American Democracy Has Faith - Do You?
Have been warning my tribe in this space for a while that they are losing the room. So I have to admit, feeling a little schadenfreude as the verdict came in for the U.S. election.
If the Democrats are to regain power in four years they can hope that Trump will implode and his working class base will be reminded of who and what he truly cares about. Or they can look themselves in the mirror and discover why their brand image needs an overhaul. In sports it’s never good idea to always be on the defensive and hope the other side blows it. Winners don’t leave it to chance, they’re proactive. So let’s hope for America’s sake the Democrats fix themselves.
From a political perspective there is plenty to second guess. Hindsight is always 20/20, but there were a bunch of own goals by the Democrats this election. Here’s a list from start to finish:
Don’t announce that any of your appointments including the VP are based on anything other than pure merit. Biden saying that he wanted to pick a VP that is both a woman and black was a terrible introduction of Harris to the country. The choice was not a mistake, but the rationale for the selection was insulting. I am all for diversity, but it there is an art in doing it the right way to avoid regressive blowback.
Hiding Joe’s mental decline from the public and then going full on attack mode against him after the debate was terrible. They should have had a real primary challenge and exposed his flaws early, so that his replacement could earn the nomination rather than being appointed by party mandarins. Americans actually do like democracy.
Once the Democrats gutted Joe publicly, he needed to resign. As I have stated here before, his staying on only reminded the voter that it’s the people behind the curtain that run things. It’s hard then to flip the script and tell people that it is the now all about the quality of the person who becomes President.
You can’t run an entire campaign on fear of what your opponent will do. You need to tell voters what you’re going to do for them.
Stop assuming a person’s identity determines how they think and vote. It’s insulting and perpetuates the generalizing of people based on race or gender. You would think this would be something liberals would abhor.
Finally, perhaps not refer to people who happen to disagree with you as garbage. The shame and derision directed toward Trump supporters by the media and Democratic surrogates must stop. It’s like they don’t even know who Americans are. We have always identified as being the underdog and revel in being underestimated. You would think this would have been corrected after 2016, but here we are.
What should not be forgotten in all this Monday morning quarterbacking is that Trump is not a decent person. Too many people close to him have painted a very dark portrait of him. So it is no surprise why so many would despise him. But to believe that all his sins are endorsed by anyone who would vote for him, I must disagree.
Not everyone follows the beer test, (would you want to sit down for a beer with your chosen candidate) they only care who is the most qualified. To them it would be like selecting a heart surgeon. They only care about picking the best, not the nicest or most decent.
But all the rationalizing in the world doesn’t change the fact that a former President who appeals to the worst in all of us was just re-elected. But it would be wrong to believe this could only happen in the United States. Trump didn’t discover the politics of division and grievance. It has been used across the world because it appeals to all of humanity when the conditions are right for people to succumb to the devil’s whispers on their shoulder.
If you didn’t support Trump you’re not absolved of any responsibility. Look yourself in the mirror as the Democrats must to do and see if you are pushing people toward Trump or are you extending a hand to pull them back. The environment for candidates like Trump to emerge don’t happen by accident.
I find it ironic that so much scorn is being directed toward America when it still represents the best of what we can be. Yes, Trump riles up xenophobia, but based on the southern border it is still where many around the world want to be. Is there inequity? Of course, but no country on earth with that many people comes close to the per capita wealth and standard of living the U.S. provides to it 346 million people.
This time America, didn’t listen to the angel on its other shoulder. But I still believe in American democracy and a country so diverse and exceptional. Now is the time to reflect and better understand each other. A little soul searching never hurt anyone.
If you’re fearful that all the warnings of this result will come to pass, have some faith in your fellow citizens. American Democracy endures because it does.
By Gregory Cawsey