A Midterm Intervention.

• Author: Durst, Will
• Position: OFF THE MAP

It's such a hoary old chestnut, the phrase should be roasting on an open fire. We hear it over and over, leading up to every even-numbered November, from any politician sniffing to be an officeholder: "This is the most important election of our lifetime." The big difference is, this time they may be right.

If indicators hold true and the elections are fair, the Democrats should retake the House of Representatives. The Senate is bit of a stretch, although possibly attainable. Victory in either chamber would allow new committee chairs to initiate investigations and rein in our current President's more despicable impulses. Bring the chaos down to a dull roar. Then again, if the elections aren't fair, you might want to finish that application at the Canadian immigration website bookmarked on your computer.

Despite the corruption in the White House being so large it can be seen from space, the former New York City real estate developer is predicting ... a Red Wave. He continues to insist his administration is a "smooth-running machine," which certainly sounds better than "out-of-control dumpster fire," but appears to be a little less apt. These are not elections. They're an intervention.

A certain reluctance to go to the polls is understandable. Many people are afraid they may be struck by the vast amounts of partisan sludge being flung about. And yes, we know all the axioms: "If voting were actually effective, they would have made it illegal by now." "There ain't a dime's worth of difference between the lot of them." "The only time you can believe a politician is when he calls his opponent a liar."

But this is different. The Republicans have successfully used this guy to cloak their basest instincts: racism, greed, xenophobia, misogyny, lust for power, and a disregard for the health of the poor and the environment. He hasn't ruined the Republican Party, he lifted the rock they were hiding under.

That is why we need to live and die for November 6. Eat and breathe for November 6. Hope and pray and steal and cheat for November 6. It could be our final stand. A high-stakes, last-ditch effort. This isn't brain surgery. It's more...