Amidst all of the jubilation over the midterm results, I feel the need to be something of a dark cloud for the silver linings, because I think that there is a lot of over-reading what happened (to say nothing of confirming one’s priors). I have seen clips floating around social media where people are declaring this to be the “effective end of the Trump era,” and oh sweet summer child, no. Not even close.
Congressional leaders are already trotting out lines like they don’t want to “get even, but get things done,” which is part of America’s problem—not excusing past misdeeds because the “pendulum swung back,” they don’t want the same to happen to them once they’re out of power, and they are allergic to holding the rich and powerful to account, because they all believe that they are temporarily displaced billionaires who don’t want to be held to any higher standard once their ship comes in. And frankly, the “getting things done” is going to be a problem is they want to focus on affordability because there’s not a lot that Congress can do about it, and it could be a trap for themselves if they allow it to become their fault by over-promising and being unable to deliver.
"The American people don't want us to get even; they want us to get things done on their behalf."House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who is now poised to become the next House Speaker, says that Democrats will focus on affordability concerns and not retribution after their midterm wins.
The Democrats can't actually do much to lower prices. They can mobilize Congress to try to eliminate Trump's tariffs. But beyond that, by focusing exclusively on prices they are setting up a situation where votes come to see them as the problem in 2028. 1/2
— Emmett Macfarlane 🇨🇦 (@emmettmacfarlane.com) 2026-11-04T13:23:15.035Z
Why isn't there more rhetoric from them about recovering American democracy and the rule of law, and holding a lawless psychopath accountable? The midterms did NOT re-establish American democracy. Accountability would be the starting point.2/2
— Emmett Macfarlane 🇨🇦 (@emmettmacfarlane.com) 2026-11-04T13:24:24.859Z
A reminder that Obama is great at winning elections.Not so great at holding accountable the GOP.Not so great at party building to ensure progress could be defended.Time to hold the GOP accountable in a big big way, and one way to do that and follow his advice is to chase corruption.
— Steve Cookie Monster 🍪👹 (@smsaideman.bsky.social) 2026-11-04T12:49:54.368Z
This notion that American democracy was not restored is extremely important, because too many people are taking a victor lap right now. This is just the beginning of the fight, as Anne Applebaum lays out in this video. America is structurally broken. And frankly, nobody trusts that your next election cycle, you won’t go back to MAGA because all the Democrats stayed home because their candidates didn’t pass their purity tests sufficiently. You know, like what happened in 2024.
What was at stake – and what is at stake now www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofOn…
— Anne Applebaum (@anneapplebaum.wsocial.eu) 2026-11-04T11:18:49.443Z
Lots of Americans mistaking the starting line for a finish line today.
— Daniel Munro (@dkmunro.bsky.social) 2026-11-04T20:09:17.238Z
Are the kids out of cages?Have deportees been welcomed back?Are the people murdered in the Pacific resurrected?Is Venezuela’s oil returned?Is Russia’s diesel rejected?Is global aid restored?No? Put the party favours away and get back to work.
— Daniel Munro (@dkmunro.bsky.social) 2026-11-04T20:04:47.064Z
And then there are the voices in Canada, particularly conservative ones, who think that Carney’s whole Davos conception has now fallen apart, which is…frankly risible. Pierre Poilievre had a press conference where he essentially said that we just have to appeal to Americans’ better nature because they proved they hate tariffs, but that’s also nonsense because, well, they may say they hate tariffs, but they never seem to remove any. (He also doesn’t seem to understand that to Americans in this election, we were a punchline. That’s it). We’re not out of the woods yet. Not even close.
https://bsky.app/profile/stephaniecarvin.bsky.social/post/3mzism76t4s2j
Nor are the Democrats coming to save usEven in Progressive America, there is a fundamental underestimation of the damage done and global perception of the US. The world is way past ‘common ground’ solutions
— Lauren Dobson-Hughes (@ldobsonhughes.bsky.social) 2026-11-04T11:27:19.496Z
Ukraine Dispatch:
The death toll from the strike on Komyshuvakha earlier in the week has reached forty. Ukraine has hit another Ozon e-retailer logistics hub. There were clashes outside of a recruitment dorm in Kyiv after what appears to be a disinformation campaign circulated, claiming there was kidnapping and abuse happening.
Noteworthy:
- Here is the text of Anne Applebaum’s video about what was at stake in the midterms, and the work still to come.
- Stephen Saideman counsels lowered expectations on what Congress will do.
- Paul Wells is dubious about how much actually changes from the midterm results.
- Likewise, Justin Ling reminds us that America is still sick, and this election doesn’t change much.
- The Canadian Shield Institute ponders what should count as a Canadian company for procurement purposes, as much of the current rules are a branch plant economy.
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