Jon Chait does the best post-mortem yet of the election.
His takedown of Bernie Sanders is important to read, too. I would quibble that we may come to see James Comey's actions as decisive, but it's clear that Clinton's liabilities were what allowed that to BE decisive.
This is a key 'graph:
The most unpopular nominee in the recorded history of polling managed to very, very narrowly beat the second-most-unpopular nominee in the recorded history of polling in handful of swing states, while losing the national vote by 2 percent. Because of this, Democrats can escape their nominating disaster. Republicans can’t. None of us can, course — a fact that is very bad for the country, but also good for the opposing party.
Here is the genesis of my new word: Trumpenfreude (n), A state of taking pleasure in the failures of your national government because it proves you were right about an overgrown racist Oompa Loompa becoming chief magistrate.
His conclusion is particularly apt:
The party that needs to search its soul about whether it has the capacity to govern competently is not the one out of power. And what should concern Democrats is not whether they’ll get back in power but what will be left of the country when they do.
And that's the downside of Trumpenfreude. I firmly believe that - if we have free and fair elections - Trump loses in 2020. Perhaps in epic fashion. But he could so damage the country that digging out from his mess could be beyond the powers of any one party.
America has had a nice run as a "hyperpower," but those days are likely over.
Make American Mediocre Again.
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