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While polls and pundits are forecasting that Republicans will be stripped of their House majority by voters in five weeks, the Senate is still up for grabs, and the party could extend its control of the upper chamber for at least the remaining two years of President Donald J. Trump’s term.
But that may not be the case if GOP senators continue with their lethargy and shenanigans, not least being Senate Majority Leader John Thune’s running up the white flag on the SAVE America Act, giving up the ghost with nary a whimper.
Both Thune’s Senate and counterpart Mike Johnson’s House of Representatives have set a new standard for a “do nothing” Congress that may never be topped, giving little inspiration to the voters whom the GOP is going to desperately need to turn out in November to keep them in power.
In a stunning comment during a Fox News appearance earlier this week, the South Dakota Republican tried to extricate himself from his own failures by incredibly suggesting that the SAVE America Act wouldn’t matter anyway now that the public is ready to grab the pitchforks and torches over Trump’s decision to attack Iran, a regime change operation that not only failed to topple the Islamic Republic’s government but arguably made it stronger than it was before the missiles began raining down.
(Video: Fox News)
“It’s the price of diesel in places like Iowa and Kansas and Nebraska and the Midwest, Minnesota,” Thune told host Dana Perino when asked if passing voter ID would make a difference in the midterms. “And so, I think that’s the issue, and what’s happening in Iran is sort of, sort of trumped everything else that’s going on.”
“It would’ve been great to pass the SAVE America Act, but it’s a great issue for our candidates to run on, because every Democrat bloc voted against it,” the top Senate defeatist said, passing the buck to Democrats despite his failure/refusal to either whip his caucus enough to nuke the filibuster. Hell, he couldn’t even be bothered to muster support for the talking filibuster despite the urging of GOP lawmakers to do so.
One positive if the Democrats regain control is that Thune’s tenure as majority leader will be one and done.
And if it’s not failure to deliver, it’s inviting the ridicule of Democrats and the entire media a month before the midterms, as Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) did with his unforced rake stomp during Tuesday’s grilling of “dirtbag” former special counsel Jack Smith, trying to pull off an epic “gotcha” moment that turned into a hot mess. It was a major propaganda coup for the opposition party.
🤡 Eric Schmitt beclowns himself during Jack Smith hearing 🤡
Schmitt concocted an elaborate conspiracy theory that Smith traveled to Atlanta to go to a Hawks game and collude with Fani Willis, and briefly displayed his “evidence” on a poster board before accusing Smith of… pic.twitter.com/wDMiVrrKBF
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) September 29, 2026
And if such tomfoolery isn’t bad enough, there are loose lips, with The New York Times publishing remarks by embattled Republican Senate hopeful Ken Paxton in which he seems to suggest that Trump’s big midterm extravaganza in Texas did him more harm than good.
All in all, it’s hard to see how any of it instills a sense of urgency – let alone enthusiasm – in voters, and that is not a good thing with the pivotal midterms rapidly approaching and a five-week window in which more loose cannons can do even more damage to the GOP – and Trump’s agenda.
Some might be tempted to suggest that GOP senators – especially the leadership – are much happier as the minority party when the expectations that they’ll actually do their jobs are much lower.
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