An unsurprising election result
W.J. ASTORE
I woke to the news that Donald Trump is the projected winner of the 2024 presidential election. What that means for the country and the world remains to be seen. Why he won, and why Kamala Harris lost, will surely be analyzed deeply.
It didn't end well...
Readers here know my take. I didn't think Harris was the best candidate for Democrats to run for several reasons:
- She was selected by the DNC rather than going through the normal primary process. In 2020, her campaign for the presidency flamed out quickly without her winning a single vote or delegate. She needed time to hone her message and develop her political chops, but she didn't have that time.
- Her total support of Israel and her embrace of the Cheneys and Republican dissenters from Trump estranged her from progressives within her own party. If people want a Republican, they're most likely to vote Trump, not a Cheney-endorsed Democrat.
- Harris had a muddled, "soft sell" message. It was unclear what she truly stood for. Words like "forward" and phrases like "We're not going back" were vague to the point of meaninglessness.
- Harris was perhaps most closely associated with women's rights, especially reproductive rights, but it's hard for me to discern other issues that she well and truly believed in, issues she was willing to push for.
- She gained a reputation as a flip-flopper on issues like fracking and medicare for all, and her time as the immigration "czarina" connected her to a highly complex failure.
- She was far too closely linked to the doddering efforts of the Biden administration, and indeed she said she couldn't think how she'd be different from Biden except for her pledge to put a Republican in her Cabinet. Again, if people want Republicans, they can vote for them.
- Too much of Harris' message was focused on how she's not Trump. We didn't get a clear sense of what she stood for, what she was going to champion, how she was going to make America a better place. In the end, Harris didn't communicate her message well enough to persuade enough voters to cast their ballots for her.
That's my quick and dirty take. Before I've had my coffee! Readers, what do you think?
P.S. Apparently the Republicans have won the House and Senate as well. A rather stunning repudiation of Democrats and their shenanigans.
Original article: Bracing Views