During the 2022 midterm elections, Republicans ran—as usual—on the basis of hate and fear.  And Democrats—as usual—ran as on the basis of cowardice and naivety. 

On June 24, when six Right-wing Justices on the Supreme Court finally banned legalized abortion, Democrats believed they had a sure issue-winner come November.

But in the months since then, momentum has steadily swung to the Republicans. They have blamed President Joe Biden—and Democrats generally—for the following:

• Inflation;
• Crime;
• Illegal immigration.

While all of these have proven popular with voters, they reveal a tide of ignorance and unrealism among the electorate. Consider:

Inflation: This is a worldwide problem, not simply an American one. Some of this can be blamed on the continuing COVID-19 pandemic. But another reason is simply old-fashioned corporate greed—and the refusal of the Federal Government to attack it.

According to the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA): From May to August, corporate profit margins were the widest since the 1950s. During the second quarter of 2022 companies continued jacking up prices. This pushed inflation to a 40-year high at the expense of workers and consumers. 

“We can argue until the cows come home about the cause of inflation,” writes Chris Becker, senior economist at the Groundwork Collaborative. “But we can’t lose sight of the basic moral point that it is outrageous that corporations are seeing skyrocketing profits while purchasing power for so many American households is declining.”

The Justice Department could deal with this through RICO—the Racketeer Influenced Corrupt Organizations Act. Corporations guilty of extortion—such as those that have priced insulin out of the reach of most Americans—could be prosecuted for extortion.

That would not only bring prices down but serve as a warning for future greed-fueled corporations.  

But it takes more than laws to protect the citizens of a nation; it takes prosecutorial courage to enforce those laws. And in Attorney General Merrick Garland, that courage is pathetically lacking.

Republicans claim to have a “plan” for turning around this situation. Yet they have repeatedly voted against:

• Cheaper gas
• Cheaper insulin
• Cheaper prescription drugs
• Stimulus checks
• Child tax credits

In November, 2017, Donald Trump and a Republican-dominated House and Senate rammed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 through Congress.

According to Chye-Ching Huang, Director of Federal Fiscal Policy, the law:  

• Encouraged rampant tax avoidance and gaming that undermines the integrity of the tax code.
• Left behind low- and moderate-income Americans.
• Cut the corporate tax rate from 35% to 21%.
• Allowed multinational corporations’ foreign profits to go largely untaxed.
• Benefitted overwhelmingly wealthy shareholders and highly paid executives.

Yet poor and middle-class Americans remain ignorant of this and believe Republicans truly care about them.

One symptom of inflation that especially infuriates Americans: High prices for gas.

In October, Saudi Arabia and Russia steered a group of oil-producing countries in voting to slash oil production by two million barrels per day. OPEC wants to prop up oil prices as global demand slows down. 

Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud

Kremlin.ru, CC BY 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0&gt;, via Wikimedia Commons

The Biden administration tried to persuade OPEC countries to not cut oil output. But Saudi Arabia—the biggest member of the oil-producing cartel—refused.

Some commentators believe that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was primarily responsible for this. Biden had once pledged to treat Salman as a “pariah” after the brutal murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. 

Yet there is nothing Biden can do—short of invading Saudi Arabia and taking control of its oil fields.

(President Donald Trump said the United States should have done this after it invaded Iraq.)

Crime: According to the Pew Research Center: Around six-in-10 registered voters (61%) say violent crime is very important when making their decision about who to vote for in this year’s congressional elections.

The Bureau of Justice Statistics, however, reports no recent increase in the U.S. violent crime rate. The FBI also estimates that there was no increase in the violent crime rate in 2021.

There has been a record number of mass shootings in the United States—622 by October. But while Republicans rail against violent crime, they consistently block all efforts to curb the sale of semi-automatic weaponry to anyone who wants it.

AR-15 Rifle

Moreover, while Federal law enforcement agencies—especially the FBI—receive major news coverage, most crime occurs at the local level. The Federal Government has no role to play in it—unless the violation occurs on Federal property or involves a Federal official. 

Illegal Immigration: For Republicans, illegal aliens come exclusively from Central and Latin American countries.

Yet David DePape, who assaulted Paul Pelosi, the husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, is a Canadian who overstayed his visa. 

According to the latest report from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), overstayers numbered more than 500,000 in 2020. They represent up to 40% of the total illegal alien population. 

Moreover, dealing with illegal alien invasions is a problem that confronts every President, Republican and Democrat.

President Barack Obama was often attacked by immigration groups as the “Deporter in Chief.” Between 2009 and 2015, his administration removed more than 2.5 million people through immigration orders.

According to government data, the Obama administration deported more people than any other  administration in history.

Yet, for Republicans, “the crisis at the border” will always remain a rallying cry—as long as it’s aimed at Hispanics.