"It's inevitable that US elections going forward, no matter the outcome, will have doubt cast upon them by either side," US independent journalist Max Parry told Sputnik. "One would have to suffer from total amnesia of Russiagate to somehow think that 'election denial' began in 2020 with Trump and January 6th."
"For Trump's entire presidency, the Democrats questioned the legitimacy of the previous election. Hillary Clinton has since even made unhinged statements prophesying the theft of the next presidential election in 2024 (…) Are they then surprised when the GOP does tit for tat? They produced the very political environment which allowed 'Stop the Steal' to prosper so they only have themselves to blame."
He noted that the US mainstream media evoked the specter of the "Russian interference" in the days leading up to the midterms by misinterpreting sarcastic remarks by PMC Wagner Group founder Evgeny Prigozhin, made on Russian social media platform Vkontakte, as Moscow's alleged "admission" of meddling in US elections. Another US media outlet claimed that the Kremlin had "reactivated its trolls and bots ahead of Tuesday's midterms."
"So it's certain to happen that we will see a repeat of the Democrats scapegoating the usual suspects for their political failures if the GOP happens to prevail," Parry noted.
Still, the Dems' potential defeat was precipitated, according to him.
"Given the dire economic conditions and growing fallout from the Ukraine war, it would seem likely that a large turnout for the GOP is in store for Tuesday's midterms," Parry said. "When you also take into account that historically, the sitting president's party almost always loses ground in the midterms which favor the opposition, a strong performance for the Republicans would appear odds-on."
"Perhaps more dependable are sampling of Americans on the Biden administration's handling of the economy, the Ukraine war, and the mental state and performance of the incumbent himself, which also point to a loss in the House and Senate for the Democrats," he added.
Dems' Base Growing Disenchanted
At the same time, it appears that the Dems' attempt to instrumentalize the US Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade has not actually worked, the journalist noted. He recalled that the party used reproductive rights and abortion-related matters to galvanize its base in the past.
"This time, however, there is a perception among their own constituents that the Democratic majority could have gotten rid of the filibuster and codified Roe v. Wade protections into law but failed to do so when they had the chance before it was overturned by the Supreme Court," Parry noted. "There is a sense that it was simply used every election for the past three decades to blackmail voters out of fear that the constitutional right would be struck down."
He recalled that after Barack Obama's election in 2008, the Democratic Party had a supermajority capable of solving many social issues their constituents considered important. However, the Dems did not work this out. If the perception emerges that Democratic lawmakers failed to make Roe v. Wade law of the land when they had opportunity, the Dems won't be able to exploit the issue any longer, the journalist said.
'GOP Likely to Reduce Aid to Ukraine, But Won't Stop It'
At the same time, Parry does not expect the GOP's victory would considerably shatter the US establishment's status quo. The Republican and Democratic leaderships have mutually vested interests which have nothing to do with the problems of ordinary people in the US, according to the journalist.
"[Therefore] every two years the pendulum swings back and forth but meanwhile, on major issues like foreign policy, trade agreements, austerity measures, or the unconstitutional assault on civil liberties, the two parties are in lock-step together," the journalist said.
Likewise, one should not delude oneself into believing that the GOP will immediately stop funding the US proxy war in Ukraine and pressure the Biden administration into peace talks with Russia, if it gets the majority in one or both chambers, he continued. According to him, "the only real hope" is "a possible reduction in aid."
Meanwhile, the Biden administration "has been doing everything possible to make sure no negotiations between Kiev and Moscow occur and this has been because of the bipartisan support the arming of Ukraine has received," Parry concluded.