Spot on. I hope like hell someone is the Dem party who can effect change reads this and owns it. Otherwise, it’s going to be a lot of years out of power and in the political wilderness.
Pete Buttigieg. Most effective defender of the Biden administration’s successes. A gay man with no insecurity about his own American story, he has no interest in identity politics in the way so many on the left do. Maybe he can provide a path forward?
LGBTQ+ is identity politics. He and his partner intentionally adopted two black children as political props. If you think that will sit well with black voters, I have a Kamala victory to sell you.
What a racist comment! Secretary Pete and future president if there are any true elections in the future adopted two black children because they needed parents. Every time I see Pete and his partner talk about their children it with obvious love and pride!!! You should be ashamed of yourself for that comment!
You are kidding yourself if you do not get YBs point. Remember Mayor Pete hauling his bike in a black government SUV to get out and ride it the last few blocks for a photo op in the early days of his appointment? Or showing up really late after the Palestine, Ohio spill at the site wearing a hard hat and fancy/schmancy shoes? Again, for a photo op. And as for those sweet children, we do not know yet whether there will be negative effects of single sex parenting. But there is some evidence that cross race adoption can be problematic.
BS! There is no scientific studies showing that racial differences between children and adoptive parents hurts the chidren! Blocked and muted racist MAGA!
Also, studies show parenting does less than we think. The genetics these children inherent are far more predictive than growing up in mayor Pete’s household
I think that's a terrible comment to make about someone's children.
Pete is tied into with ID politics with the pronouns-on-bio, if nothing else but he does have an ability to speak calmly and concisely to people. We'll see how he does if he runs for governor of Michigan. But considering the guy started as the Mayor of a small city four years ago, he's had a remarkable trajectory.
A remarkable trajectory because the billionaire supporters who run the DNC saw him as an excellent identity politics candidate and funded his rise. How do you think Obama found himself running for president having only been a ‘community organizer’? To be fair, every candidate gets discovered and secretly chosen and funded behind thenscenes, but Mayor Pete? In the words of Biden, ‘Come on, man’. It’s so obvious. Identity politics.
Damn, these Russian operatives are getting a lot bolder. Your comments are the stuff dung heaps are made of. Now slither on out here. It's going take awhile for us to right the ship, but we will and we're not buying, what your type excells at - garbage.
You just demonstrated the reason for Dems failure - every disagreement is shouted at with accusations of racism, some invented phobia, nazism or whatever. Yawn, it doesn’t work.
Mayor Pete is actually useless. Thinking he has any appeal is brain rot. His sexuality literally is identity politics - dude is like Kamala, an affirmative action hire.
Mayor Pete is actually useless. Thinking he has any appeal is brain rot. His sexuality literally is identity politics - dude is like Kamala, an affirmative action hire.
This. Pete is my favorite current American politican by far. I love his ability to deliver a clear message with both competence and empathy. I do not believe that his sexuality would hinder his campaign. I firmly believe that Pete could have succeeded where Kamala failed, if he had the chance to, which is the reason I am so angry that the Democrats avoided an open primary.
Wow! What a scathing analysis. I’m so tired of hearing the term “woke.” Maya Angelou wrote “Do the best you can until you know better. Then, when you know better, do better.” The problem with the far right throwing around the term “woke” is that it implies that we, as Americans, don’t want to “know better” therefore excusing us from the responsibility of having to “do better.” Gosh, if this is the case, having lived overseas and now seeing Trump chosen as our representative leader, I don’t know that, in the words of MAGA’s favorite song, “I’m proud to be an American.” I will be proud to be an American when we are “…a tall, proud city built on rocks stronger than oceans, windswept, God-blessed, and teeming with people of all kinds living in harmony and peace; a city with free ports that hummed with commerce and creativity. And if there had to be city walls, the walls had doors and the doors were open to anyone with the will and the heart to get here.” With the election of Trump, we are backsliding. I liked Kamala’s progressing forward message because I am not looking forward to fighting the “old” battles of equality and tolerance again and again—which is what happens when “woke” becomes the derogatory label it is today. Trump is a symptom of our society—not the Democratic Party. Not to say the Democrats are perfect, but they seem to be held to a much higher standard than the MAGA Republicans.
I’m a never-Trumper BTW, and not a Democrat. I’m a party-less conservative. I’m an Episcopalian who is ashamed to be called a Christian right now because those who proclaim themselves Christians today—don’t follow Christ’s actual teachings. They take the Bible in bits and pieces out of context to use to support their elitest, exclusive, and oppressive agenda.
The U.S. is really in a sad, sorry place today. We are all either living in fear whether it comes out in the form of Narcissism or in silence and complacency.
Normal people are tired of social justice warriors melting down, calling the murder of others justified, then needing a mental health day, of being called a transphobe if we don’t want women hurt in sports, of being told at work that we are racists (or if you’re not white- you’re just ignorant but the SJW saviors are here). We’ve been living with woke crap while you stick your heads in the sand.
I’m not a SJW—just a mom and a teacher. I’m the mom of a biological female transgender teen (not in sports) and a I’m a special education teacher. I’m scared for my kids as I see society becoming more at ease with dehumanizing what is inconvenient, what they don’t know, and what they disagree with. I’m afraid of a president who doesn’t understand why we bother with people with disabilities, and would just as soon shut them away in institutions, like in history, and would deny them healthcare because he just doesn’t see the point (look up his nephew’s battle about his son with disabilities). I am not the one who has my head buried in the sand, because I get news from many sources other than Fox. I’m sorry that being kind and considerate, and seeing others as humans is such horrible “woke” crap that you’ve had to deal with. When your rights are truly in question, let’s have another conversation.
When (and hopefully it is never) there are substantive threats to our loved ones because of a disability or being trans, I will be part of the counterattack with you. I appreciate your considered response and apologize for my hasty assumption.
I am the father of a female disabled teen, who requires assistance in bathrooms. thanks to all the trans hysteria, and the governor of ohio signing into law a bath room ban in ohio today, my daughter and transgender individuals will be unfairly impacted. I have already been accosted trying to help my daughter use the bathroom when a family bathroom was unavailable. People just want to pee. It’s not just transgender individuals affected, but anyone that might need assistance, or anybody that doesn’t quite look like ken and Barbie. The law in ohio is particularly insidious as when it was originally written, it had NO exclusions for situiations like my daughter. These are laws for issues that don’t exists and are there merely to demonize a very small minority.
You know, I really believe that Kamala Harris was the right candidate for this election. It’s just a shame that the majority of the people who voted decided that they preferred low gas prices etc etc over an inclusive society. I don’t agree with your premise, Chris, but I’m happy to hear your viewpoint.
I think by announcing he was going to pick a woman as his VP before he was the nominee, Biden defined her down as just that. He could’ve picked Harris without saying in advance it was going to be a woman and it would’ve meant more imo, but he really wanted that campaign boost.
I don't even know what she truly believed or stood for. There was 2019 Harris, who ran hard left, and 2024 Harris, who ran to the center but never explained why she'd implicitly rejected her 2019 stances.
Yes. On the trans prisoner issue, Bret Baier asked her about it on Fox, and her response was "That's a remote issue." She refused to say whether she stood by her 2019 statements or not.
Funny how misogynist can neither read, or choose not to, or listen. If it's said or written, by a woman, is it baked into a misogynist's DNA to not by able to comprehend? Asking for a friend.
Guess that leaves out the felon who will take the office. Of course 13 million alleged Democrats choosing not to vote didn't help. DINOs at their best. Shades of 2016 guess this proves "going to Michigan" really doesn't matter, does it? Only misogyny and racism seem to reign in this country of some of us being free. Others? Not so much.
So, the majority of comments who agree Biden made a mistake are men. Just an observation. As to the rest of it, grow up America. Things change. Things have always changed. Items always get more expensive.
You don't get it. Actually not much has changed. There is a large number of men and women, black, white and purple that will not vote for a female president.
No. They won’t vote for a person who can’t answer simple questions. They won’t vote for a person who while running as the change candidate answered the question what would you have done differently with I can’t think of anything.
She was probably a slightly below to below average candidate, we can stop pretending she was anything special. I doubt she gets the nomination in an open primary, certainly never touching it if she wasn't picked as the vice president, which as Chris said was the original mistake for Biden with a very high chance of needing to pass off to his VP after 1 term.
How is society today not inclusive.? Trump just named a woman as his chief of staff. He also named a woman as the ambassador to the UN. He is thinking about naming a gay man to be the treasury secretary. The difference between him and Biden is that he didn’t name appoint them because they are women. He appointed them because he thinks they are the best person for the job and they happen to be women.
I firmly disagree that Kamala was the right candidate. I do not have anything against her on a personal basis and think that she applied herself well and worked hard on the campaign, but it very quickly became very apparent that she simply didn't have what it takes to convince the voters outside the inner Democratic base you need to convince in order to win an election in 2024 America. Every other quality is moot if you are not able to deliver the election win first.
So you are saying that because Trump won, none of his qualities matter, only that he won? I find that also something I disagree with - a person’s quality is more about themselves than winning or losing. We may have lost this election, but I wouldn’t want the Democratic Party to run a Trump-like candidate solely to win.
No, I am saying that your qualities as a future president do not end up mattering if you are unable to win the election that gets you there. Of course your qualities matter once you're there and I see Trump as someone who is better at getting elected president than at actual governing and policy. He strikes me as someone who thrives on excitement and show - but working out legislation has none of that. Biden was much the opposite - being quietly effective but unable to sell his wins.
No one know what’s that talking point means. The “gas prices vs inclusive” trope doesn’t mean anything. You’re included in society. Right now. Just because you don’t get everything you want doesn’t mean you’re excluded.
Which portions do you disagree with? I felt that Harris was much better than the Democrats rhetoric. Put another way she might’ve solved some complex problems but ran an ineffectual campaign.
I don't agree with the writer's assessment. It suggests that we Democrats should abandon our principles and beliefs and run totally on political calculations. We have to keep our core values. I think Kamala Harris was a good choice (she surprised me how good she was), but she started from a deep hole left by Joe Biden and Trump is so good at fanning the flames of grievance and proclaiming how he is going to heal everything and make everything great.
It does not suggest that we should abandon our principles, but that we should reign in our extreme left. Can you not see that people are fed up with identity politics?
Democrats need to learn how to talk to people with actual words they understand and stop lecturing people when they don’t get something perfectly correct because they don’t spend 200 hours a week on social media and have real lives.
Too bad all of this wasn’t discussed with dems earlier on. Maybe it was but no one listened. It certainly puts Biden in a bad light. And I believe that Biden is a good moral family man who has more empathy in his pinkie than Trump and his cohorts have combined. But i guess that is something else the electorate doesn’t care at all about these days.
Lots of angry, cynical and sarcastic comments brewing in my head. I am upset. To get off my chest:
1. Trump winning doesn't make him or his voters right.
2. Winning an election isn't the same as governing the country. Ha, we saw that during Trump's first term. I thought his presidency was horrible and embarrassing. But hey, maybe bacon was cheaper then!
3. Trump won because he is the Pied Piper of grievance, cruelty and lies.
4. Trump also won because we underestimated the electorate's gullibility. He loves the poorly educated - said so himself.
5. I won't be tuning into Joe Rogan or Fox or WWE to understand those folks.
6. I keep thinking of the backlash to the Harris commercial: "Did you make the right choice, honey?" Can't believe that the bros were triggered by this and their idea that husbands get to tell their wives who to vote for. Hell no.
7. If you own a $70,000 pickup don't complain about egg prices.
8. But mostly: My ballot said "Donald J Trump." It didn't say Donald J Trump * asterisk. It didn't say "Trump - but I don't like his mean tweets." Didn't say "Trump - but only for the judges." Didn't say Trump - because of groceries." Etc. It said HIM. So frickin' OWN it. Don't make excuses, don't rationalize, don't pretend. If you voted for him you voted for HIMSELF, the PERSON, and all his crap. A vote for Trump was also an affirmative vote for HIS lies, HIS vulgarity toward women, HIS insults, HIS convictions, HIS fake faith, HIS obscenities, HIS cruelty, HIS refusal to acknowledge or accept blame for anything, HIS alarming tendency to be manipulated by our enemies with flattery. OWN IT. No more excuses. A vote for Trump means you accept all that. And that is what worries me the most, how so many people are fine with it.
Can I add a couple items to #7, Monica? If you get a $35 nail job every week, don't complain about egg prices. If you get $1000 tats once a year, don't complain about egg prices... And I agree with all else that you say.
I disagree with putting the blame on Democrats. The blame rests with people who were willing to vote for a man like Trump. If you want to blame someone, blame the senate that failed to convict Trump. Trump should never have been allowed to run a second time.
I have tried to avoid wading into this debate for 5 days--but so many Democrats (and yes I am one) just can't seem to get it through their heads that when you call people racist mysoginistic stupid fascist and every other name--sooner or later they get pretty pissed and vote for the other--no matter how abhorrent he might be. If the party and its supporters don't learn those lessons from this debacle then the Democrats may be in the wilderness for a long time.
And really what exactly does the party stand for now, if it's not equity over merit and base assumptions that if you're white you're racist, if you don't want your daughters playing sports against biological males you're a homo/trans-phobe, if you want sensible limits on immigration, you're a bigot. Not exactly a winning strategy in my opinion.
The strategist who wrote this article nailed it on every point.
People really thought that Trump would burn out. Hell, i thought so. But yes, the GOP should have voted to impeach (and no doubt would have, with an anonymous vote) but you have some pretty shameless people who were apparently willing to forgive their lives being threatened.
Chris, have to disagree with the way you frame this: "Arguably, the biggest factor was the years of middle American voters being assaulted with political correctness, pronouns, transgender rights, endless forms of equity, reparations, various oppressions and blame that led to an environment where the Democratic nominee literally embodied much of what angered voters most about the Democratic Party." You didn't say who was doing the assaulting. Middle America was being assaulted by right wing media, social media and memes about these issues. Sure, the issues are more progressive, but how did all that red on the map get bludgeoned every day, multiple times a day depending on what TV, radio, internet, etx. they use for what may be called news. These "hot button" issues only became "hot" because the right made them hot. The right LOVES to find these issues. Know what else should be hot? That they are banning books in schools, that they are altering history to meet their narratives, that they are restricting their rights (pick him -- freedom of speech, freedom to vote, freedom to love and marry who you choose, freedom to have control of your own body, your religion; freedom from gun violence, and protection for our privacy, to name a few. I've said it here before, the Dems have to get better at attacking the right's issues in the media methods those red counties are seeing. Loud, constant, and cruelly. But, please, I've lived with left progressive family and friends and honestly you may be shocked to learn that we don't sit around at night discussing our pronouns. But they sure do on Fox News.
Restricting freedom speech? It was Tim Walz who claimed that misinformation is not protected by the first amendment. It was John Kerry who said that the first amendment is a Major Block’ to Stopping ‘Disinformation,’ and that he hopes to ‘Implement Change’ to that. It was the left who censored the Hunter Biden laptop story.
Tim Walz followed that statement with the classic yelling fire in a theater (when there isn’t a fire). Actually, the way the first amendment works starts like all the bill of rights, government shall not …. So, yelling fire in a crowded theater when there is no fire is not a violation of the first amendment (as no law exists that prohibits that). That doesn’t mean that if the person who yelled fire caused harm to others or harm to property there could not be criminal or civil consequences for him not related for his 1st amendment right to speech. So, if the federal government decided to be the information police and enact a law to try to do so (Kerry), it is likely this Supreme Court would strike it down, even if it was reasonable, made sense, etc…. Who decides what information is misinformation and in whose opinion makes it very challenging. It is obvious from our world today that the left and right are both anxious to silent the opinions of the other side.
Blame Harris all you like. No one runs a perfect campaign. Nothing that is mentioned in this article would have helped her win. We are stuck in the continuous BIGGER LIE that women can’t be trusted to lead this country, that women can’t be trusted with the nuclear codes. Bullshit! We got what we deserved. A punk politician who is a convicted felon and a man who lives in the Dark Ages concerning women, along with what looks like a majority of men and some of their women who refuse to live in the 21st Century. Now it’s all on you, MAGA. You’ve successfully destroyed any semblance of the Republican Party. Well done! I’m sure you’re strutting like peacocks. Have fun while you can. Thanks for nothing!
As a conservative Republican I wholeheartedly endorse your post, because you learned precisely nothing from this election and I hope that all of the rest of the democrats continue to embrace your mentality so your god awful party wanders in the wilderness for a very long time
I’m a paid subscriber because I enjoy your perspective (that I perceive) as a MSM mindset. This is borne out with the rather shallow CW with your take on Biden “governing from the far left” (he did not), and the relatively modest stimulus “led directly to crippling inflation” (it did not).
One must forget the stimulus bills signed by Trump in 2020 in order to twist oneself into those premises.
March 27, 2020, Care Act, $2.2 TRILLION including $300B in one-time cash payments directly to every American of $1,200 EACH ADULT, plus $500 more for each child.
There was a controversy when Trump insisted (and did) put HIS NAME on every check.
December 27, 2020 (while he was trying to steal the election) another $900 BILLION including $600 direct payments for every American adult and child.
That’s more than $3 TRILLION during Trump’s term. ($3.1 TRILLION to be exact)
Joe Biden came into office with Covid still raging with 80,000 deaths per week (in large part because of Trump’s terrible response to Covid in 2020, literally lying at every turn) the nation teetering on the brink of recession (and quite possible a depression), with his $1.9 TRILLION stimulus which included direct payments ONLY for lower income Americans…less than $75,000 a year.
It included much needed support to state governments (where most are required to balance their budget) to avoid HUGE tax increases.
Both ideas that President Biden “campaigning in 2020 as a moderate and then governing from the far left.” and “linkage between spending trillions on policies aimed at creating an FDR-like legacy led directly to crippling inflation.“ are both specious at best, dishonest rewriting of history at worst.
Biden’s actual policy successes were NOT “far left” but almost exclusively more JOE MANCHIN right of center, since he held the Senate hostage with his demands.
Inflation was a WORLDWIDE phenomena that was the DIRECT RESULT of COVID.
The idea that U.S. stimulus which totaled $5 TRILLION from March 2020 to March 2021, which 62% was during TRUMP’S TERM (only 38% from Biden) but ONLY President Biden’s stimulus “led directly to crippling inflation” not born out by the facts.
The reality is that Americans (and people worldwide) were pissed because of COVID caused inflation and upheaval in almost every aspect of their lives.
If Trump was able to steal the 2020 election, inflation would have BEEN THE SAME if not worse. The majority of voters in this country don't care about this reality. They just want someone to blame.
And Trump gave them someone (with the demagogic concentration on immigrants which is totally FALSE) to blame.
Sorry but the seeds of this disaster was set when Mitch and the 'regular Republicans' decided to back Trump instead of the Constitution and the Country in 2021 and allowed the Coup Maker a way back.
Chris, you didn't name the person who wrote that well-reasoned analysis, but I'd like to thank them. I'm pretty far to the left politically, but for years I've sensed that the Democratic party was losing support due to the seemingly endless talk about pronouns, bathrooms, etc. I think every flavor of sexual preference deserves the same rights as the rest of us, but if it's too much the focus, it will backfire. And if Harris was indeed chosen as she's both female and black, that's likely to fail, and we've seen that it did. Obama's hectoring of black men to vote for Kamala because she's a black woman didn't go over very well. The Democratic party seems less and less relatable to the average person's circumstances, especially financial security. I have friends who say Trump beating Kamala on Nov. 5 is proof of massive misogyny and racism in a huge swath of the American public, and when I say "No, it's not that simple," people get angry. There are other issues, and too many Democrats, particularly the well-off, fail to address them.
I don't disagree, last spring my brother is like Biden is cooked, he needs to drop off but I was like if he can show up for the summer debate he will be the best option. Harris was a terrible candidate when she ran and she's done nothing to help her image over the last 4 yrs. I actually thought the campaign did a really good job making her likable.
Education is a big problem, I blame participation trophies, everyone said they created a soft generation, I think they created an unrealistic generation, add in tiktok and podcast and teachers who won't even dip the foot into anything political for fear of getting in trouble (I'm one of them) you get a generation
that isn't smart, but thinks they are super smart.
I still think the media is a problem, not the major players but the local markets. 20 yrs ago the South Dakota media wouldn't have let John Thune dance around supporting Trump, today there just isn't any political players in the media to do it. That's where it's changed, 20 yrs ago being a hypocrite, flip flopper was the worst thing ever, today no one cares. Some of it is a party with no shame, but I feel lot of it is their isn't a local media in flyover country to hold them accountable
Well said. She was probably the wrong choice to be VP. Biden almost went out of his was to set her up to fail when he should have prepared her. She did end up running a good campaign considering and being chained to an unpopular administration.
Also I have a very progressive friend who said they are a single issue voter ( the issue is Palestine) who voted for Trump because he will be even worse on Palestine than Harris and who feels his support of Netanyahu will lead to further atrocities that will wake up the rest of America. The weirdest most useless rationale for voting for Trump I have yet heard. I lost a lot of respect for that person, I gotta say.
This was probably the best post-election analysis I have read. It was spot on. Nothing more to add.
Spot on. I hope like hell someone is the Dem party who can effect change reads this and owns it. Otherwise, it’s going to be a lot of years out of power and in the political wilderness.
100% agree. I haven't read anything better in the last 48 hours!!!!
Wow a mature human being wrote this.
Pete Buttigieg. Most effective defender of the Biden administration’s successes. A gay man with no insecurity about his own American story, he has no interest in identity politics in the way so many on the left do. Maybe he can provide a path forward?
LGBTQ+ is identity politics. He and his partner intentionally adopted two black children as political props. If you think that will sit well with black voters, I have a Kamala victory to sell you.
What a racist comment! Secretary Pete and future president if there are any true elections in the future adopted two black children because they needed parents. Every time I see Pete and his partner talk about their children it with obvious love and pride!!! You should be ashamed of yourself for that comment!
You are kidding yourself if you do not get YBs point. Remember Mayor Pete hauling his bike in a black government SUV to get out and ride it the last few blocks for a photo op in the early days of his appointment? Or showing up really late after the Palestine, Ohio spill at the site wearing a hard hat and fancy/schmancy shoes? Again, for a photo op. And as for those sweet children, we do not know yet whether there will be negative effects of single sex parenting. But there is some evidence that cross race adoption can be problematic.
BS! There is no scientific studies showing that racial differences between children and adoptive parents hurts the chidren! Blocked and muted racist MAGA!
You’re part of the problem described in the article. Screaming ‘racist’ at someone doesn’t solve anything.
Also, studies show parenting does less than we think. The genetics these children inherent are far more predictive than growing up in mayor Pete’s household
That’s naive.
I think that's a terrible comment to make about someone's children.
Pete is tied into with ID politics with the pronouns-on-bio, if nothing else but he does have an ability to speak calmly and concisely to people. We'll see how he does if he runs for governor of Michigan. But considering the guy started as the Mayor of a small city four years ago, he's had a remarkable trajectory.
A remarkable trajectory because the billionaire supporters who run the DNC saw him as an excellent identity politics candidate and funded his rise. How do you think Obama found himself running for president having only been a ‘community organizer’? To be fair, every candidate gets discovered and secretly chosen and funded behind thenscenes, but Mayor Pete? In the words of Biden, ‘Come on, man’. It’s so obvious. Identity politics.
Blocked and muted RFK, Junior nutball supporters!!!
Keep blocking and muting lol. This is how you lose elections.
As If white women like you care about anyone other than yourselves. If anything that doesn’t get geared towards you it’s identity politics.
What kind of awful person makes a comment like that?! You sir, are abysmal.
Exactly
Not to mention he's done tons of racist stuff is why he's not the right call, nope.
Damn, these Russian operatives are getting a lot bolder. Your comments are the stuff dung heaps are made of. Now slither on out here. It's going take awhile for us to right the ship, but we will and we're not buying, what your type excells at - garbage.
You just demonstrated the reason for Dems failure - every disagreement is shouted at with accusations of racism, some invented phobia, nazism or whatever. Yawn, it doesn’t work.
So identity politics = anything other than white, straight male
Pete is the best…but will people vote for a gay man? So many bigoted people out there.
That’s what primaries determine.
You are the problem because you see racism and choose to ignore it!!!
Mayor Pete is actually useless. Thinking he has any appeal is brain rot. His sexuality literally is identity politics - dude is like Kamala, an affirmative action hire.
Mayor Pete is actually useless. Thinking he has any appeal is brain rot. His sexuality literally is identity politics - dude is like Kamala, an affirmative action hire.
He was transportation secretary, how did that work out? Not very well. What did he do besides disappear for a month during a crisis?
This. Pete is my favorite current American politican by far. I love his ability to deliver a clear message with both competence and empathy. I do not believe that his sexuality would hinder his campaign. I firmly believe that Pete could have succeeded where Kamala failed, if he had the chance to, which is the reason I am so angry that the Democrats avoided an open primary.
You’re joking right?
Wow! What a scathing analysis. I’m so tired of hearing the term “woke.” Maya Angelou wrote “Do the best you can until you know better. Then, when you know better, do better.” The problem with the far right throwing around the term “woke” is that it implies that we, as Americans, don’t want to “know better” therefore excusing us from the responsibility of having to “do better.” Gosh, if this is the case, having lived overseas and now seeing Trump chosen as our representative leader, I don’t know that, in the words of MAGA’s favorite song, “I’m proud to be an American.” I will be proud to be an American when we are “…a tall, proud city built on rocks stronger than oceans, windswept, God-blessed, and teeming with people of all kinds living in harmony and peace; a city with free ports that hummed with commerce and creativity. And if there had to be city walls, the walls had doors and the doors were open to anyone with the will and the heart to get here.” With the election of Trump, we are backsliding. I liked Kamala’s progressing forward message because I am not looking forward to fighting the “old” battles of equality and tolerance again and again—which is what happens when “woke” becomes the derogatory label it is today. Trump is a symptom of our society—not the Democratic Party. Not to say the Democrats are perfect, but they seem to be held to a much higher standard than the MAGA Republicans.
I’m a never-Trumper BTW, and not a Democrat. I’m a party-less conservative. I’m an Episcopalian who is ashamed to be called a Christian right now because those who proclaim themselves Christians today—don’t follow Christ’s actual teachings. They take the Bible in bits and pieces out of context to use to support their elitest, exclusive, and oppressive agenda.
The U.S. is really in a sad, sorry place today. We are all either living in fear whether it comes out in the form of Narcissism or in silence and complacency.
Normal people are tired of social justice warriors melting down, calling the murder of others justified, then needing a mental health day, of being called a transphobe if we don’t want women hurt in sports, of being told at work that we are racists (or if you’re not white- you’re just ignorant but the SJW saviors are here). We’ve been living with woke crap while you stick your heads in the sand.
Karen,
I’m not a SJW—just a mom and a teacher. I’m the mom of a biological female transgender teen (not in sports) and a I’m a special education teacher. I’m scared for my kids as I see society becoming more at ease with dehumanizing what is inconvenient, what they don’t know, and what they disagree with. I’m afraid of a president who doesn’t understand why we bother with people with disabilities, and would just as soon shut them away in institutions, like in history, and would deny them healthcare because he just doesn’t see the point (look up his nephew’s battle about his son with disabilities). I am not the one who has my head buried in the sand, because I get news from many sources other than Fox. I’m sorry that being kind and considerate, and seeing others as humans is such horrible “woke” crap that you’ve had to deal with. When your rights are truly in question, let’s have another conversation.
When (and hopefully it is never) there are substantive threats to our loved ones because of a disability or being trans, I will be part of the counterattack with you. I appreciate your considered response and apologize for my hasty assumption.
I am the father of a female disabled teen, who requires assistance in bathrooms. thanks to all the trans hysteria, and the governor of ohio signing into law a bath room ban in ohio today, my daughter and transgender individuals will be unfairly impacted. I have already been accosted trying to help my daughter use the bathroom when a family bathroom was unavailable. People just want to pee. It’s not just transgender individuals affected, but anyone that might need assistance, or anybody that doesn’t quite look like ken and Barbie. The law in ohio is particularly insidious as when it was originally written, it had NO exclusions for situiations like my daughter. These are laws for issues that don’t exists and are there merely to demonize a very small minority.
Preach.
Too bad you can’t see what’s blatantly obvious. It’s sad.
It’s not the real “woke” he’s referring to, to clarify, it’s that it became a slur for id pol.
You know, I really believe that Kamala Harris was the right candidate for this election. It’s just a shame that the majority of the people who voted decided that they preferred low gas prices etc etc over an inclusive society. I don’t agree with your premise, Chris, but I’m happy to hear your viewpoint.
I think by announcing he was going to pick a woman as his VP before he was the nominee, Biden defined her down as just that. He could’ve picked Harris without saying in advance it was going to be a woman and it would’ve meant more imo, but he really wanted that campaign boost.
I don't even know what she truly believed or stood for. There was 2019 Harris, who ran hard left, and 2024 Harris, who ran to the center but never explained why she'd implicitly rejected her 2019 stances.
Yes. On the trans prisoner issue, Bret Baier asked her about it on Fox, and her response was "That's a remote issue." She refused to say whether she stood by her 2019 statements or not.
Because she was lying. Obviously
Funny how misogynist can neither read, or choose not to, or listen. If it's said or written, by a woman, is it baked into a misogynist's DNA to not by able to comprehend? Asking for a friend.
What exactly is misogynist in the statement? Asking for myself.
The right candidate is one who wins and governs well.
Guess that leaves out the felon who will take the office. Of course 13 million alleged Democrats choosing not to vote didn't help. DINOs at their best. Shades of 2016 guess this proves "going to Michigan" really doesn't matter, does it? Only misogyny and racism seem to reign in this country of some of us being free. Others? Not so much.
Those 13 millions never existed. They are Biden’s fantom army.
So, the majority of comments who agree Biden made a mistake are men. Just an observation. As to the rest of it, grow up America. Things change. Things have always changed. Items always get more expensive.
Biden made a HUGE mistake, as did his handlers. I am a woman. Adult human female. Does that help?
You don't get it. Actually not much has changed. There is a large number of men and women, black, white and purple that will not vote for a female president.
No. They won’t vote for a person who can’t answer simple questions. They won’t vote for a person who while running as the change candidate answered the question what would you have done differently with I can’t think of anything.
Honestly she can’t express herself. Is it a verbal problem or is she really stupid?
I am a woman. I voted for Biden. But he should have made clear in 2022 that he would not seek reelection.
You’re one of the clueless dems the author was describing
She was probably a slightly below to below average candidate, we can stop pretending she was anything special. I doubt she gets the nomination in an open primary, certainly never touching it if she wasn't picked as the vice president, which as Chris said was the original mistake for Biden with a very high chance of needing to pass off to his VP after 1 term.
You are correct
You doubt she gets the nomination in an open primary? She did run in an open primary, very briefly because her performance was laughably abysmal
What primary was that? There was no primary no voting just pure power politics.
2020
And she was so pathetic she didn’t even last to the primaries.
How is society today not inclusive.? Trump just named a woman as his chief of staff. He also named a woman as the ambassador to the UN. He is thinking about naming a gay man to be the treasury secretary. The difference between him and Biden is that he didn’t name appoint them because they are women. He appointed them because he thinks they are the best person for the job and they happen to be women.
I firmly disagree that Kamala was the right candidate. I do not have anything against her on a personal basis and think that she applied herself well and worked hard on the campaign, but it very quickly became very apparent that she simply didn't have what it takes to convince the voters outside the inner Democratic base you need to convince in order to win an election in 2024 America. Every other quality is moot if you are not able to deliver the election win first.
So you are saying that because Trump won, none of his qualities matter, only that he won? I find that also something I disagree with - a person’s quality is more about themselves than winning or losing. We may have lost this election, but I wouldn’t want the Democratic Party to run a Trump-like candidate solely to win.
No, I am saying that your qualities as a future president do not end up mattering if you are unable to win the election that gets you there. Of course your qualities matter once you're there and I see Trump as someone who is better at getting elected president than at actual governing and policy. He strikes me as someone who thrives on excitement and show - but working out legislation has none of that. Biden was much the opposite - being quietly effective but unable to sell his wins.
Is that what you learned?
No one know what’s that talking point means. The “gas prices vs inclusive” trope doesn’t mean anything. You’re included in society. Right now. Just because you don’t get everything you want doesn’t mean you’re excluded.
Which portions do you disagree with? I felt that Harris was much better than the Democrats rhetoric. Put another way she might’ve solved some complex problems but ran an ineffectual campaign.
Or I should say, happy to hear the viewpoint of the person whose views you promoted.
This is the exact thing every Democrat and a few others need to read. Thank you for getting it on the record. Well done Chris.
I don't agree with the writer's assessment. It suggests that we Democrats should abandon our principles and beliefs and run totally on political calculations. We have to keep our core values. I think Kamala Harris was a good choice (she surprised me how good she was), but she started from a deep hole left by Joe Biden and Trump is so good at fanning the flames of grievance and proclaiming how he is going to heal everything and make everything great.
It does not suggest that we should abandon our principles, but that we should reign in our extreme left. Can you not see that people are fed up with identity politics?
When you put DEI instead of merits as cornerstone of your principles, expect the foundation to be sagging and out of square.
Democrats need to learn how to talk to people with actual words they understand and stop lecturing people when they don’t get something perfectly correct because they don’t spend 200 hours a week on social media and have real lives.
Need to read the article again Ed
Too bad all of this wasn’t discussed with dems earlier on. Maybe it was but no one listened. It certainly puts Biden in a bad light. And I believe that Biden is a good moral family man who has more empathy in his pinkie than Trump and his cohorts have combined. But i guess that is something else the electorate doesn’t care at all about these days.
Biden caved when it came to governing. He succumbed to the woke left.
You are right, however, that Biden seems like a centrist at heart. He chose to use the wrong wheels of power at the wrong time.
Lots of angry, cynical and sarcastic comments brewing in my head. I am upset. To get off my chest:
1. Trump winning doesn't make him or his voters right.
2. Winning an election isn't the same as governing the country. Ha, we saw that during Trump's first term. I thought his presidency was horrible and embarrassing. But hey, maybe bacon was cheaper then!
3. Trump won because he is the Pied Piper of grievance, cruelty and lies.
4. Trump also won because we underestimated the electorate's gullibility. He loves the poorly educated - said so himself.
5. I won't be tuning into Joe Rogan or Fox or WWE to understand those folks.
6. I keep thinking of the backlash to the Harris commercial: "Did you make the right choice, honey?" Can't believe that the bros were triggered by this and their idea that husbands get to tell their wives who to vote for. Hell no.
7. If you own a $70,000 pickup don't complain about egg prices.
8. But mostly: My ballot said "Donald J Trump." It didn't say Donald J Trump * asterisk. It didn't say "Trump - but I don't like his mean tweets." Didn't say "Trump - but only for the judges." Didn't say Trump - because of groceries." Etc. It said HIM. So frickin' OWN it. Don't make excuses, don't rationalize, don't pretend. If you voted for him you voted for HIMSELF, the PERSON, and all his crap. A vote for Trump was also an affirmative vote for HIS lies, HIS vulgarity toward women, HIS insults, HIS convictions, HIS fake faith, HIS obscenities, HIS cruelty, HIS refusal to acknowledge or accept blame for anything, HIS alarming tendency to be manipulated by our enemies with flattery. OWN IT. No more excuses. A vote for Trump means you accept all that. And that is what worries me the most, how so many people are fine with it.
I love that Trump stands up for the poorly educated. "I love the poorly educated" was one of the best and most brilliant things he ever said.
Can you imagine a Democratic candidate ever saying that? I can't. They'd think it was insulting, which is exactly the problem.
Can I add a couple items to #7, Monica? If you get a $35 nail job every week, don't complain about egg prices. If you get $1000 tats once a year, don't complain about egg prices... And I agree with all else that you say.
Amen and amen!!
Monica - this is brilliantly stated.
Agreed 💯%, Sue. Monica has stated this quite well.
She’s not wrong on any of this, Trump is going to be the Reps’ worst nightmare in 2026- look forward to that as the only bright side of this imo.
I disagree with putting the blame on Democrats. The blame rests with people who were willing to vote for a man like Trump. If you want to blame someone, blame the senate that failed to convict Trump. Trump should never have been allowed to run a second time.
Of course. The Democrats are just fine. They are awesome. They just need to find a new electorate to vote for them.
Yes! There were many opportunities to stop Trump. Now, we have to endure World War 3 and Project 2025. I hope those gas prices are worth it.
I have tried to avoid wading into this debate for 5 days--but so many Democrats (and yes I am one) just can't seem to get it through their heads that when you call people racist mysoginistic stupid fascist and every other name--sooner or later they get pretty pissed and vote for the other--no matter how abhorrent he might be. If the party and its supporters don't learn those lessons from this debacle then the Democrats may be in the wilderness for a long time.
And really what exactly does the party stand for now, if it's not equity over merit and base assumptions that if you're white you're racist, if you don't want your daughters playing sports against biological males you're a homo/trans-phobe, if you want sensible limits on immigration, you're a bigot. Not exactly a winning strategy in my opinion.
The strategist who wrote this article nailed it on every point.
People really thought that Trump would burn out. Hell, i thought so. But yes, the GOP should have voted to impeach (and no doubt would have, with an anonymous vote) but you have some pretty shameless people who were apparently willing to forgive their lives being threatened.
Chris, have to disagree with the way you frame this: "Arguably, the biggest factor was the years of middle American voters being assaulted with political correctness, pronouns, transgender rights, endless forms of equity, reparations, various oppressions and blame that led to an environment where the Democratic nominee literally embodied much of what angered voters most about the Democratic Party." You didn't say who was doing the assaulting. Middle America was being assaulted by right wing media, social media and memes about these issues. Sure, the issues are more progressive, but how did all that red on the map get bludgeoned every day, multiple times a day depending on what TV, radio, internet, etx. they use for what may be called news. These "hot button" issues only became "hot" because the right made them hot. The right LOVES to find these issues. Know what else should be hot? That they are banning books in schools, that they are altering history to meet their narratives, that they are restricting their rights (pick him -- freedom of speech, freedom to vote, freedom to love and marry who you choose, freedom to have control of your own body, your religion; freedom from gun violence, and protection for our privacy, to name a few. I've said it here before, the Dems have to get better at attacking the right's issues in the media methods those red counties are seeing. Loud, constant, and cruelly. But, please, I've lived with left progressive family and friends and honestly you may be shocked to learn that we don't sit around at night discussing our pronouns. But they sure do on Fox News.
Restricting freedom speech? It was Tim Walz who claimed that misinformation is not protected by the first amendment. It was John Kerry who said that the first amendment is a Major Block’ to Stopping ‘Disinformation,’ and that he hopes to ‘Implement Change’ to that. It was the left who censored the Hunter Biden laptop story.
Tim Walz followed that statement with the classic yelling fire in a theater (when there isn’t a fire). Actually, the way the first amendment works starts like all the bill of rights, government shall not …. So, yelling fire in a crowded theater when there is no fire is not a violation of the first amendment (as no law exists that prohibits that). That doesn’t mean that if the person who yelled fire caused harm to others or harm to property there could not be criminal or civil consequences for him not related for his 1st amendment right to speech. So, if the federal government decided to be the information police and enact a law to try to do so (Kerry), it is likely this Supreme Court would strike it down, even if it was reasonable, made sense, etc…. Who decides what information is misinformation and in whose opinion makes it very challenging. It is obvious from our world today that the left and right are both anxious to silent the opinions of the other side.
great insight
Keep huffing that copium pal! 🤣
No it’s not the right wing doing the assaulting. That’s kinda cute but not buying that shit.
That’s the spirit, learn nothing…
109%. the right is the one obsessed with this stuff as you say.
💯
Blame Harris all you like. No one runs a perfect campaign. Nothing that is mentioned in this article would have helped her win. We are stuck in the continuous BIGGER LIE that women can’t be trusted to lead this country, that women can’t be trusted with the nuclear codes. Bullshit! We got what we deserved. A punk politician who is a convicted felon and a man who lives in the Dark Ages concerning women, along with what looks like a majority of men and some of their women who refuse to live in the 21st Century. Now it’s all on you, MAGA. You’ve successfully destroyed any semblance of the Republican Party. Well done! I’m sure you’re strutting like peacocks. Have fun while you can. Thanks for nothing!
As a conservative Republican I wholeheartedly endorse your post, because you learned precisely nothing from this election and I hope that all of the rest of the democrats continue to embrace your mentality so your god awful party wanders in the wilderness for a very long time
Chris….Chris….Chris.
I’m a paid subscriber because I enjoy your perspective (that I perceive) as a MSM mindset. This is borne out with the rather shallow CW with your take on Biden “governing from the far left” (he did not), and the relatively modest stimulus “led directly to crippling inflation” (it did not).
One must forget the stimulus bills signed by Trump in 2020 in order to twist oneself into those premises.
March 27, 2020, Care Act, $2.2 TRILLION including $300B in one-time cash payments directly to every American of $1,200 EACH ADULT, plus $500 more for each child.
There was a controversy when Trump insisted (and did) put HIS NAME on every check.
December 27, 2020 (while he was trying to steal the election) another $900 BILLION including $600 direct payments for every American adult and child.
That’s more than $3 TRILLION during Trump’s term. ($3.1 TRILLION to be exact)
Joe Biden came into office with Covid still raging with 80,000 deaths per week (in large part because of Trump’s terrible response to Covid in 2020, literally lying at every turn) the nation teetering on the brink of recession (and quite possible a depression), with his $1.9 TRILLION stimulus which included direct payments ONLY for lower income Americans…less than $75,000 a year.
It included much needed support to state governments (where most are required to balance their budget) to avoid HUGE tax increases.
Both ideas that President Biden “campaigning in 2020 as a moderate and then governing from the far left.” and “linkage between spending trillions on policies aimed at creating an FDR-like legacy led directly to crippling inflation.“ are both specious at best, dishonest rewriting of history at worst.
Biden’s actual policy successes were NOT “far left” but almost exclusively more JOE MANCHIN right of center, since he held the Senate hostage with his demands.
Inflation was a WORLDWIDE phenomena that was the DIRECT RESULT of COVID.
https://libertystreeteconomics.newyorkfed.org/2024/05/is-the-recent-inflationary-spike-a-global-phenomenon/
The idea that U.S. stimulus which totaled $5 TRILLION from March 2020 to March 2021, which 62% was during TRUMP’S TERM (only 38% from Biden) but ONLY President Biden’s stimulus “led directly to crippling inflation” not born out by the facts.
The reality is that Americans (and people worldwide) were pissed because of COVID caused inflation and upheaval in almost every aspect of their lives.
If Trump was able to steal the 2020 election, inflation would have BEEN THE SAME if not worse. The majority of voters in this country don't care about this reality. They just want someone to blame.
And Trump gave them someone (with the demagogic concentration on immigrants which is totally FALSE) to blame.
I think you’re on the right track, Dave. 💯%
Thank you for that reality check!
Voters choose character? What outstanding moral character traits did they see in Trump?
Read the next sentence... "In the absence of that, they will vote their fears." People voted their fears in the absence of character.
That answer is lost in the library of Alexandria
Sorry but the seeds of this disaster was set when Mitch and the 'regular Republicans' decided to back Trump instead of the Constitution and the Country in 2021 and allowed the Coup Maker a way back.
Chris, you didn't name the person who wrote that well-reasoned analysis, but I'd like to thank them. I'm pretty far to the left politically, but for years I've sensed that the Democratic party was losing support due to the seemingly endless talk about pronouns, bathrooms, etc. I think every flavor of sexual preference deserves the same rights as the rest of us, but if it's too much the focus, it will backfire. And if Harris was indeed chosen as she's both female and black, that's likely to fail, and we've seen that it did. Obama's hectoring of black men to vote for Kamala because she's a black woman didn't go over very well. The Democratic party seems less and less relatable to the average person's circumstances, especially financial security. I have friends who say Trump beating Kamala on Nov. 5 is proof of massive misogyny and racism in a huge swath of the American public, and when I say "No, it's not that simple," people get angry. There are other issues, and too many Democrats, particularly the well-off, fail to address them.
I don't disagree, last spring my brother is like Biden is cooked, he needs to drop off but I was like if he can show up for the summer debate he will be the best option. Harris was a terrible candidate when she ran and she's done nothing to help her image over the last 4 yrs. I actually thought the campaign did a really good job making her likable.
Education is a big problem, I blame participation trophies, everyone said they created a soft generation, I think they created an unrealistic generation, add in tiktok and podcast and teachers who won't even dip the foot into anything political for fear of getting in trouble (I'm one of them) you get a generation
that isn't smart, but thinks they are super smart.
I still think the media is a problem, not the major players but the local markets. 20 yrs ago the South Dakota media wouldn't have let John Thune dance around supporting Trump, today there just isn't any political players in the media to do it. That's where it's changed, 20 yrs ago being a hypocrite, flip flopper was the worst thing ever, today no one cares. Some of it is a party with no shame, but I feel lot of it is their isn't a local media in flyover country to hold them accountable
Well said. She was probably the wrong choice to be VP. Biden almost went out of his was to set her up to fail when he should have prepared her. She did end up running a good campaign considering and being chained to an unpopular administration.
OOOOF.... Strong medicine, Chris.... I can't say that you're wrong, because you are not.
Thank you for your clear eyed perspective (on everything except corporate media...!)
Also I have a very progressive friend who said they are a single issue voter ( the issue is Palestine) who voted for Trump because he will be even worse on Palestine than Harris and who feels his support of Netanyahu will lead to further atrocities that will wake up the rest of America. The weirdest most useless rationale for voting for Trump I have yet heard. I lost a lot of respect for that person, I gotta say.