As Democrats celebrate sweeping victories in the 2026 midterms, one conservative writer is dismissing their triumphs as hollow wins fueled by a decade of anti-Trump obsession—and warning the party now faces an identity crisis without their favorite villain.
Christopher Knight, writing for American Thinker, describes watching Democratic friends gloat about Republican losses while asking him “how much it hurts to watch MAGA go down in flames.” His response? A knowing smirk. “What possible good can come from a party driven by ten years of raw hatred?” he writes, arguing Democrats have “finally achieved the wins they lusted so much to have” but now face an existential question: “What is it that the Democratic victors as a whole believe that they are going to accomplish?”
The South Carolina Surprise
Knight zeroes in on South Carolina’s Senate race, where Democrat Annie Andrews unseated Darline Graham—sister of the late GOP stalwart Lindsay Graham—despite expectations. He suggests conservative voters rejected the “political dynasty” candidate, with some even rage-voting for Andrews to break the “stagnant” Graham machine. “Maybe something better will come about now that the Graham faction has been effectively ended,” Knight muses.
Cooper’s Controversial Win
The columnist saves his harshest criticism for North Carolina, where Democrat Roy Cooper—labeled “quite arguably the very worst governor in that state’s history”—won a Senate seat against Republican Michael Whately. Knight blames GOP leadership for abandoning Whately financially while lambasting Cooper’s pandemic policies (“closing down churches but keeping Walmart open”), hurricane response failures, and “soft on crime” record. “In a sane world, Cooper’s political career would have finally ended this week,” he writes.
The ‘Trump Derangement’ Bubble
The core of Knight’s argument rests on his belief that Democrats have “been fixated upon one thing: destroying Donald Trump” for years, leaving them without substantive policy goals now that they hold power. He warns if Democrats “again persist in mounting ridiculous impeachment proceedings against Trump, they are going to quickly blow the political capital” gained in this election. “Hatred of political enemies is not the basis of a successful political agenda,” he insists.
Drawing a parallel to the 1972 film The Candidate, Knight compares Democrats to Robert Redford’s character—a politician who wins by compromising principles but is left asking “What do we do now?” in the aftermath. “One person consumed by hate will sooner or later self-destruct,” he writes. “How much more so might a collective of souls, filled with empty wrath, also descend into madness?”
Source: www.americanthinker.com — https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2026/11/congratulations-democrats-now-what-do-you-do/