In electoral politics, it is usually the party no longer in power that promises that a victory will end the rule of an unpopular majority in Congress or a president.
The usual message from a minority party in a midterm election is that it should be elected to serve as a check on the president. The message of checks and balances has inherent appeal for many voters because the system of checks and balances between the three branches of government is ingrained in America’s national DNA.
In modern American electoral politics, one party’s control of the federal government is never popular for very long. Our system of governance is supposed to be representative of all voices. So when one set of votes becomes too dominant, voters tend to back off to restore balance.
What is very strange is that the ruling party is trying to maintain its majority not by touting its achievements in developing a vision for the future, but rather by promising that its power will end if it loses, which is exactly what those trying to defeat it seek.
It’s a bizarre and counterproductive argument, but it’s one that Republicans have settled on.
Mike Johnson appears to be trying to lose the midterm elections, as you’ll see below.