Now that the midterms are over, it’s time that we reflect on the results of the election, and what that means as we move forward. Going into the midterm election, it was only the Democrats which had anything to lose seeing as the Republican Party held control over quite literally the entire government, including state legislatures and governorships.

For the first time in eight years, the Democratic Party has broken the single party control in Washington D.C. by taking back majority in the House of Representatives. Unfortunately, the Democrats’ victory is nowhere near the “blue wave” that we hoped for.

Of course, there were disappointing losses like Rep. Beto O’Rourke here in Texas, but independent of the individual candidates, the Democratic Party failed to stand for anything worth voting for. Can you pinpoint what Democrats are going to fight for when they come into power in a few months? We all know they’re against Trump and against whatever he does, but what do they want to change?

Currently, the Democratic Party is split in two different wings, the progressive Sen. Bernie Sanders style Democrats, and the old school New Democrats which became popular during the Clinton administration.

The leader of the Democratic Party, Rep. Nancy Pelosi, has been adamantly against the progressive wing of the party. Her message to the party has consistently been to maintain the status quo. The issue with her centrist and bipartisan philosophy is that no one is happy with the status quo. People aren’t going to be excited to vote for a system they don’t like, which is why Democrats lost thousands of seats on all levels of government from 2010 until 2018, where they made only minor gains compared to their losses over the years.

According to a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll, 70 percent of Americans support implementing a Medicare for all system including 52 percent of Republicans. That is clearly a winning issue for the Democratic Party, but when you go to Rep. Pelosi’s website, you won’t find the phrase Medicare for all anywhere in her statement on the issue of health care. As the leader of a party which is meant to be fighting for the middle class, her lack of support for Medicare for all is unacceptable.

According to exit polling, 41 percent of voters see health care as the most important issue facing our country by a margin of almost double the following issue. The electorate is crystal clear on what it wants, and it’s a major overhaul of our healthcare system. As someone who follows politics very closely, there is no foreseeable future in which Rep. Pelosi will support Medicare for all. In having that stance, she is clearly subverting the will of the people.

I urge those of you who want to see change in this country and have a Democratic Congressional Representative to call their office or email them and tell them you’d like them to consider alternative leadership in the House. While the party may have made electoral gains, it’s time for the people to fight for the legislation we deserve.