'At war' is not the same as defending yourself from an invasion, which the US has not had to do since it has existed in it's current form. Also, governments have suspended elections in the past when necessary. For instance, the UK suspended elections during WW2 via the 'Prolongation of parliament' bill, while they were defending themselves from a German invasion.
https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1944/oct/31/prolongation-of-parliament-bill
I agree, I have a Whirlpool version and it's still a tank. I think some of the criticism comes from the fact that the newer mixers use a plastic sacrificial gear, which is designed to fail before the motor. Other than that, they are virtually identical to the Hobart version (you can buy parts from KitchenAid/Whirlpool to repair/restore a Hobart mixer)