for The Hill

Even as Republicans take narrow control of the House of Representatives, Democrats are still aglow over their political gravity-defying performance in the midterm elections. More gratifying than the partisan scorecard, however, is the big civic takeaway: Anti-democratic extremism mattered to America’s voters.
 
They can’t abide it and they voted against candidates who embraced it. This despite the punditocracy’s herd-like certitude that Americans can’t see beyond their kitchen table and would mainly vote their pocketbooks.
 
Many did – inflation was the top issued cited by voters, and those who gave it priority voted overwhelmingly for Republicans. But many didn’t, turning what would normally be big off-year election gains by the out party into a rebuke of Trumpism.
 
Consequently, U.S. democracy dodged a bullet this month, giving Americans something else to be grateful for this Thanksgiving.