That's left liberals across America to look to the Robert Mueller on one hand, and the midterms on the other, as potential sources of salvation.
With the midterms on the horizon, it is hard to believe that Democratic leaders would have taken such a bold step without feeling the pressure from a broad constituency demanding that they resist Trump in any way possible, including some that might previously have been unthinkable.
But the election turned into a midterm referendum on the performance of the current government.
With the midterm elections on the horizon, its members are unlikely to have a general change of heart now.
With the midterm elections on the horizon, Washington is as polarized as ever and, for the second time in just over six months, President Obama's agenda could once again hinge on Mr. Byrd's health.
The contests shifted early on from regional and municipal races into a midterm referendum on the prime minister's conservative government, which is two years into a five-year term.
The treaty will go for ratification to the legislatures in both countries, and the politics of Senate ratification could be tricky, coming at a polarized moment with a midterm election on the horizon.
But the timing has turned the elections into something of a midterm referendum on the president and his government that, if as damning as expected, could prompt him to shift gears.
In a country as sharply riven as Venezuela, however, efforts to organize a midterm referendum on the political future of President Hugo Chávez could result in a peaceful, democratic resolution of what is now a dangerous standoff.
With his own approval ratings down and base-driven midterm elections on the horizon, Obama has disabused himself of the prospects of enacting grand bargains here and bipartisan comprehensive solutions there.
