OPINION:
Texas just sent James Talarico to the Senate and ended a 38-year Republican monopoly.
President Trump has spent years treating the American presidency like a protection racket, the White House like a lifetime achievement award and public office like a family business. Mr. Trump effectively made the midterms a referendum on himself.
Mr. Trump’s endorsements once carried weight but now resemble expired coupons. The president has threatened institutions, bullied opponents, rewarded incompetence and treated public office as an extension of his own ego.
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The yes men who spent two years telling Mr. Trump what he wanted to hear are suddenly discovering that political loyalty has an expiration date.
Texas has turned blue. Republican strongholds have fallen. Congress has changed hands. Democrats are already drafting the subpoenas.
And the man who spent years promising to punish his enemies is about to learn what it feels like when the questions are not optional and the answers go on the record.
President Trump wanted everyone to know who was boss. America has just reminded him who employs that boss. The king still has the palace, the golf courses and the grievances. What he has lost is the one thing he cannot tweet away: power over the people.
Congratulations from Ireland. It is heartening to see American voters reminding the world that democracy still has a pulse.
ALAN T. KELLY
Kildare, Ireland
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