Amidst the understandable ebullience (Texas is Blue! Mississippi elected Colom!), I can’t help but be reminded that Donald J. Trump remains in the White House for another two years and almost two months (and a reminder, therefore, that all the damage he wrought to help bring on the Blue Wave was done in less time than he has left). It also seems worth remembering that, with the exception of the Big Beautiful Bill and a handful of other actions (like the recisions aimed at PBS), he did it all without Congressional action. I note this because losing Congress does not mean he has lost his ability to do damage.

On the one hand, yes, he has lamely been focused on home improvement projects, often displaying all the energy of a great-grandpa showing his great-grandson his shot glass collection.

On the other hand, there is the following:

1. His first major decision after the midterms was to appoint Stephen Miller as Chief of Staff.
2. He did not choose, as some pundits predicted, to throw Hegseth under the bus as an offering to God of Those Mad About the War.
3. His AG is making preemptive threats against Congress should they engage in their constitutional power of oversight. See Axios: Trump’s AG won’t rule out prosecuting Democrats who threaten to investigate.
4. The House Republican caucus decided that they should be led by Freedom Caucus attack dog, and man who fears jackets, Jim Jordan.
5. Trump resumed election denialism after his initial low-energy acceptance of the results. Via NBC News: Trump casts doubt on election results after saying he was ‘absolutely willing’ to accept them.

As has been the case with the Trump era, all of the above happened in less than a week (and I am probably forgetting something).

This is not to say that the election results were anything other than remarkable, and indeed were a massive electoral repudiation of Trump’s second term. I am optimistic that the massive shift in House and Senate control will embolden Democrats to act, but I continually must caution that they are limited in what they can proactively do. Even as a lot of the chattering class cautions against not going too hard on the accountability side of the ledger, I must remind everyone that that is precisely where they have the most leeway to actually act.

I think that the main way that Congress can assert its power is to demonstrate, as best it can, to the American people what an utterly corrupt and incompetent administration this is. The ultimate goal has to be a trifecta in 2029 with a real reform and repair agenda.

There will be some chances to try and put fiscal pressure on the White House, but I would remind everyone that this administration is also clearly willing to move money around, even if they lack the authority to do so.

And while I hope that certain key bills will be sent to his desk for veto and messaging, it must be understood that it is unlikely that anything major will be passed and signed into law. Maybe there are some items he will allow to go into law without his signature, but we shall see.

I am hopeful about 2028, mostly because I do not think that the underlying economic concerns of the populace will be fixed, and Trump, as president, will continue to get the lion’s share of the blame. Further, I expect there to be continued, ongoing chaos generated from the Oval Office (including the aforementioned home improvement projects, which really show his true priorities), and much of the public only tolerates that nonsense if the economy is good. I also expect, due to his massive ego, that he will end up sabotaging the GOP primary process the way he sabotaged the midterms: by making it about himself. Worse (for Republicans), he is going to want one more glorious round of The Apprentice to choose the next nominee. And never forget: the star of The Apprentice was Trump, not the apprentice.

Still, while there is a lot to be optimistic about (not to mention, I think, over-the-top hopes, like the notion that Texas is going to stay blue, that Mississippi is a blueprint to win in the South, or that there is some massive lesson about candidate selection to be had that will keep the Dems dominant–more on all of that at some point), let’s not forget that he remains in power, and Stephen Miller is in his ear.

I suppose my most optimistic view is this: the Dems have a foundation to hold (and maybe even expand) Senate control in 2028. Since I think a Democratic president is the likely outcome in 2028, holding the House should follow as well (but it will not shock me if some of the close races that went D this time go R next time, owing to it being a presidential contest). I am not making a bet, but rather noting that I think that fundamental political atmosphere that is shaping up for 2028 is likely to produce a Democratic trifecta starting in January of 2029.

From there, I have some hope that defeats in 2026 and 2028 will lead to MAGA being seen as a losing proposition heading into 2032. I would remind everyone that parties in the US only have clear leaders when they have presidential nominees (which is what the Dems are going to appear leaderless, because they are), and even then the power of those leaders to shape their parties only fully accrues when they win the presidency.

All of that is to say, I think we have a while to deal with MAGA and its remnants (think, for example, how the Freedom Caucus and the QAnon types are the legacy of the Tea Party).

One still hopes that if there is enough losing, the GOP elites will rethink their approach. Maybe.

Although, by the same token, the election of so many key females and persons of color (GA, TX, NM, MS, MI, etc.) may cause a deepening of white nationalism on the right. I think this is a real concern. There is definitely a scenario wherein the right doubles down on, rather than abandons, the basics of MAGA.

Remember too: Trump has caused a substantial amount of damage, none of which was reversed by the Blue Wave last week, and he still has a long time to do even more damage.

So, yes, last week was as good as the news could have been if one is opposed to MAGA and the direction it has taken the country, but it was the start of a long process, not the end state.

At a minimum: I am finding some of the discussion of how this all of the end of Trumpism to be premature. That is simplistic and lazy thinking/“analysis.” Even under the best circumstances, we are going to be dealing with the consequences of this administration for quite some time. And, again: he still has roughly 26 months to deepen the damage.