Americans have no one to blame but themselves. Felon and President-elect Donald Trump did not conceal who he was. He did not hide his racism, misogyny, willful ignorance, cruelty or contempt for democracy. At some point, we must acknowledge that our fellow Americans voted for him because of those qualities, not despite them. How did it come to this?
We cannot attribute the defeat for democracy to tough economic times. President Joe Biden leaves a booming economy with wages outpacing inflation, manufacturing undergoing a renaissance and low unemployment.
Kamala Harris glancing at Trump during the debate when he made mention of dogs being eaten.
We cannot attribute the loss to a defective Democratic campaign, intraparty infighting, lack of enthusiasm or a poor candidate. Vice President Kamala Harris did everything asked of her and more. She put in the long hours, produced an uplifting convention, delivered a smashing debate performance and drew in Republicans.
Bezos, owner of the Washington Post, refused to allow the editorial team to publish an endorsement for Kamala Harris
The media, it must be said, did not fulfill its role in educating the public and advancing truth as their primary objective. Refusal to explore Trump’s manifest defects and place him and his movement in the context of fascist strongmen and their cults had the effect of normalizing and legitimizing a candidate utterly unfit for office. But the facts nevertheless were there for anyone who cared to look. At some point, voters are responsible for their own decisions.
Attorney General Merrick Garland’s failure to swiftly and aggressively prosecute Trump will go down as one of the most devastating legal blunders in history. Had Trump been promptly indicted, appeals could have been resolved and a verdict obtained months if not years ago. Garland was the wrong man for the job at a critical time. Rather than face accountability for his crime against democracy, Trump saw himself rewarded. And still, his role in the attempted coup was no secret. Americans simply refused to consider it disqualifying. They think that little of our democracy.
We return to the sad reality that for too many Americans, a strongman holds appeal. A multiracial democracy is threatening. Conspiracies seem more real than reality. Moreover, we need to acknowledge that a female president is a bridge too far for millions of voters. Trump’s whether-they-like-it-or-not attitude toward women resonates with many voters who resent their advancement and autonomy.
In sum, when a country deliberately rejects decency, truth, democratic values and good governance, the problem is not a candidate, a party, the media or a feckless attorney general. Democracy is not self-sustaining. It requires a virtuous people devoted to democratic ideals. Whether we can recover the habits of mind — what we used to call civic virtue — will be the challenge of the next four years and beyond.
In the meantime, Ukraine’s existence is imperiled and democratic movements and governments around the globe have suffered a blow. The last, great hope of mankind is AWOL.
Jennifer Rubin writes reported opinion for The Washington Post. She is the author of “Resistance: How Women Saved Democracy from Donald Trump” and is host of the podcast Jen Rubin’s “Green Room @JRubinBlogger
By Staff
There are several tenets in this article I would probably take issue with. First, Kamala Harris likely wasn’t the strongest candidate the Democrats could have selected. Truth is though, Biden waited far too long to drop out of the race, so Harris was really their only option.
Second, I would suggest it wasn’t traditional media (i.e. press, television, radio) that failed to do their job and hold Trump accountable. Fact is, Trump and his acolytes by-passed that forum almost entirely, and transmitted their message directly through social media, podcasts and newer channels. And let’s be honest: the quality of insight, investigation and analysis on social media is no match for traditional media.
Third, with all the advantages of money, celebrity endorsements and campaign volunteers the Democrats still didn’t manage to get their message across. Harris failed to differentiate herself from Biden’s policy agenda, and more of the same didn’t appeal to many American voters. In addition, the DEI messaging and WOKE nonsense being propounded by supporters like Ocasio-Cortes and company didn’t help Harris with mainstream voters tired of all this silliness.
I hope that the people selected to Trump’s Cabinet manage to corral his excesses, and facilitate a more balanced and reasoned approach to governing. I also hope Trump has matured in his approach to management, and no longer thinks he can “wing it”. Time will tell.
As for the Democrats, some self-reflection would be helpful. The Nancy Pelosis, Chuck Schumers and Steny Hoyers need to retire and give way to a younger cadre. The Democrats also need to stop with the foolishness that implies you can buy your way to electoral success by giving away money. All that has done in the past four years is fuel inflation and create a sense of entitlement. Bottom line, that’s what ultimately sealed Harris’ fate, or to coin an old phrase “It’s the economy stupid”.
Faith in the goodness of humanity gone.
Cannot comprehend the sick things happening already in the US and what supposedly civilized people are doing, saying, supporting and excusing.
I think our gynaecological health care providers are going to see an increase in Americans crossing into Canada to obtain a medically-safe abortion, and I am perfectly okay with that… It is much better than seeing people who are pregnant (and don’t want to be) risking their health and very lives by submitting to illegal procedures that lack proper equipment, surgical aseptic technique and surgical skills. I don’t want to see photos and reports about botched abortions and the needless deaths that result.
This trend to strong leadership is not unique to the USA.Democracy is fading as thr rode of choose around the world.We can expect more to come!
Exactly, and that is what democracy is about and it isnt always pretty or comes wrapped in a nice package with a fancy bow. This was not just a win but a sweep, and the Democrat Party strategists need to take a good look in the mirror as does stubborn Joe Biden who personally handicapped Harris by dragging his feet. Harris should have distanced herself from Biden and some of his policies but did not do so out of loyalty to Biden. Result, they missed the boat on what was bothering the electorate most, the economy, immigration and the cost of living.
Yup, this article is right on the money. For starters, I wonder how Americans are going to feel once their freedoms, bit by bit, begin to be squelched. This election boiled down to hero worship…the underdog fighting for your rights, etc., whereas in reality the opposite will most likely begin to show it’s ugly head. Oh yeah, Hurrah for the BIG money cronies and the Supreme Court as well. Can’t wait to see the probable immediate impact on their Judiciary. I agree that the bottom line really is that Americans were not prepared to have a “woman President”…shame on them. They shall reap what they have sown. Problem is, they will most likely drag us down the same path.
I wholeheartedly agree. With a viable candidate in Kamala Harris (albeit late to the campaign, thanks Joe), I believed that the election would serve as an overwhelming rebuke to Donald Trump. Instead, it has served as a rebuke to the American electorate.
The initial damage is done.
Canada must now prepare for new future threats on immigration, trade and democracy; some existential. Say goodbye to Justin Trudeau, & soon.
Thanks for publishing this article,Pepper. It is a concise statement by Jennifer Rubin of the arrogance and entitlement that cost the Democrats the election–and until the Democratic Party starts listening to Americans, they will continue to lose. Here is a concise precis of the thesis of her article, “72.7 million Americans are wrong but I’m right”. Such arrogance.
Well Philip, I guess I’ll join her in arrogance. 72.7 million Americans are wrong, but all Americans and the rest of the world’s people who live in democracies will pay for this. Just wait as it plays out in the next four years. Even you might be surprised.
Stephen White quite accurately sketched the likely array of Trump’s initial impacts on Canada. There seems to be a tendency here to project the 2024-28 “Trump affect” on the behaviours of his first term in office. I believe that this is a very large mistake. What I think that people have forgotten or failed to recognize is that in 2016 there were checks and balances integral to the system. In 2024, he has the Senate, likely the House and arguably the Supreme Court to aid and abet. It will be relatively smooth sailing across an enabling political infrastructure. Equally to the point, there were, as the NY Times poses as a “faint hope’, a series of principled key figures in positions of influence and power who refused to execute his unhinged directions. The White House and key Departments became a revolving door of exits and resignations. do not see that happening this time. He has a host of enablers across the network, who will fill key positions, become a complicit echo chamber for his fantasies and magnify their impacts. We are in for a very nasty four years.