Worldbuilding Through Historical Fiction
Finding Common Ground Today
The Current Atmosphere: A World on Edge
While not as memorable or studied as presidential campaigns, midterm elections frequently stand as pivotal pivot points in U.S. history. Smithsonian Magazine famously curated a list of the top historic midterms. To see the stark relevance of what is at stake for our upcoming November 2026 elections, we only have to look at how closely today’s headlines echo our past.
Here are four historical flashpoints where everything was on the line:
1826 — The Era of “Hard Feelings”: The founding feud over limited versus less-limited government seemed to fade as the Federalist Party collapsed and the Democratic-Republican Party splintered, ushering in a completely new era of partisanship.
1858 — A House Divided: Facing a severe recession and a nation bitterly fractured over slavery, many Southerners openly threatened to secede if a Republican were ever elected president. Ultimately, they did.
1874 — Deconstruction: Dogged by White House scandals, a severe financial panic, and disputed electoral votes, this cycle cast deep doubt on the subsequent 1876 presidential election. Federal troops eventually left the South, effectively ending Reconstruction.
1994 — The Republican Revolution: Following stumbling efforts to overhaul healthcare and intense debates over military bans, Washington experienced a massive surge in partisan polarization, setting the stage for the dramatic decade to follow.
It seems today’s headlines are rarely new; they are echoes.
The Weight of the Present
There is a reason so many of us are feeling heavy today. Whether it’s personal or global, the intensity of our current climate is hard to escape. I know people who have completely stopped listening to the news—choosing total disconnect just to avoid that sudden, deep drop in their stomach whenever our political environment gets pushed to its limits.
Nevertheless, choosing to help make the world a better place is the most positive combatant against despair. While “not my problem” might work in minor situations, we have a collective responsibility to think about America’s future for the generations following us. Paying attention to what is fractured—and actively considering how to fix it—says something deeply positive about who we are.
We possess the ultimate power to empower others. Between now and October, I plan to launch a “Get Out the Vote” postcard campaign through the Outreach Committee at my church. I will keep you all posted on our steps and progress right here.
But as the flight attendants always remind us: we must put on our own oxygen mask first. We do that by:
Making intentional time for self-care.
Making deliberate space for gratitude.
Acknowledging negative emotions without dwelling in them.
The Broken Toe Analogy: Think of it this way—if you have a broken toe, you have to care for it until it heals. You can be incredibly grateful that you don’t need a rigid splint, or that you’re still able to slip your shoes on. But if someone accidentally steps on that foot? You are fully entitled to a negative reaction, and you’re allowed to sputter a few choice words until the sharp pain subsides.
What the World Thinks of Us
Every morning, I listen to TVP World (Poland’s English-language breaking news) because I want to know exactly what the rest of the world has to say about America. It’s written in the very same vein as the classic question, “Do these pants make me look fat?” (A phrase I can thank my mother for introducing to my vocabulary).
Lately, I’ve been tracking the global reaction to the international stage. Following the recent NATO Summit on July 7, public and media commentary surrounding Donald Trump’s unfiltered public declarations has left many international partners adopting a careful, placating stance to manage sudden policy shifts.
To see how America itself feels about our direction, I pulled up the latest job approval data from July 10, 2026. “Deportment” isn’t a graded category like it was in my elementary school report cards, but the raw numbers speak volumes:
Polling Aggregator / SourceApproval Rating
Here’s latest data on July 10, 2026:
Ballotpedia has Trump with a 40% approval rating.
RealClearPolitics has Trump with a 40.4% approval rating.
Quinnipiac University has Trump with a 38% approval rating.
The Economist/YouGov has Trump with a 37% approval rating.
ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos has Trump with a 37% approval rating.
CNN has Trump with a 37% approval rating.
In the strict metrics of grading, anything below a 65% is an “F.” Fortunately for any sitting leader, the term is a long road, leaving time to pull those averages up. But why does this lack of stability matter right now? Because we run the risk of slipping into a fundamentally dysfunctional country.
As political analyst Marvin Kalb poignantly wrote - October 28, 2013
“The U.S. remains the indispensable nation, even though a large number of its senior officials appear to be increasingly unhappy about its apparent inability to govern in an effective manner, both at home and abroad. Only one person can right the ship of state, can lead it into calmer waters, and he is the President of the United States.”
The Current Landscape: A Nation Navigating Transition
If we look at a snapshot of where America stands right now, the country is navigating a complex web of rising domestic energy costs, tense international friction points, and massive structural shifts in Washington. Reuters
Geopolitical Ripples: Renewed military friction between the U.S. and regional actors in the Middle East has temporarily disrupted global oil lines, leading to a noticeable spike in U.S. gasoline prices. While federal officials stress that deep domestic production shields us from total foreign reliance, the pocketbook impact remains real for everyday citizens. Al Jazeera
Washington in Transition: The capital is experiencing a profound period of political transition following the sudden, unexpected passing of key Trump ally Senator Lindsey Graham. At the same time, leadership questions persist as Senator Mitch McConnell remains hospitalized, creating an unprecedented wave of speculation over the future balance of congressional power.
MPR News
Your Guide to November: The 2026 Party Platforms
To empower others to vote effectively, we have to understand the literal rules of engagement. As a baseline reminder of our constitutional foundation:
“The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.” — The 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
With all 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 33 regular seats in the Senate on the ballot this November 3, 2026, here is where the primary platforms stand:
The Republican Focus
The conservative platform focuses heavily on border enforcement, structural tax policies, and public safety initiatives to retain and expand congressional majorities:
Border Security: Implementing strict immigration enforcement and enhanced measures to halt unlawful entries.
Economy & Taxes: Advancing free-enterprise initiatives and scaling back federal regulatory rules on business operations.
Crime & Safety: Offering robust support to local law enforcement alongside tougher criminal penalties.
Education: Expanding state-level school choice systems and emphasizing parental rights.
The Democratic Focus
The progressive platform centers on lowering immediate consumer costs, codifying protections for personal liberties, and expanding housing access:
Cost of Living: Targeting corporate price-gouging on daily necessities like groceries and fuel.
Affordability Programs: Restoring internet broadband subsidy discounts and expanding nutrition support initiatives like SNAP.
Housing & Rights: Enacting rent-burden relief packages, expanding housing supply, codifying federal reproductive freedoms, and safeguarding voter access against gerrymandering.
Technology & Climate: Advancing green energy jobs while introducing strict federal oversight on artificial intelligence and consumer data privacy.
The Independent Perspective
For those who find themselves outside the rigid binary, independent perspectives generally unite around foundational structural reform rather than strict partisan ideology:
Pragmatism Over Base-Pleasing: Prioritizing practical policy outcomes on infrastructure and healthcare over messaging wins.
Direct Accountability: Demanding that officials answer to local constituents rather than major donors or national party mechanisms.
Systemic Rules Reform: Restructuring open primaries and redistricting laws so that actual voters hold the true balance of power.
These aren’t inherently left-wing or right-wing values. They are common-sense, structural goals that a quiet majority of Americans share.
I am going to end this week’s post with a community poll. Keep an eye out just below this text to cast your vote on which of these three Independent values resonates most with you!
Broad-based deep research,
analysis-informed acts.
Planet People Poll!