Republicans Haven’t Learned a Damn Thing from Tuesday’s Election
A broken party, clinging to failure and incapable of change.
Earlier today, I was back on conservative media talking about Tuesday’s election results, and I was struck—again—by how the Republican I was debating hasn’t pivoted her stance on affordability (or any issue, really), despite the humiliating defeat of her own party this week. It was the same boring-ass talking points, and she wouldn’t even acknowledge that the economy is struggling right now.
I’ve said it before: any healthy political party would look at what happened Tuesday and recognize it as a complete and total repudiation of what the President and the Republican Congress have done over the last 10 months. A normal party would pivot. Tune in and get a pulse on what is actually happening in this country. They’d try to focus on stuff that actually helps people. Try to tell a different story. Try to meet the moment and meet their constituencies where they’re at.
But instead? They’re doubling down on the same stupid, racist, corrupt bullshit that got them here in the first place.
Instead of delivering real results—stuff that helps people put food on the table, buy a house, send their kids to college, retire with dignity, maybe even take a goddamn vacation—they’re digging in even harder.
You see it with the Islamophobic and xenophobic attacks on Zohran Mamdani. The person I debated basically said New York is going to become a socialist Muslim hellhole because of him. She said the left is going to get more violent because Jay Jones was elected Attorney General in Virginia. Give me a break.
Look—I’ve said before that what Jay Jones said was wrong. He shouldn’t have said it. But it damn sure wasn’t what Republicans are making it out to be. They’ve blown it up into something much worse. (And by the way, if Republicans really believe that what Jones said was so wrong, what does it say about what they’re doing that he won anyway?)
When Jay Jones faced that leak, he didn’t double down or hide behind talking points. He took accountability. He apologized. He said he’d do better—and he followed through. That matters. Because it shows what real values look like in action: not perfection, but the willingness to grow and correct course.
Meanwhile, Republicans only seem to remember their so-called “values” when they can weaponize them. They talk about “law and order” and “respect for America” but stayed silent when one of their own staff flew a defaced American flag—a swastika, a literal emblem of hate. They call themselves “pro-life” and “anti-violence” but said nothing when Melissa Hortman was targeted and killed; Trump didn’t even show up to her funeral. They lecture Democrats on morality but can’t muster the courage to hold their own accountable.
That’s the difference between a party trying to learn and a party too broken to change. Democrats, imperfect as we are, are at least still capable of reflection and renewal. Pelosi stepped aside to give way to a new generation of leadership in her district. Hakeem Jeffries listened to his own constituents and endorsed Zohran Mamdani. Jay Jones owned his mistake, and the voters rewarded him for it. That’s what growth looks like. That’s what leadership looks like.
And then there’s Trump. He’s suddenly talking more about affordability—but still refuses to acknowledge that his tariffs are making everything more expensive. He was on TV again today, straight-up lying, saying grocery prices are lower now than they were 10 months ago when he took office.
It’s a bald-faced lie.
Anyone balancing a household budget, anyone trying to get a job in this market, knows the economy is significantly worse than when Trump took over.
Here’s how I’ve described it: I don’t think the Biden economy was as good as Democrats made it out to be last cycle. If it were, we probably would’ve won in 2024—even with everything else going on.
Trump inherited a relatively contained fire—something we were close to putting out. We were getting back to a place where people could grow their net worth, take care of their families, and build meaningful lives of dignity.
And what did he do? He came in, dumped gasoline on it, and fanned the flames.
Now they’ve spent the last 10 months gaslighting the American people—telling them their lives are better. Telling them this is a golden age. MAGA influencers, White House staffers, all of them.
It’s ridiculous. And frankly, it’s insulting.
I’ve been doing this for two decades. I’ve worked on campaigns where we won big, and I’ve worked on campaigns where we got crushed.
And when we got beat in 2024, I didn’t bury my head in the sand or cling to the same stale talking points. I paused. Looked at the numbers. Took accountability. And then I tried to help build something better—something that actually resonates with and helps everyday people. That’s literally why Endless Urgency exists: because when you lose, you change. You listen. You grow.
And to their credit, the Democratic Party has—imperfectly, but meaningfully—tried to do that work. We’re learning. We’re getting better.
Republicans? They refuse. They cannot do it.
Why? Because the GOP is no longer a political party. It’s a personality cult. A one-man show run by a lame-duck, vengeful wannabe strongman named Donald J. Trump. If you speak out, he’ll hand you your pink slip in 2026.
Take Don Bacon from Nebraska. One of the only Republicans talking honestly about inflation. Now he’s done. Not running for re-election. That seat is wide open, and Democrats have a real shot to flip it.
And who’s the only other Republican calling out Trump on the economy?
Marjorie. Fucking. Taylor. Greene.
Watching her “go woke” has been wild. And yeah, I get it—it’s a cynical move. She’s mad she couldn’t run statewide in Georgia. She wants to run for president instead.
But the fact that she is reading the polls, recognizing how bad things are, and trying to reposition ahead of the rest of her party? That tells you everything you need to know.
Because behind closed doors, every Republican knows the truth. They know their constituents are struggling. They know this government shutdown is a disaster—for SNAP recipients, for federal workers, for travelers heading into the holidays.
They know all of it.
But they still won’t break ranks. Because if they do, Trump will destroy them.
But you know what’s worse? Abandoning the very people who entrusted them to protect their constitutional rights—to act in their best interests, to stand up for their freedoms, and to make the world a better place for their children.
Republicans have been living in fantasyland and have just reaped the consequences of their actions. And still, they’ve learned nothing.
Case in point: when I was on NewsNation the other night, mid-debate, a White House aide texted one of the anchors and said, “Nothing has changed in the country after this election.”
Are you kidding me?
That mindset is exactly why we have to keep fighting.
We should take a beat to celebrate—because winning these elections feels really good. And we should soak that in.
Lib out all you want this week.
But we’ve got work to do.
Because they’re not going to change—not before the midterms, maybe not even after—unless we force through consecutive electoral drubbings.
We have to keep building a better Democratic Party. Keep lifting up new leaders. Keep winning races.
We’ve got to stay focused on affordability, on security, on corruption. If we do that, we can take back the House. And I do believe we can take back the Senate in 2026.
That gets us one hand back on the wheel.
And then we can stop the tariffs. Stop the ICE raids. Stop the damage. Inject some actual accountability and transparency into this shitshow. And set ourselves up to take back the White House in 2028.
Because at the end of the day, this is what politics should be about: improving people’s lives.
With urgency,
—Mike
We're the only ones who need to learn to kick them out and make sure they stay out.
Wow... This post is fire! The old George Bernard Shaw saying is applicable here: If you think education is expensive, try ignorance. In this case, willful ignorance about the needs of their constituents. And all of this pain just to protect sex traffickers, pedophiles, and tax breaks for billionaires... Just sad.