The Pendulum Always Sways... or Does It?

The belief in the United States is the balance of political power will always be present. Throughout our history, the opposing party has never been "wiped out" so bad in an election that their party's future is destroyed. Just take a look at my lifetime:

1. Republicans won solid majorities in the early 2000's and the White House in 2004

2. Democrats won supermajorities in both chambers and the White House in 2008

3. Republicans won majorities in the House in 2010, Senate in 2014, and held all 3 in 2016

4. Democrats won back the House in 2018 and hold a narrow majority in 2020

5. Early indicators on the 2022 midterms seem to have Republicans roaring back to power in 2 of the 3 chambers

This trend is not unusual. Despite the most popular Presidents in the US's history helping their party for sometimes 10-12 years (think FDR, Kennedy, Reagan), the opposing party comes back strong. 

I heard the phrase "don't worry, the pendulum always sways back." But will it? After all, future performance is not dictated by past results. When you look at politics over the past 13 years since the historic election of Barack Obama, the politic climate has polarized beyond any other point in our Nation's history. It is not sustainable.

Forget what you think about Obama and Trump's presidencies, both were egotistical figures who took control of their party. They were not just figureheads, they were the entire party. Dangerous to the future of democracy.

The Biden presidency is a disaster. Our economy is a mess, supply chain issues run amok, social issues are a major divide, foreign policy has no guidance, and COVID-19 runs rampant across the country as our President does not take questions from the media. This is undeniable as his ratings start to sink into the high 30's. 

But there is one factor that remains: despite the awful approval ratings, Democrats are holding strong in the mid 40's along with Republicans on the generic ballot. This is where our country faces our strongest challenge. The voters are dug in all the way. There are no more "swing voters" just demographic shifts and voting patterns changing. Most states (42-ish of 50) are voting for the same candidates election after election. This gridlock should be seen as a good thing as we are forced to work together to solve issues, but the opposite is happening and will continue to for the time being.

The pendulum will not always swing back. If we do not adjust how we look at our neighbors of opposing beliefs, one party will wipe out the other. At that point, our country is doomed and the world will soon follow. No one wins in a 1 party state, just ask the people Cuba, Venezuela, Russia, China, or North Korea.