A Final Word on the 2024 Presidential Election
For years, appearing more interested in accumulating and exercising power than in pursuing the interests of the American people,
both national parties have approached politics as a fixed-rules game.
At all levels of public office, Democrats and Republicans played the same game, and, upon winning, claimed their victories to be the result of superior strategies. Few considered that their successes were made possible by the failures or overreach of their opponents.
But, in politics, the rules can change in ways status quo careerists miss – as they did in Election 2024.
Many registered voters are Democrats or Republicans simply because their families are or were. In many cases, party identity is emotional rather than logical, and voters often align with a party based on their personal histories and feelings rather than for practical reasons.
As a result, many busy people leading normal lives who don’t focus on politics are unaware that their party’s policies don’t match their political and social priorities. This year, there were quite a few hard-working, rather conservative registered, including minority Democrats, who fell into this category.
In November, many of them were repelled by their party’s miscalculations, liberal excesses, and, for practical reasons, were drawn to and voted for Donald Trump, because he changed the rules. Trump spoke to them, while national Democrats, individually and as a group, had lost sight of the fact that good governance is the primary responsibility of public servants.
Furthermore, politics is – or should be – about ideas. And ideas necessarily involve principles.
Trump and Republicans focused on the economy, spending, debt, crime and immigration, among other issues on which Democrats fell short. But, another reason Democrats lost is because they refused to factually engage. They were unwilling to try – or unable – to persuade voters and win votes by defending their records, clearly contrasting the differences between the parties’ principles, and by communicating and connecting the value of theirs to the lives of voters and their families.
Kamala Harris’ most consistent campaign messages were redundant, clearly-rehearsed, semi-coherent sound-bites. Her canned stump speeches focused on insulting and slandering Trump.
In fact, Harris advanced no real ideas to correct the problems she and President(ish) Joe Biden created.
Their administration’s and Harris’ campaign failures have effectively neutered national Democrats, many (most?) of whom remain in denial.
Now, crossover voters view Election 2024 results as a clear statement of things that must be done, and expect the new administration to take that statement seriously.
Accordingly, Republicans have something to prove. They were given an opportunity, in their leader’s words, to Make America Great Again.
Fortunately, Election 2024 results will give Donald Trump/his cabinet great latitude to make necessary changes that, in past years, might have been politically difficult, even impossible. Democrats will hate and resist them, but the people have spoken, so obstruction will only set their party back further.
Just for starters, in the next two-plus years:
Democrats’ pursuit of high taxes and unrestrained spending will at least be arrested, and most likely reversed.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) will fade away, primarily because Americans, generally, believe in merit and dislike discrimination in employment and education. Election 2024 discredited the massive corporate, government and cultural pressure to impose and enforce DEI.
Parents will be given greater control of their children’s education.
Deeply unpopular, open borders will be closed, and illegal aliens deported. Obstinate sanctuary cities and states will risk losing funding. Voting rights will be denied to all but properly-registered, legal American citizens.
America will stop suppressing the production of carbon-based energy, and end mandates and subsidies for expensive, unreliable renewables.
America’s military will ban “wokeness” and restore its lethality.
Americans might tolerate another “trans visibility day” provided it doesn’t fall on Easter again, the celebrants agree to stay out of sight of our children, and let the rest of us alone the rest of the year.
“America first” will become a national mantra.
America will throw a helluva 250th birthday celebration in 2026!
Retrospectively, due to the GOP’s focused message and highly effective voter outreach efforts, and because Democrats had blundered and overreached, Republicans more closely reflected the mood of the American electorate in November.
But, that mood can change, and it will if Republicans fail to address the Democrats’ failures and misguided priorities that contributed to the GOP’s sweeping, historic victory.
Contact columnist Jerry Shenk at [email protected]
