Consider this assessment of the election results by Van Jones of CNN on election night:
I think a lot of Democrats are hurt tonight. We wanted to see a repudiation of this direction for the country. And the fact that it’s this close, I think…it hurts; it just hurts. There’s the moral victory, and there’s the political victory; they are not the same. The Democratic political victory might still come. But I believe people wanted a moral victory tonight. There were people hoping for a big repudiation in this election and that has not yet come; and because of that, a lot of people are hurt and scared tonight in the Democratic Party.
You can almost taste the disappointment of the reality check here from a highly visible voice of the mainstream media establishment that their four-year campaign to discredit the Trump administration as illegitimate has been a total failure. You can also feel the sanctimony–moral victory?–give me a break, but it’s what we have become accustomed to from the sanctimonious left.
Some close observers of this presidential election campaign, such as John Fonte, characterized it in apocalyptic terms as analogous to the antebellum challenge to American republicanism by the Southern states, a showdown that would be the equivalent of a “regime election” like the one in 1860. And certainly this could have been that if it had played out in ways that suited Van Jones and his fellow travelers in the media. But it didn’t. The “Red Wall” and the Trump “deplorables” held. As I write, Joe Biden is within a half dozen Electoral College votes from reaching the necessary 270 for victory, the recounts and litigation are proceeding in a few states, and control of the Senate looks to be safely in GOP hands. So granted, we dodged a bullet, and I think did so in a way that, even with a Biden victory, the far left of his party won no mandate for their radical transformative agenda–Supreme Court packing, Electoral College reform, elimination of the Senate filibuster, Puerto Rico and DC statehood, bailouts for mismanaged state and local governments, etc.–for the forseeable future. And the fact that the Republicans picked up at least a half dozen House seats, probably more, weakens the Speaker’s hand in legislative leadership. It was not a good night for Speaker Pelosi or for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.
So where does this leave Donald Trump and his legacy, assuming he can’t pull out what would be an almost miraculous victory in a recount? I’ll have more to say about this later, but for now I’ll just make this point: Trump’s leadership of the country into populist nationalism is not going away and I predict that a generation from now he will be remembered much more significantly for leadership on many policy choices that will have made a positive difference for Americans than for the personality characteristics and governance style that irrationally and unfortunately led to his likely defeat.
Meanwhile, what we have anticipated for several weeks now as a result of ill-advised court decisions involving mail ballots is becoming a reality with the ballot counts and recounts and inevitable litigation. What a mess that was avoidable. More to come after the recounts and litigation have run their course.
What a mess that was avoidable.
Indeed, as was this crisis avoidable had we maintained a propoer curriculum in our public schools, teaching the virtues of our form of government rather than its incidental failures.
I’m disappointed you did not comment on how we got to the point where the country is so divided and focus on what can be done to united our country; to find common ground; and make it work for everyone. Education is the key. Our society is not sustainable without an educated populace. An educating is not brain washing, it is enlightening and encouraging citizens to think through issues and not just accept the headline or label without drilling down on the issue. You’re kidding me on the mail in ballots! All lawsuit to suppress voters have been filed by the Republicans. All votes should count. We can do million dollar plus transactions; make bank deposits from our phones; but we cannot vote electronically? We are divided for many reasons. It is time our elected officials go to work on sorting those issues and coming up with solutions.
Good to hear from you Rudy. You’re right that the top priority and culprit is education, elementary, secondary, and higher. And in case you missed it I have been writing about and working on education reform at all levels for over 30 years, 21 of them including writing this monthly publication. Get a copy of my book, The Texas Pilgrim, which encompasses over 500 essays, 56 of them on public and higher education, and a lot more of them on other issues involving the subject of “how we got to the point where the country is so divided” and what we should do about it. Available on Amazon or I will bring you a copy next time we meet. Best wishes.
Okay, a few typos. I was a bit agitated when I typed it.
An “education” is not brain washing….
… on what can be done to “unite” our country…
I’ll do a better job proof reading next time.
I can only quote Ronald Reagan as I have done even as America has turned much more liberal: ” You can never go wrong when you have confidence in the American people”
Jim, to put this in deplorable, poorly educated, gun toting language that my few hayseed friends can understand, “the whole thing from top to bottom makes me want to puke!
Yes, me too, but it could have been worse and the entire progressive agenda of the left was soundly rejected–Biden has no mandate except for abstaining from tweeting.
As I watch the news today I am afraid it is going to be worse especially if Georgia sends two democrat senators and the Senate is lost. For me, these are scary times in many ways.
No doubt–must win in Georgia and keep control of Senate.
Rudy, bank accts are regularly hacked. Government agencies are regularly hacked. Identities of millions of people are regularly hacked. I regularly get other peoples mail in my box and they get mine. Postal workers and postal contractors dump mail. Government agencies daily spy on citizens phone calls, text messages and emails. So, I don’t trust and won’t trust mail in ballots or electronic ballots. There is no reason, none, that the vast majority of citizens, can’t walk in to or drive through a polling location, show a voter registration card and proper identification card and cast their vote. Of course exceptions can be made for physically and medically disabled and the military. Preventing voter fraud does not equate to voter suppression.
Every month I am delighted to see Texas Pilgrim in my in-box, Jim. Thank you!
But the corruption of the country continues. We must not take comfort in the mostly marginal outcomes.
It is an obscenity that Election Day has been replaced by Election Month, that 92 million ballots were mailed before Election Day, out of 160 million votes cast; a rather large majority of votes! And they were cast by those isolated from the unreported news of Biden family corruption, and ignored, if they recognized, his dementia and his running mate, who will soon become the ** First Woman President, and of Color**. Plus, of course, the misundereducated young, 40% of whom think socialism is the answer.
Mail-in ballots and motor-voter were created by the Left, under the guise of caring for the “poor” minorities and the physically disabled. The opportunities for fraud are enormous and have doubtless been exercised. LBJ carried TX for JFK even back in the day, by fraud.
I am 78, received an unsolicited (!) ballot in the mail here in Louisiana. But I will stand in line on Election Day until I can no longer walk.
Thanks, Dr. Tom. I sympathize with everything you write here and I’ll be 78 in two weeks and received two unsolicited ballot orders. All we can do is keep plugging.
BTW, let us not forget Van Jones was a self-professed communist while in the Obama administration.
Love the juxtaposition of political vs moral victory. It accurately describes the angst I hear from D friends about this election.
The New York Times Section A Page 1 of October 7, 2012 reported in a detailed article why mail in voting was not reliable. Bad for Obama but good when used against Trump. However I hope the president will stay silent until we get two Georgia senators but I fear not. I do believe that if he had not made any wild statements for the prior two months, he would have been reelected.
He has no self discipline and won’t be controlled.
Take care, James, that you do not suggest a new Camelot is in order.
The few I know that voted Biden did not like Trump’s style….not a word about his policies, which have been remarkable. It has been referred to as Orange Man Bad!
No, Biden has no following, no real popularity at all. He is simply not Trump. And I expect him to have real difficulty with the progressive left, which will cut him no slack.
Sadly the victors write the history, but I believe Trump will go down as one of the greatest populist presidents, much like Andrew Jackson or more recently Theodore Roosevelt. In the event the coup is successful in the recounts of Pennsylvania and Georgia it will be fascinating to see if the republicans will run Pence, or a traditional milk-toast RINO, and if Trump might run as an independent. Regardless of outcome of current election we have not heard the last from Mr. Trump and his more importantly his supporters. There will be a reckoning – just a matter of depth, breadth and severity of actions to be taken. The media combined with the deep state is the true illegitimate power that has pitted Americans against Americans in all of this Kabuki theater we’re watching.
Executive orders will trump (no pun intended) the blocking action of a Senate. Republicans and the liberal federal courts don’t have the stones to attack, stall and over turn executive orders that will be pushed to the populace with full vigor by mainstream media.
I agree that the Trump movement of populist nationalism will not go away, question is who will now lead it if and when he gets off the stage. I also agree on his legacy–he is probably the most successful one-term president in history by any objective measure.