Right from the Middle: Why Democrats face Midterm election losses

By William O. Lipinski

William O. Lipinski former Congressman

Many people, Democrats, Republicans, Independents, Liberals, and Conservatives ask me why the Democrats are facing potential heavy losses in the upcoming midterm elections.

I believe the Democrats will lose the U.S. house, and very possibly the US Senate in November’s elections. And there are a lot of reasons, I explain to those who ask.

Democrats seem to have no interest in securing our borders.

Many Democrat Party leaders have supported the idea of decriminalizing unauthorized border crossings. Some Democratic leaders advocate amnesty for all illegal aliens and want to grant them a fast, path to citizenship and voting rights.

Voting at polling place. Photo courtesy Unseen Histories on Unsplash

The overwhelming majority of Americans hold President Biden and the Democrats in Washington responsible for the worst inflation we have experienced in forty years.

Inflation at the present time is world-wide, but economists estimate that the Democrats’ $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan has added two to four points to America’s inflation.

Progressive Democrat activists and some Democrat elected officials have supported and demanded the teaching of critical race theory in our K-12 schools.

To most educators the teaching of critical race theory is just another attempt to divide Americans by advocating America is a racist society.

Most Americans hold President Biden and the Democrats responsible for the humiliating and chaotic U.S. military retreat from Afghanistan, and for the Americans who lost their lives in the closing days of that retreat.

Democrats in Washington and on the local level are viewed as being soft on crime.

Many Democrat prosecutors are viewed as being more interested in getting criminals out of jail then putting them in. They seem to be concerned more about the rights of the criminals rather than the rights of the victims or of the public.

Democrats don’t seem to understand the first order of business for government is to keep its citizens safe and secure.

According to a recent Gallup poll, 55 percent of Americans now say they worry a great deal about crime, particularly in Democrat majority big cities.

And last, but certainly not least among the issues of concern, is that Democrats have been very strong supporters of racial preferences in education and hiring, which is viewed by many as unfair and denies equal rights to some.

Yet in a survey conducted in March of 10,000 respondents asking the questions “What should matter for college admissions?” respondents overwhelmingly said they favored academic achievement over race and gender.

Nearly three of four said race or ethnicity should not be a factor in admissions that included 59 percent of African Americans, 68 percent of Hispanics, 63 percent of Asians, and 62 percent of Democrats.

With all these issues breaking against them, the Midterm elections will be a very difficult uphill fight to victory for Democrats.

(William O. Lipinski served in Congress representing the 5th and 3rd Congressional District from 1982 until 2005. Email Bill at [email protected]. This column originally appeared in the Des Plaines Valley News newspaper group.)

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William Lipinski

William Oliver Lipinski is a former U.S. Representative from the State of Illinois. He served as the Democratic Committeeman from the Chicago 23rd Ward from 1975 and as Alderman of the Ward until he was elected to the Congress in 1982.

Lipinski writes the "Right from the Middle" Column twice each month.

Born in Chicago, Cook County, Ill and graduated fromSt. Patrick High School, Chicago, Ill., 1956; attended Loras College, Dubuque, Iowa, 1956-1957; United States Army Reserves, 1961-1967.

Lipinski was elected alderman, Chicago, Ill., city council, 1975-1982; He was a delegate to: the Democratic National Midterm Convention, 1974; Democratic National Convention, 1976 and 1984; Illinois state Democratic convention, 1977.

He was elected as a Democrat to the Ninety-eighth and to the ten succeeding Congresses (January 3, 1983-January 3, 2005)

His email is [email protected]

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