Greetings, and Happy Thanksgiving y’all! Many of you may recognize the title of this missive which came from NY Yankees baseball great Yogi Berra. It basically means experiencing something that you have already experienced. In the aftermath of the 2022 midterm elections, this is an appropriate application of Berra’s quote. We have indeed been in the position, not too long ago.

As a matter of fact, during the 2010 midterm election cycle — the first for Barack Obama — the numerical result regarding congressional seats was what some may have thought would trend in this 2022 midterm cycle. No, I am not talking about 63 seats, but many felt that there would be a number between 25-35 that could have flipped. The end result, though, is still the same: the GOP has control of the House of Representatives, but not the Senate. I was a member of that 2010 class along with others such as Mike Pompeo, Kristi Noem, and Jeff Landry. The House GOP leadership team consisted of John Boehner, Eric Cantor, and Kevin McCarthy. Nancy Pelosi surrendered the gavel to Speaker Boehner and Harry Reid remained the Senate Majority Leader.

So, we have been in this position before, and there are players in this incoming 118th Congress who were there then . . . Deja vu, all over again. Therefore, what were the lessons learned from then that can be applied today?

First, the incoming House GOP majority should not be fooled by the false flag of “bipartisanship.” When the progressive socialist leftists are in the majority, they are tyrannical. When the same group is in the minority, they are tenacious, especially with a complicit, propagandized leftist media in support. Nancy Pelosi announced last week that she would not seek Democrat leadership. Last Friday, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) announced that he will seek the Democratic minority leadership position. Jeffries is supported by the Chairman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, Pramila Jayapal, and the Congressional Black Caucus. That means — and we already know this — that Jeffries is a strong radical progressive socialist. The House GOP must be resolute in passing constitutional conservative legislation focused on economic, energy, national, border, and domestic security along with advocating for educational freedom and choice for American parents. It would be detrimental to become mired down in the typical bipartisan rhetoric to appease the leftist attacks, which are sure to come.

Furthermore, the House GOP must pass legislation regardless of what the end result may be from Sen. Chuck Schumer. It is vital that the Senate GOP use the power of the debate floor, as the House GOP uses the power of the purse, to be on offense, and build a record that will enable success in 2024.

Second, the House GOP must accompany a constitutional conservative legislative agenda with constitutionally accountable hearings. The purpose of having committees of jurisdiction is that they have oversight of the Biden administration. The Founding Fathers set that up in our Constitution as part of the checks and balances. The legislative branch is a coequal branch of government, and is actually more empowered than the executive branch. These hearings must relate to the focuses of the legislative agenda — such as border security, foreign policy, and national security. The last thing the House GOP majority should do is succumb to rantings from the leftist media about wasting time on hearings…uh, McFly, can we say Russia collusion, two impeachments, and J6? House GOP hearings must have a definable task and purpose, and most importantly a stated relevance for the American people.

You can certainly bet that in these final days of the lame-duck session, House Finance Committee Chairman, Maxine Waters, will not be going after the FTX crypto-currency scandal.

Lastly, after his midterm election losses, Barack Obama unleashed the IRS on the constitutional conservative grassroots organization called the Tea Party. The House GOP must not allow the Biden administration to rule by executive order and fiat . . . and not allow federal government agencies to line up Americans, viewed as political opposition, for targeting. The power of the purse is very important for the House GOP to be able to leverage. And as the Democrats seek to ram through more and more in this lame duck session, the House GOP must pass legislation to repeal, especially 87,000 new IRS agents.

We have been here before, and remember, Barack Obama won a second term. Why did that happen? First, the House GOP was not as strong and forceful. Obama resorted to the use of executive orders, with no recourse. The Republicans ran a weak milquetoast candidate for president in 2012. And there was no strong record against the left. Obama did eventually lose the Senate in 2014. And, the Democrats lost it all in 2016, but the Republicans failed to go on offense with a constitutional conservative legislative agenda and by 2018, the Democrats were right back in legislative control, and won the White House in 2020.

America cannot afford a “deja vu all over again” scenario in which enables the progressive socialist left to ever have the levers of power in Washington, DC. That is what rests on the shoulders of this House GOP majority in the 118th US Congress.

Steadfast and Loyal.

This article first appeared at Townhall.