When the American economy sours, voters react. Usually, this means punishing whichever party is in power in Washington in a generalized "throw the bums out" sort of way. The voters see that the people running the country have screwed things up, so they decide to give the other team a chance at making things better. However, in most such cases there is no easily-identifiable cause of the economy going south. The voters just feel a sort of free-floating malaise and they turn on the party in power to show their general disapproval. It is actually rare that there is an easily-identifiable event or policy choice that people can point to and say: "This is why the economy sucks right now."

We are in one of those times now. There is a clear cause and effect, and it is so obvious and simple that virtually all voters have already made the basic connection. Donald Trump's war of choice with Iran sent gasoline prices through the roof. It's a pretty basic equation: "Trump's war led to sky-high gas prices." You can draw further inferences as well, although not everybody follows it through all the way: "Trump's war led to sky-high gas prices and all-time record high diesel prices which led to food prices going up and prices for everything shipped by train or truck going up which led to inflation going up and everything costing more and more."

As I said, it is rare when it is so easy to identify the reason the economy has soured. It is even rarer when it was done by a single politician through a single choice. Sometimes even if there is an easily-identifiable reason why the economy isn't doing well, it is external and uncontrollable (like the economic gyrations the COVID-19 pandemic caused). Voters can hold politicians responsible even if the cause is a blameless force majeure -- even if it is unfair of them to do so. But this time, there was no external emergency or influence. It was all done by choice. Trump's choice. Trump's war equals sky-high gas and diesel prices, period.

The war is vastly unpopular with the American people right now, with roughly three-fourths of them disapproving in one way or another (polling questions vary, but the results are all similar). It has gone on for too long and there is no end in sight. Trump doesn't have a clue what he's doing, and neither does Pete Hegseth. This is all very obvious and out in the open, which is why it's pretty easy for the voters to draw all the connections.

This is beginning to spook some Republicans -- especially those running for office right now. Diesel prices have spiked almost 70 cents in the last two weeks. It is now harvest season for farmers, who regularly use hundreds of gallons of diesel per day to get their crops in. This is a big reason why even some very red states are now seen as competitive in Senate races. Democrats are now seen as contenders in places like Kansas and Iowa. Which has led to some Republicans suddenly having a change of heart and announcing their new-found opposition to the war, or at least calling for it to end immediately.

Democrats should respond very bluntly to such talk, by saying: "Put up or shut up!" Because so far, this opposition to the war is nothing more than political opportunism which is not backed up by action. Iowa is a good case in point. The Republican nominee for the Senate race there, Ashley Hinson, just posted on social media: "Iowans are being squeezed and shouldn't have to foot the bill at the pump or the checkout line for the war in Iran." A nice sentiment, but Hinson is a sitting member of the House of Representatives. And the House just voted on a resolution to end the war. Hinson voted against it. She has voted against similar resolutions multiple times as well. Two other Republican House members from Iowa voted for the resolution, but Hinson voted against it. Put up or shut up.

Hinson isn't the only Republican running for a Senate seat to call for an end to the war. Mike Rogers in Michigan recently did so too. As did Senator Jon Husted of Ohio. Today, the Senate voted on the same resolution which recently passed the House. The vote was close (49-50) but the resolution failed. Four Republicans voted for it. Husted was not one of them. He voted against it, despite saying earlier this week: "The war needs to come to an end as quickly as possible so that we can lower gas prices." But today -- just like he has done over a dozen times in the past -- Husted voted against a resolution which would have done just that. And he was the deciding vote -- if he had voted for it, it would have passed (50-49).

Sherrod Brown, the Democrat running against Husted, should respond bluntly: "Put up or shut up, Jon." Currently, Brown is leading Husted in the polls, by an average of four points. Brown should hang Husted's pro-war pro-high-gas-prices vote around his neck like an anvil. The ad text really almost writes itself:

"Jon Husted made some news by calling for Donald Trump to end his war of choice with Iran. He said: 'The war needs to come to an end as quickly as possible so that we can lower gas prices.' I actually agree with him -- we do need the war to end and gas prices to come back down again. But Ohio voters aren't stupid -- they know the difference between saying something and doing something. And when he had the chance this week, Husted voted to continue the war and the high gas prices. Four Republicans voted to end the war, but Husted wasn't one of them. And his vote was the deciding one -- if he had voted for it, the measure would have passed. Ohio deserves better. Ohio voters deserve a senator who will back up what he says with what he does. Not someone who lies to the voters in a desperate attempt to get re-elected. I'm tired of politicians who lie. If you are too, then vote for Sherrod Brown this November. I'm Sherrod Brown and I approved this message."

It's a pretty easy equation, after all, and the voters already know it. An ill-conceived war led to sky-high gas prices. Want gas prices to come down? End the war. Want the war to end? Vote for Democrats. Opportunistic Republicans who try to lie to their voters should be exposed when they vote to continue the war and the high gas prices. Any Republican running for office who is belatedly trying to jump on the end-the-war bandwagon should face this blunt challenge: "Put up or shut up!"

-- Chris Weigant

Follow Chris on Twitter: @ChrisWeigant