TAT readers,
Well, the midterms are finally here and with all of the anticipation, anxiety, fear and most importantly, hope among our voting citizens. At least there’s hope for those of us not under the spell of Republican conspiracy theories, bizarre and unconstitutional applications of our constitution, hate for their fellow Americans and yes, always with Russian influence operations supporting them. I’ve covered all of this in-depth since beginning this publication however, today is about where our heads need to be, especially until January 3rd, 2027 when the 120th congress is sworn in. Although I am not big on predictions, I foresee plenty of chaos until the dust settles from today’s electoral outcomes. Today’s essay is about staying the course despite all the obstructions the GOP throws in our way, regarding everything from more of the GOP’s frivolous lawsuits to aggressive tactics typical of the current regime. “Stay frosty” my friends.
Stay Frosty "To be alert and ready for action, without letting one's fear or other emotions get in the way (military, slang)" - Power Thesaurus
As of this writing on the eve of election day, we still do not know the results and considering all of the “election rigging” the GOP has done over the past 30 years or so, we must be ready for multiple outcomes, no matter how rosy things appear in the polls. In military planning, a long, detailed and laborious process, we plan for three outcomes of our strategy or planning; 1. the worst case scenario, 2. continuing the status quo and 3. the best possible outcome. The GOP has most of the large-scale advantages except one, the inexhaustible energy of true patriots defending our republic. Outside of the Civil War, Americans have always united to fend off our enemies, both foreign and domestic. I have always held the conviction that among honest American citizens, there is a line that cannot be crossed by authoritarians, oligarchs or foreign adversaries. Trump and today’s GOP are a combination of all three. The GOP crossed that line on inauguration day last year. Today they’ll find out that their fake-patriotism isn’t up to the task of retaining power over a free people.
Today I will talk more about numbers 1 and 3 today because number 2, the “status quo” is no longer in the cards. We are now at the point that things cannot remain the same without serious upheaval. Our republic will not survive another two years with Republicans in charge of all three branches of government. Regardless of how Republican candidates have run away from Trump and the administration towards the end of this election cycle, please remember that not one of them has demonstrated a spine when it comes to standing up to Trump and the oligarch class while congress is in session. Since January 20th, 2025 the GOP-led congress has legislated, billionaires have financed and all too often, The Chief Justice John Roberts SCOTUS has adjudicated the conversion of our republic into the The four horsemen of the MAGA Apocalypse: Autocracy, Oligarchy, Christian Nationalism and Political Violence.
I’ll begin with number 1, “the worst case scenario.” First and foremost, I don’t foresee any widespread violence, something that many have been concerned about for months. As for small acts, there is definitely a potential for this, especially at or near polling stations. Recently, there have been a few reports of ICE and other Immigration thugs haunting early voting sites. This is expressly in violation of US and state laws, largely because this is correctly seen as voter intimidation. ICE and their merry band of thugs may attempt other types of voter intimidation such as targeting those leaving polling sites, but based on how federal courts have been treating the GOP of late, they stand more to lose than could be gained by intimidating a few others from voting. Of course, most republicans will whine incessantly about the non-existent voter fraud and undocumented voters voting, but any sane person already knows that those statistics are nearly as rare as unicorns.
The history of noncitizen voting "Until Trump raised the issue, voting by noncitizens had never been a major factor in campaigns. According to an April article in The New York Times, nationally, “The Heritage Foundation’s database of documented cases of voter fraud includes 100 cases of noncitizens voting from 1982 to 2025. That is about 0.000008% of more than 1.3 billion votes cast in presidential elections during that time.” (Note that The Heritage Foundation is a conservative think tank often supporting Trump’s positions.)" - Why do so few noncitizens try to vote? - Brookings Institute - Elaine Kamarck - July 23, 2026
Late reporting shows that at least seven states have deployed National Guard troops to support midterm election integrity, albeit in quiet, mostly behind the scenes roles that they have provided in the past, such as cybersecurity support. Cybersecurity has been a significant concern for this election considering that now expanded AI use could present unique and formerly unaddressed vulnerabilities. So far though, there are no specific large-scale threats being discussed in the cyber threat-scape however, I am holding my breath while being wary of unforeseen surprises. This is remarkable because last year, the administration cut roughly 1/3 of CISA, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s workforce. CISA is the component of DHS responsible for warning about cyber threats originating from both domestic and foreign bad actors. At the time, Trump also demanded that the US national security community cease cyber operations against Russia, our primary election threat. I will keep my ears attuned to any interesting developments along these lines.
One of my two primary concerns for a “worst case” scenario actually revolves around Trump and the GOP’s primary weapon of choice, our court system and severely compromised DOJ. Don’t forget that after the 2020 election, Trump and his cronies lost all but one of the 62 specious lawsuits they filed disputing multiple issues with the election, he still laughably claims to have won. DOJ and an army of subservient Republican allied lawyers, are already teed up to file any and all ridiculous lawsuits typical of any MAGA-era campaign. So far, they have lost most election related cases they have filed regarding the current midterm election.
My second main concern is that the administration and GOP candidates will refuse to accept the results, should they lose as badly as many believe. There are countless lawsuits against the DOJ for frivolous prosecutions against Trump’s perceived enemies. Then there’s the ever-growing habit of the administration simply ignoring court orders. Our DOJ no longer works for the American people, and has become nothing more than the Praetorian Guard for Trump, the Cabinet and most Republican legislators. Should the GOP lose either the House of Representatives (predicted) or both the Senate and the House, the currently infamous FBI director, Kash Patel and DOJ under equally infamous Todd Blanche will become tools of obstruction for seating the new congress or attempting to invalidate the results of the midterms. Should this occur, their obstruction would likely be short-lived but it provides Trump and others the time to implement other options.
I often read or hear many claiming that there will be no chance of violence or that the losing GOP candidates for office wouldn’t engage in such activities, to which I heartily disagree. We all watched what occurred on and prior to January 6th’s violent insurrection orchestrated by then president Trump. Now that he controls all three branches of government, he will be even more emboldened to use the only tactics he knows, intimidation and violence. Herein lies an opportunity for a full-blown constitutional crisis. While that I rate such a crisis at low odds, I refuse to fully discount that such activities could occur. Considering the mood of our nation at the moment, I cannot imagine voters standing quietly by and allowing such a circumstance to persist.
Another critical element should Trump and those in his party who lose this election won’t have, is the military to do their dirty work. I have no doubt that current leadership would not support such a coup. Let’s be real, Trump knows that he must have republican top cover in the new congress, to survive politically for the next two years. A Democratic majority plus most independents in congress, will make the next two years hell for those still in power and formerly, such as Kristi Noem and Pam Bondi etc. who have publicly and regularly ignored our laws. I have no empathy for any of them. This thought provides an appropriate segue to the final section, what comes next.
The next congress
If control of the House of Representatives shifts to the left side of the aisle, investigations will ensue and a lot of them, up to and including impeachments. Adding the Senate to a House majority offers leverage even though there is no chance of sitting the 60 Democratic or Independent senators required to pass legislation, except with the employment of dramatic parliamentary rule changes such as “going nuclear.” In extreme situations such as most of this presidency, the left just may reach for the nuclear option as needed, just to restore a functioning government. Both parties have done so in the past. In any normal administration with a functioning DOJ, there would be little to no reason to force legislation, but here we are. If tools exist to break partisan logjams on issues of national security, so be it.
No matter what occurs after this election, our nation will struggle to move forward across the board. Logjams, roadblocks, frivolous lawsuits etc. will become the price of stopping or severely limiting the debilitating agenda of the Republican Party and the White House. America is already in deep trouble from a national security perspective, economic perspective or any other for that matter. To make things worse, Trump and the GOP have left us nearly devoid of allies. This is a whole topic by itself but far too much to delve into with this essay. Very little will get done in the 120th congress other than stopping the bleeding.
Last but not least
“Stopping the bleeding” will not be enough for many in the resistance. I distinctly recall how impatient so many were with the Biden administration. Their expectations were unreasonable. When nations are being dismantled, stripped of their wealth and national security, the repair work after the bleeding is beyond difficult to imagine for most. I realize that most of our media has done a poor job of reporting the depth of dysfunction within the Trump/GOP administration. Most have no or little idea how much must be rebuilt concurrent with the investigations, fighting back against more criminality and treason etc. It will require a super-human task that cannot be achieved in the next two years. It is irresponsible to expect miracles of a new congress under fire. Even during the Biden administration the left screamed bloody murder demanding justice for Trump’s first term quickly. Let’s be far more reasonable this time or risk another fascist administration in 2028.
I am not suggesting that we don’t push the new congress for results but for heaven’s sake, don’t tear them down for not being super heroes. Instead, support their efforts, raise issues, listen and learn about the complexities of achieving results in our hyper-partisan nation. In the meantime, prospect for candidates, help your states reverse the 20 plus years of Republican voter suppression laws, gerrymandering, unnecessary voting requirement and so on.
More than anything else, vote with your wallet as well. The GOP could have never acquired the power they’ve had this past decade, unless it was deeply funded by the most un-American of oligarchs and other billionaires. Support ending Citizens United, campaign finance transparency and all required to put our republic back into working order. The sooner we unite for this purpose, the sooner we have prepared for our future. Democracy is a team sport that all must participate in. The more that do, the better. That’s the American way.
Godspeed massive resistance victories.
Paul