidence in their own judgment. In the heat of his 1779 battle, John Paul Jones fervently believed, “we can still win this thing,” and he wasn’t about to poll the crew to find out who agreed and who didn’t. But when the battle is over, it’s time for an objective, retrospective look at what happened and how to turn things around — and doubling down on what failed is a really bad strategy, every time.
That’s true for both the losers and the winners. From last week’s election exit polling, it’s evident that while the voters chose to spank Republicans, they also were not thrilled with the Democrats’ behavior over the last two years (and during the previous Biden presidency). Surely, they expect the newly elected Democrats to take full advantage of the opportunity they’ve been granted. More Trump hatred, even in the guise of holding him and the GOP “accountable,” won’t win their favor.
Both Republican and Democrat actions will primarily be reactions to what the other side does. But for both sides, picking up the fight where we left it before the election is a bad idea. As an alternative, imagine if both sides invested some serious thought into what’s good for the country, and then behaved accordingly.
Democrats: You convinced the midterm electorate to vote for you to push for an end to the war, to improve affordability across the board, and to treat immigrants (even illegal ones) fairly. So get to work, please, on achieving those objectives; don’t waste your time or poison the potential bipartisan well with recriminations and revenge.
Republicans: Don’t waste your time trying to convince the American public that they made a mistake last week; instead, demonstrate by your actions that you heard them loud and clear and that your priorities and theirs are actually aligned. The American economy is roaring right now (in contrast to the Left’s talking points), so harness it!
Both sides: Be confident that the 2028 electorate will reward the candidate whom they trust to do the right thing, not the loudest and angriest in the field. And keep in mind Ronald Reagan’s premise, captured on the plaque he kept on his desk: There’s no limit to what we can achieve, as long as we don’t care who gets the credit.
If we think last Tuesday was frightening, imagine the sailors aboard the Bonhomme Richard nearly 250 years ago, fighting overwhelming odds aboard a sinking ship. Yet they turned the tide and set a standard for generations to come. Our thanks to every veteran who’s put his or her life on the line over all these years to protect our great nation.
