America’s Founding Fathers held voting in far higher esteem than present day Americans. It’s true that voting eligibility was more limited then, though judging that through modern sensibilities should be done carefully. But the point is our Founders treated voting as a responsibility, not something that should be cavalierly made ridiculously easy and expanded from Election Day to Election Season. When such things happen, combined with a grossly biased media, red waves turn to red trickles.

“Let each citizen remember at the moment he is offering his vote that he is not making a present or a compliment to please an individual — or at least that he ought not so to do,” wrote Samuel Adams in 1781. Instead, “he is executing one of the most solemn trusts in human society for which he is accountable to God and his country.” How many of our fellow citizens treat voting that way?

“Progressives” are never done. Thus, they took good things — extending voting to women and minorities, for example — and expanded them into voting a month early or by mail for any reason, in some states without even having to bother with requesting a ballot. All the while “progressives” dumbed down education and journalism to the point that many citizens couldn’t even tell you who the vice president is, much less have any carefully considered thoughts about how our Constitutional Republic ought to be run.

Democrats used the pandemic in 2020 as an excuse to expand access to voting, as already mentioned. This expansion has been going on for years, of course, and the result is that it’s easier than ever to cast a ballot. Thanks to bulk-mail ballots, millions of Americans don’t even have to leave their house to do so, much less truly authenticate who they are.

Unfortunately, that’s how you end up with millions of poorly informed people voting, largely for Democrats. If citizens took their responsibility seriously, if they were knowledgable beyond the misinformation and disinformation blaring through mainstream media outlets, they would vote for candidates who treasure our Constitution. Instead, we get Democrats, in large part because what uninformed voters do hear is that Republicans “don’t want you to vote.” That’s not true, but lies are powerful.

Meanwhile, the Democrat strategy of running against Donald Trump apparently worked to firm up their base, as did Joe Biden’s two big speeches about “protecting democracy.” Yes, most voters care a lot about how inflation is torching their household budgets and how criminals are literally stealing their wallets, but Democrats and their media super PAC were able to paint key Republicans as “election deniers” and stooges of the Bad Orange Man, which equaled “scary extremist” to the voter who listens to NPR or only occasionally tunes in to mainstream news.

Republicans knew that was all a grotesque lie and yet they didn’t spend enough time rebutting it with anything other than yeah, well Democrats deny elections too. Sure they do — all the time — but Democrats didn’t storm the Capitol, either. For the low-information voter, that was all they needed to know. Apparently, Democrat pollsters knew exactly what fear buttons to push to keep their voters on the plantation.

Conversely, the Republican strategy of running against Biden wasn’t a winning one. They hardly mentioned inflation, crime, or immigration without (justifiably) tying it to Biden, but it wasn’t enough.

More importantly, never underestimate the power of the Leftmedia. If you’re reading this, congratulations — you’re one of the millions of Americans who are literate enough in civics and other issues to care and to find solid sources for your news. Millions more, however, get their information from the mainstream media, which as we said is a super PAC for Democrats. A point we’ve made before is that Fox News may lead the ratings, but it doesn’t outperform the collective voice of other leftist outlets, and even Fox ran the mindless “Democracy 2022” slogan for the election.

Imagine what the political landscape would look like if the media was fair. Heck, if it was just 60-40 Democrat instead of 90-10.

Republicans, not Democrats, are the ones who will have to do a lot of soul-searching after last night. Democrats know that lousy candidates — even ones disabled by a stroke — can still win if all of the above holds true. Moderate voters simply want stability and competence, and if the media can successfully portray Republican candidates as crazy or immoral or as hand-picked Trumpists, moderate and low-information voters will steer clear of the GOP. Donald Trump looms even larger over the next election than he did over this one, when he was a kingmaker in the primaries who then didn’t spend much to help his picks win. If you love Trump or are even simply grateful for his incredible legacy as we are, his presence or candidacy is more of a drag than a boon for the rest of the GOP in most areas of the country.

Finally, there is hope. If Republicans do indeed take the House, that means significant oversight over a lawless Biden administration. Even if the Senate remains 50-50 or worse, Republicans have a much more favorable landscape in 2024, defending only 10 seats compared to 21 Democrats and two Democrat “independents.” Joe Biden won’t be on the ballot in two years, and if Trump also isn’t — if it’s Ron DeSantis against Gavin Newsom, for example — Republicans have a solid opportunity to retake the White House.