{"id":45282,"date":"2026-07-28T21:29:28","date_gmt":"2026-07-29T02:29:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/huewhite.com\/umb\/?p=45282"},"modified":"2026-07-28T21:29:28","modified_gmt":"2026-07-29T02:29:28","slug":"the-2026-senate-campaign-updates-29","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/huewhite.com\/umb\/2026\/07\/28\/the-2026-senate-campaign-updates-29\/","title":{"rendered":"The 2026 Senate Campaign: Updates"},"content":{"rendered":"

THEY’RE NOT CHESS PIECES, ALTHOUGH SOME WOULD LOOK GOOD CARVED OUT OF WOOD<\/strong><\/p>\n

President Trump, in his desperation to treat Republican Senators like his personal chess set, may be dooming his midterm results, instead.<\/p>\n

Trump on Wednesday told rally-goers in Georgia to \u201ccall John Thune\u201d over the Senate GOP\u2019s inability to pass a partisan election bill, known as the SAVE America Act, and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Thursday said the president\u2019s patience with the South Dakota Republican is \u201crunning out.\u201d<\/p>\n

But if Trump\u2019s rhetoric is meant to drive Republican voters to the polls this fall \u2014 and some allies believe it will only increase ahead of November \u2014 it does little to change the reality in the Senate, where the SAVE America Act still doesn\u2019t have the votes to pass. Instead, many Republicans on Thursday came to their leader\u2019s defense, acknowledging an unwinnable standoff between the president and their 53-seat majority.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis idea that he can just command members of the Republican conference to get in line is just a fantasy. So I think it\u2019s unfair,\u201d said Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), who ran against Thune for majority leader in 2024 and then lost his primary to a Trump-endorsed challenger earlier this year. \u201cI don\u2019t know who it was that sold the president on this idea, that this was obtainable, but it\u2019s creating a circular firing squad for Republicans.\u201d [Politico<\/strong><\/a>]<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"\"<\/a>President Trump may view this as a matter of political survival. If the Democrats win Congress, he may believe they’ll impeach him, and, if so, a conviction in the Senate would result not only in his being barred from the Presidency, but also in the resumption of legal proceedings against him at both State and Federal levels, up to and including imprisonment. Furthermore, investigations may resume, and if the rest of his family has been involved in nefarious deeds in the pursuit of money, they, too, could find their freedoms endangered.<\/p>\n

But let’s take this a bit further. As a self-proclaimed billionaire, he’s made it clear that he views himself as a superior human who shouldn’t be subject to the same rules as us mere hoi-polloi<\/a><\/em>. Now, it’s not unknown for folks to band together around some shared characteristic, even when they don’t like certain members of the group, because they view that shared characteristic as more important than their personal dislikes.<\/p>\n

It’s not unlikely that such a group, bonded by their immense wealth, would become very concerned if Trump’s freedoms were endangered, because that would imply their own vulnerability to government restrictions. What would happen then? Open warfare? Covert warfare? Assassinations?<\/p>\n

And will any of this elaborate conspiracy theory occur? I still see the Democrats flipping the House; their chances in the Senate are much less, and even if they do take the Senate, persuading enough Republicans to convict their President seems unlikely, as Tillis, Cassidy, and Cornyn will have been replaced, although listing their replacements could lead to some interesting scenarios.<\/p>\n

But, in general, GOP<\/strong> Senators are becoming quite unhappy with the President. The President may be forced into unexpected concessions under threat from GOP<\/strong> Senators post-election. The horse-trading may become a spectacular sport.<\/p>\n

FUTURE REALITIES HANGING OVER THEIR HEADS<\/strong><\/p>\n

All of which leads up to the dawning realization among the GOP<\/strong> faithful that their understanding of the American world is perhaps not up to snuff.<\/p>\n

Republican pollsters and political groups are raising the alarm that their party faces a listless and demotivated base ahead of November\u2019s midterm elections.<\/p>\n

A raft of discouraging data from polling, door knocking and focus groups is unsettling Republicans as their party heads into a midterm election season that would be challenging no matter what, given President Donald Trump\u2019s low standing in polls and the fact that the party in control in Washington almost always loses seats.<\/p>\n

The lack of enthusiasm is reaching deep into Republicans\u2019 loyal base, spreading to the party\u2019s most consistent voters \u2014 who have shown up to vote in all of the past four primaries and general elections, according to an analysis done by Americans for Prosperity Action, a conservative super PAC affiliated with billionaire Charles Koch. This new issue with the base adds to the party\u2019s more enduring problem of turning out less-frequent voters who support Trump but often skip midterm elections. [WaPo<\/strong><\/a>]<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The dangers of the epistemic bubble, eh, the mistake of talking only to ideologically similar folks? Yes, although the Democrats have problems of their own, such as immigration and autocratic inclinations.<\/p>\n

It’s far too late for new Parties supplanting the old, but maybe in 2028.<\/p>\n

AND NOW THE MAIN EVENT<\/strong><\/p>\n

Last week’s main event was held in Paris. Paris, Texas<\/a>. It was called the Ephemera Championships, and the trophy was constructed of solidified invisible ink.<\/p>\n