Dems Win Big in 2026!

By Rick Boettger

This is the easiest sure-thing prediction ever.  They’ll win based on Republicans not showing up to vote.  Look at the numbers in 2008 and 2010, back when Dems lost 63 in the House, six in the Senate, six governorships, and 20 state legislatures–a “shellacking” in the “Red Wave.”

Why? Because Democrats didn’t vote.  Only 56 percent of the Obama voters showed up in 2010, only 52% in our Florida.* The exact same thing, I predict, will happen to the Republicans in 2026.  Why?  Because the political situation is exactly the same, but reversed: both Obama and Trump have historically epic accomplishments for their voters,** and their own voters don’t give a damn.

NOT a news flash: the current American electorate, since the internet at least, vote overwhelmingly on hate, not on gratitude.  The Dems are now doing exactly what the Reds did in 2010: not even attempting to accomplish a damn thing, but just spewing hatred towards the sitting president.  Mitch McConnell famously stated Reds’ “single goal … is to make Obama a one-term president,” a strategy lauded and precisely copied by Blues now.

If you don’t believe me, hey, watch any news you like, legacy or internet.  The polls are right, as they were in 2010.  The Dems had no counter to the Tea Party hate-fest, just as Reds have no counter to The Resistance, and its No Kings! and Hands Off! rallies.

Because the voters don’t care about accomplishments when they vote, only hate, actually doing what you promised makes no difference.  Again, look below at what Obama did, and nonetheless 31 million, almost half, of his voters, stayed home.  So Reds will look at what Trump did, and half of them will decide Epstein and supermarket prices give them an excuse to likewise bow out.

Dems are wisely putting forward NO national leader, depriving Reds of a target for their ire (Dems’ wiseguys want Newsom and Mondami to shut up). So their strategy of offering zero plans to do anything, but instead relentlessly pushing Blue voters’ juiced-up hate buttons, is what constitutes the winning strategy in the American electorate in the internet age.  I believe THAT is the death of Democracy, not the “autocracy!” or “socialism!” of either of the opposing programs.

RIP.

* National, 69,498,516 in 2008 vs

38,980,192 in 2010, or 56.09%

In FL, 2,247,799 in 2010, vs

4,282,074 in 2008, or 52.49%.

Remarkably, this is original research.  Not only did no one else care to do it, but I had to ask Gemini five different questions to get the four totals, and do the percentages myself.

**For Obama,

• American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) 787 billion:
• Automotive Industry Bailout, to General Motors and Chrysler to prevent their collapse.
• Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act: Passed in July 2010, increasing oversight of financial institutions, creating the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to protect consumers from predatory financial practices, and implementing the “Volcker Rule” to restrict banks from engaging in certain kinds of risky trading.
• Affordable Care Act (ACA): Signed into law in March 2010,
• Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act: Signed just days after his inauguration in January 2009, this act made it easier for people to sue for pay discrimination.
• Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Repeal Act: In December 2010.
• Expanded Children’s Health Insurance Program (S-CHIP): to cover millions more uninsured children.
• Executive Orders: On his first day in office, Obama signed executive orders to close the Guantanamo Bay detention camp (though it remained open due to congressional opposition) and to ban the use of torture by U.S. interrogators.
• Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr., Hate Crimes Prevention Act: expanded federal hate crime law to include crimes based on a victim’s actual or perceived gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability.

When Barack Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009, he had been in office for less than a year. The prize was not given for specific peace treaties or deals, but rather “for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples.” The committee highlighted several key points:

• His promotion of a world without nuclear weapons, which led to the New START treaty with Russia in 2010.
• His support for multilateral diplomacy and the role of international institutions like the United Nations.
• His outreach to the Muslim world, notably his speech in Cairo in June 2009.
• His efforts to re-engage with nations that had been estranged from the U.S.

The award was seen as an encouragement for his future diplomatic endeavors, rather than a recognition of past accomplishments. These became:

• The New START Treaty (2010): A major arms control treaty with Russia that committed both countries to reduce their deployed strategic nuclear warheads and bombs. It replaced the previous START I treaty and aimed to enhance U.S. national security by placing verifiable limits on Russian intercontinental-range nuclear weapons.
• The Iran Nuclear Deal (2015): Formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), this landmark accord was reached between Iran, the P5+1 (the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany), and the European Union. In exchange for sanctions relief, Iran agreed to dismantle key parts of its nuclear program and allow for extensive international inspections. The goal was to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
• Normalization of Relations with Cuba (2014-2016): After more than 50 years of hostility, Obama’s administration initiated the “Cuban thaw,” which restored full diplomatic relations with Cuba. This included reopening embassies, easing travel and trade restrictions, and removing Cuba from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism. Obama became the first sitting U.S. president to visit Cuba in nearly 90 years.
• The Paris Agreement on Climate Change (2015): The United States played a key role in the formation of this global agreement, which was adopted by nearly 200 countries. It set ambitious goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to the effects of climate change.

For Trump,

The One Big Beautiful Bill: This comprehensive bill, signed into law in July 2025, is described as the largest tax cut in American history.

• Significant tax cuts for middle- and working-class families.
• No federal tax on tips, overtime, or Social Security.
• A permanent increase to the Child Tax Credit.
• Funding for border security, including finishing the border wall and hiring more ICE and Border Patrol agents.
• An expansion of domestic oil and gas production.

• GENIUS Act: Signed in July 2025, this law establishes a federal regulatory system for stablecoins,
• The Laken Riley Act: immigration enforcement and border security.
• Economy and Financial Regulation:
  • An executive order that paves the way for 401(k) accounts to include alternative assets like private equity and cryptocurrency.
  • A deregulatory initiative aimed at government efficiency and reducing red tape.
  • Executive orders that modify reciprocal tariffs and address trade deals.
• Immigration and Border Security:
  • The administration has focused on border enforcement, resulting in a record low number of illegal immigrant encounters at the southern border.
  • Executive orders have been signed to terminate benefits for undocumented immigrants and to protect U.S. benefit programs for citizens.
• Energy and Environment:
  • The administration has repealed green energy tax credits and promoted the expansion of domestic oil and gas production.
  • Executive orders have been issued to bolster the nuclear energy industry and streamline the permitting process for new energy infrastructure.
• Social and Cultural Issues:
  • The administration has issued executive orders on education, including ending what it refers to as “radical indoctrination” in K-12 schooling.
  • Executive orders have been signed to define sex as strictly male or female in federal policy and to end the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy for the military.
  • An executive order was issued to preserve a diverse range of college sports and address the issue of third-party payments to collegiate athletes.
• Foreign Policy:
  • The administration withdrew the United States from the World Health Organization (WHO).
  • Trump has secured an agreement for NATO members to raise defense spending to 5% of GDP.
  • He has also authorized actions demolishing Iran’s nuclear program and has been involved in brokering ceasefires between various nations.

What international peace deals did Trump facilitate in 2025?

The most prominent are a historic peace deal signed on August 8, 2025, between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The two nations’ leaders, hosted at the White House, signed a joint declaration to end decades of conflict over the Nagorno-Karabakh region. As part of this agreement, a major transit corridor through Armenian territory, known as the “Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity,” was established to connect Azerbaijan with its exclave of Nakhchivan.

The administration has also been involved in several other diplomatic efforts:

• A ceasefire between Israel and Iran was brokered in June 2025. This deal followed heightened tensions and was mediated with the assistance of Qatar.
• A peace agreement between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo was signed in June 2025, aimed at ending a decades-long conflict in eastern Congo.
• The U.S. has also mediated a ceasefire between India and Pakistan, though the extent of the administration’s influence on that agreement has been debated.
• In the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the administration has been engaged in diplomatic efforts to secure a ceasefire. President Trump is scheduled to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska to discuss a potential peace deal, though a permanent resolution has not yet been reached.

In addition, inflation has been low, the stock market has hit historic highs, and his Trade War has had minimal effect on prices while encouraging hundreds of billions of dollars in domestic investments.

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