As the midterm elections loom and polls forecast heavy Republican losses, the narratives are predictable – Republicans are in panic mode, playing the blame game and already bracing for minority status. To hear some tell it, Republicans should just quit now and try again in 2028, like the trailing team in a blowout softball game invoking the "mercy rule."

But there's one big reason for Republican optimism – the unshakable faith among many of us that even voters unhappy with the GOP will be guided by a deep-rooted patriotism that refuses to reward a party increasingly enamored of socialism.

In my state of Ohio, former Democratic U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown is attempting a comeback against Republican Sen. Jon Husted, whom Gov. Mike DeWine appointed to the seat when JD Vance won the vice presidency. Brown has no overtly socialist history. He has even drawn fire from a socialist third-party candidate, Greg Levy, who called on him to drop out for, among other things, refusing to get behind abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

But that squabble shouldn't fool anyone. Brown has often been rated among the Senate's most liberal members, and he was a reliable Democratic vote.

Brown's party is increasingly in thrall to the Democratic Socialists of America. A September New York Times/Siena poll found that 31% of likely voters view socialism favorably – far too many. An ABC........

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