Another one for the history books. Former President Donald Trump has joined Grover Cleveland as just the second person to be elected to two nonconsecutive terms as president of the United States.
He did this despite several obvious reasons for concern. From his hostile rhetoric to his palling around with bizarre characters, including conspiracy theorists like Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.. He has been convicted and found liable for wrongdoing. And there was January 6.
Despite it all, the Democrats couldn’t field a candidate capable of defeating such a flawed candidate. They opted for Vice President Kamala Harris, one of the most unpopular veeps in memory. Harris, the unaccomplished product of California’s one party state, never had to build a complicated coalition in her political life. She could barely string together a coherent response to even the most basic of questions. Yet this was who the Democrats arrogantly presented to the American people as the person to save democracy.
It is clear that the Democratic Party and friendly institutions have failed to speak to the actual needs and concerns of the American people. Instead of delivering for the American people, the Democrats went on spending sprees, igniting inflation. Instead of speaking to the needs of the nation, they have shrieked unpersuasively about Trump being the next Adolf Hitler.
While the American people have concerns about public safety, about order at the southern border, Democrats miscalculated and wrongly believed simply smearing half the country as racists and white supremacists would convince people to back them. They were obviously wrong.
Candidate quality matters. Ideas matter. Words matter.
This editorial board has serious concerns about many of Trump’s ideas and words. But we couldn’t tell you what Harris thought about anything and could barely understand her words. We can’t say we’re surprised at her total failure.
Unlike the last two presidential elections, in which both parties peddled election conspiracy theories (“the Russians hacked our elections,” “the Venezuelan voting machines elected Biden”), we only hope the country can work through these coming years as productively as possible. Part of that will require, undoubtedly, the Democrats to look in the mirror and become more than simply an anti-Trump party.