Since the return of the Felon-in-Chief to the Oval Office, it seems that Democrats have spent most of their time focused on the Felon’s failing physical and cognitive health, as well as his despicable behavior and outrageous statements.

Every day, we see and hear their reactions to his repeated lies about the 2020 election. His daily lies about the economy. His attacks on the Smithsonian and the Kennedy Center. His destruction of the East Wing. His plans for a Kremlin-style ballroom, as well as his Arc d’ Trump and the Washington golf course.

Certainly, these things are alarming. But they are mostly distractions – mere symptoms of the many excesses of the Trump regime.

There are far more important concerns, such as the ill-considered war with Iran, the growing oil crisis, the mass deportations of people of color, the ongoing genocide in Gaza and the West Bank, Russia’s war on Ukraine, the weakening of our military and our international standing, our relationships with allies and our trading partners, the numerous violations of our Constitution, the massive corruption of the Trump crime family and its billionaire friends, our exploding national debt and, most important, the upcoming midterm elections.

For far too long, Democratic leaders have been relatively silent about the things that truly matter. And now it seems that they are just biding their time until the new Congress is sworn in on January 3, 2027.

But there’s an old truth about not counting your chickens until they’re hatched. In fair and free elections, Democrats will almost certainly enjoy a large blue wave. But there are no guarantees that the elections will be fair and free. Indeed, they may never even happen.

For months, Trump and his fascist friends have been preparing to steal the elections. In Republican-controlled states, they have used extreme gerrymandering in an attempt to dilute Democratic votes. They have closed polling places in Democrat-leaning districts. They have tried to disrupt mail-in voting. They have tried to override state control of elections. They have tried to gain access to every state’s voting records. They have threatened to deploy ICE thugs to polling places in an effort to intimidate black and brown voters. They have threatened to prosecute poll workers. They have threatened to declare a national emergency to delay or deny the elections. There’s talk of an apparent plan for Speaker Johnson to refuse to seat newly elected Democrats. And Trump has rehired Elon Musk despite claims by Musk’s ex that he bragged about using his Starlink technology to rig the 2024 election on Trump’s behalf.

Think all of this is a Democrat-inspired fantasy? Think again.

If the Felon and his MAGAts were willing to attack the nation’s capital on January 6, 2020, with the intent of overturning the election results and hanging Mike Pence along with Democratic representatives, what’s to stop them from doing it again? Or from doing something worse? After all, those MAGA criminals have been pardoned and are undoubtedly on standby to do the Felon’s bidding again.

So, instead of focusing on the daily chaos, the hateful messages, the latest faux pas, and the latest vanity project, Democrats need to be laser-focused on protecting the midterm elections and countering every possible MAGA attack. They can’t take for granted that the midterms will see a new Congress willing to rein in this fascist regime. Democrats and independents need to vote in overwhelming numbers and be prepared to fight as if the future of our democracy depends on them.

Because it does.