As various factions try to make the case about what won the midterms — moderation or progressivism, populism or the establishment — perhaps the easiest and most universal way to describe 2026 was as a contest between decency and cruelty. For nearly a decade, bullying, scape-goating, and just plain meanness have been the dominant tone of Republican politics. From Donald Trump relentlessly picking on minority groups in the 2016 campaign, through family separations in 2018 — all while demeaning political rivals and journalists and anyone who criticized him — a generation of Republican p...