November 7, 2024

So now comes the postmortem.

I see this little collection of chastened musings on the edge of the NYT front page...

... but I don't have to read this stuff. For you, though, I'll power through it super-quick and say...

1. "In this new era, in which supporting Palestinian freedom has become central to what it means to be progressive, the Palestinian exception is not just immoral. It’s politically disastrous."

2. "In the longer term, we’ll need liberal politics that are about more than just fending off the right."

3. "Instead of proposing sweeping new programs or even taking a stand, as Ms. Harris did, in defense of the status quo, [Democrats] could try to redefine themselves as responsible reformers."

4. "She spoke in the foamy blather of a corporate human resources manager. She pandered to low-information, single women voters by appearing on podcasts like 'Call Her Daddy' and goofballing along to her 'brat' label. She often came across as fake and scripted... seeming to parrot whatever her political consultants told her. The act wore thin."

150 comments:

Justabill said...

Was it an act?

Aggie said...

..." She often came across as fake and scripted... seeming to parrot whatever her political consultants told her. The act wore thin." I was going to say, 'what act? Anybody could see she's as dumb as a box of hammers' But this is what Progressive Democrats do: They will themselves blind and demand that everybody else plays along. So, now Gaza is going to become the focus of the New Resistance? Not going to work a second time, Sparky.

Ralph L said...

Someone needs to AI the South Park song into "Blame Kamala!"

mindnumbrobot said...

A parade of putzes.

Lem Vibe Bandit said...

If I had to only use one word I would pick ‘arrogance’.

tcrosse said...

Now they tell us....

Michael said...

Today’s Progressives don’t want reform. They want “fundamental transformation.” And the American people don’t.

Michael said...

Today’s Progressives don’t want reform. They want “fundamental transformation.” And the American people don’t.

rehajm said...

When your opponent is making a mistake, don’t interrupt…

doctrev said...

Well, TOUGH. What did they think was going to happen? They had complete dominance of the corporate media, to the point they could get far less aggressive interviews on Fox News than the situation warranted, a billion dollars, and incumbency. Yet not only did they lose, they even lost the popular vote.

Support Palestinians? Watch those Jewish donors stop sending money. Actually encouraging economic populism? The oligarchs will get behind President Trump pretty fast. Turn away from DEI and deviancy? That will be a project which has to be handled over years.

Their main hope is now blaming President Trump for economic collapse, but even that is a huge mistake. The Austrian and FDR both relished economic difficulty, because it gave them a chance to consolidate power at home.

Rusty said...

They chose a demonstrably stupid woman to represent their party. Which leads any rational person to believe they're stupid.

gilbar said...

it's WEIRD, that if you base your campaign on:
1) alienating married men
2) alienating single men
3) alienating married women
4) telling ALL single women, that they should bind their breasts and Pretend to be men

It's weird, that That is NOT a path to success.. WHO KNEW?

Just Asking Questions Tech Bro said...

Israel in Gaza has destroyed its support in the rising generations in the US. When us boomers are gone, Israel is going to be in a world of hurt. Joe Biden was past his sell by date when he took the presidency, and he has left the world in flames.

rhhardin said...

The Bulwark has adult analysis the day after, albeit still with cognitive dissonance and confirmation bias that gave them TDS in the first place. But you can tell it's a serious effort at honesty and not pandering.

Quaestor said...

Translated:
(1) Jews have more money, so their right to exist is more important than Hamas -- for the moment.
(2) Middle-class Americans' diets are more important than legal infanticide -- for the moment.
(3) Idiots are more controllable than articulate candidates with principles, however, idiots are accident-prone (e.g. "garbage" and "unencumbered"). Therefore we need a better class of controllable idiot (memo: Consult Tim Cook on AI robot possibilities in 2028)
(4) What do women want besides legal infanticide? (memo: Consult Joy Behar for additional "wannas".)

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

1. As a rebuttal to the Progressive take, Donald Trump's unambiguous clarity on the issue ("I will stand with Israel") was appreciated by both Jewish-American and Arab-American voters, both of which he made huge gains with. This is something I'd like honest pundits to wrestle with.
2. Goldberg has yet to realize that being Progressive is not necessarily "Liberal" any longer and they are actually repelling classic Liberals.
3. Dude seems delusional as usual.
4. Closest to reality of the four, making strong points. So close!

We appreciate you doing the reading we don't have the inclination or access to do.

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

Yes. Do these writers not know Biden is serving Obama's third term?

Bob Boyd said...

What happened to fighting Hitler?

Leland said...

Wow, that’s amazing stuff.
“ exception is not just immoral. It’s politically disastrous”. Get it? Doing something that is immoral isn’t the real problem. Doing something that is politically disastrous is the problem.

“ Kamala Harris Failed to Read the Room”. She’s not the only one bud. I’d say look in a mirror, but all they see is another actor.

And Paula Paul, what next from you? The women in suggestive clothing deserve it. Kamala may have taken women for granted, but you are outright debasing them.

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

Even if you support Palestine, the riots and civil rights abuses happening on campuses is indefensible. That she could not do a "Sister Soulja" and criticize her side at all for the blatant anti-Semitism was a big sign to many voters of all stripes. If Trump was for it, they were agin' it. Lame and childish strategy.

Bob Boyd said...

“Don’t do stupid shi*t.” - Barack Obama

Just Asking Questions Tech Bro said...

I am only clicking on this link out of respect for your other comments, but this is going to be like expecting an "adult analysis" from Chuck. I will report back.

Two-eyed Jack said...

Everyone wants to blame white women or Hispanic men. I think that the Democrats should concentrate on finding who are the 15 million first-time voters who came out for Biden four years ago but didn't show up for Harris. If you can find a way to consistently get those votes, you will never lose an election again!

Jamie said...

She spoke in the foamy blather of a corporate human resources manager.

I LOVE this. My husband works for a foundation - when he goes to conferences, he says every single speaker talks just like Harris, and all the listeners eat it up.

Xmas said...

Someone on Kamala's team should have taken the "trash island" joke and run with it. Pointing out that Puerto Rico has such a terrible trash problem with which the EPA is deeply involved and has failed to resolve. A real candidate would have rolled out with something like, the Caribbean Sea is a shared resource among many countries, and the US should step up and be good stewards of these resources we share with other countries. Then lay on a good old positive policy plan to fix PR's waste disposal problem.

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

Then why did (18-29) Gen-X go for Trump 55-42? You are neglecting the Strong Horse theory and that many rational people appreciate clarity over agreement. Your last sentence is absolutely true though, partly because Biden was funding the Iranian and Hezbollah and Hamas terrorism.

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

Thank you Reprobate. I'm unwilling to see it first-hand after seeing their election-night bullshit on X. JV Last used to have principles but broke during Trump term #1.

Gusty Winds said...

She spoke in the foamy blather of a corporate human resources manager.

That's it. Nailed it. HR people are a pain in the ass and think they are mini-lawyers. They try and make the employee believe "they are here to help" but in the end they promote themselves, drum up bullshit problems to "protect the company." They are the strangest breed in the workforce.

The worst is when they change their tittle to "VP of Human Capital". Very dehumanizing. Has the same ring to it as "slave trader."

Just Asking Questions Tech Bro said...

Sorry, not going to watch over an hour of that crap looking for some nugget of enlightenment in a punchbowl full of turds. Even with the speed cranked up. If you gave a time marker, maybe. But these guys are paid to undermine Trump because Trump stands in the way of their endless wars. It is there reason for existing, and they will never find a way out of it. At best they will look for better ways to undermine Trump.

Nothing like hearing putative Republicans talk about how they have to work on gaining control of the House for Democrats.

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

Not even close Jack.

mikee said...

The Dems are never more productive than when they are Never Letting A Crisis Go To Waste (TM) to expand the reach of their progressive agenda. And hey, this is a crisis, right? I anticipate all the blathering penitential actions will result in a Dem party further to the left, more radical, more anti-American, and more combative than ever before. Because that is who they are and what they do, every damn time.

Kate said...

Foamy Blather would make a good band name. Not sure what genre, though.

Iman said...

The defeated Left’s finger-pointing, recriminations and backstabbing go hand in hand with the wailing, gnashing of rodent teeth and rending of ridiculous-looking clothing that we’ve come to recognize as the kick-off of the “let us get dis party started” celebration of normal Americans.

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

Another anecdota-data point for defunding all NGO's. Nothing needs Darwinian cleansing so much as "charities" and "non-profits."

mikee said...

Your comment assumes facts not in evidence, from Kamala's team understanding the concept of a joke to any Dem ever laying on a positive policy or a plan that would fix any problem.

Just Asking Questions Tech Bro said...

"pretend to eat it up" FIFY. Think about the first person to stop clapping in North Korea.

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

Euro-Pop

TJ said...

I'm tired of being lectured for my opinions (including by my neighbor's HARRIS/WALZ OBVIOUSLY sign that is still up). I'm tired of being told that America was never great. Maybe I'm just tired. It is unlikely that I would ever vote for a Democrat given their current "platform", so I expect nothing to change for me even if they changed to make me less "tired" of their schtick...

donald said...

Those votes didn’t anctually exist.

donald said...

Those votes didn’t anctually exist.

Lem Vibe Bandit said...

Step aside Biden will speak around 11am.

mikee said...

Easy Listening Classic Rock muzak.

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

So more of the same. Thanks for trying.

Trump Won 7 out of 7 swing states/ Rachel Maddow is a Psychopath said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Chris said...

"In the longer term, we’ll need liberal politics that are about more than just fending off the right."

How will you fend off the middle? A preference cascade of defections from the Democratic party could increasingly moderate the Republicans, and how do you deal with that? At a minimum, return to sanity, please.

Charlie said...

"Flounder.......you fucked up....you trusted us!"

Trump Won 7 out of 7 swing states/ Rachel Maddow is a Psychopath said...

AOC is one of the main reasons the Democratic Party is where it is right now. Take your cues from her or MSNBC or CNN and expect this result.

Aggie said...

One of the endearing things about AOC is the way her face gets all blotchy when she's upset.

Just Asking Questions Tech Bro said...

Maybe the Democrats shouldn't design their whole campaign against Trump as if they were writers scripting a hero's journey. Anybody seen Dune? Remember the scene where the hero sticks his hand in the box of intense pain, and if he flinches or fails in any way, he is instantly killed? Well, that was the assassination attempt. The rule to making people identify with a hero is to throw as much stuff at him as you possibly can, just this side of killing him. Think of the movie "Die Hard," and Bruce Willis walking across broken glass barefoot.

One day, when emotions have cooled, maybe in 50 years, they are going to make a great movie about it. This campaign has been almost Shakespearian.

Trump Won 7 out of 7 swing states/ Rachel Maddow is a Psychopath said...

Yes- Thank you Reprobate Trump Voter. Turds in a punch bowl, indeed.

planetgeo said...

The leftists are actually lucky that Trump somehow won this election. He was pretty much their last chance to only deal with a postmortem instead of a mortem.

Just Asking Questions Tech Bro said...

Sounds like it will be AI generated.

Trump Won 7 out of 7 swing states/ Rachel Maddow is a Psychopath said...

Megyn Kelly has fun and insightful guests and analysis on her pod-cast and you-tube channel. I recommend.

Lem Vibe Bandit said...

Can Biden become a verb? Whenever someone is unceremoniously sidelined they can be said to have been bidened.

Christopher B said...

Nobody cares what the inhabitants of the BullPatch think, not even Democrats.

Bob Boyd said...

She spoke in the foamy blather of an affluent, white female urban leftist.

Trump Won 7 out of 7 swing states/ Rachel Maddow is a Psychopath said...

Palestinians are terror-supporting terroists-voting a-holes. That the decadent American left adore and worship them as a special species - is gross.

Birches said...

Lololol. So Harris wins Michigan if she goes full Hamasistan, but she probably ends up losing NY and NJ. These pundits are genius.

Trump Won 7 out of 7 swing states/ Rachel Maddow is a Psychopath said...

American Muslims didn't like the they/them cult of leftist child abuse... and the trans madness. They have children!

Trump Won 7 out of 7 swing states/ Rachel Maddow is a Psychopath said...

The democrat party does not care about anyone or anything but their POWER... and their POWER over everyone. Joe Biden's presidency has been a complete failure. and they will never admit it.

Will Cate said...

#2 (Goldberg) is the one who has it wrong. Spending too much time "fending off the right" is not The Democratic Party's biggest problem at all. It's the pushing of unchecked progressivism, which most ppl demonstrably don't want.

planetgeo said...

Menopausal Punk.

Oso Negro said...

I don’t think the Democrats yet understand how much non-Democrats detest them and all their works. But this election was much preferable to simply shooting them. It was a close run thin, though

doctrev said...

A good few people are really committed to the idea that campuses are undergoing a second Kristallnacht. Setting the merits of that aside, Biden-Harris has clearly been on the side of the administrators while trying to placate the students. It didn't work to keep their coalition together, and American Jews can expect to experience a lot more disgust on their globalized urban campuses as Netanyahu becomes increasingly unpopular worldwide. The fact people like you don't even acknowledge arms sales and defense in international courts will make anti-Israel policy a very obvious choice, at least among Democrats.

Trump Won 7 out of 7 swing states/ Rachel Maddow is a Psychopath said...

Democrats are corrupt liars. They cannot be saved. All they have to offer is BS, lies, and authoritarianism - all while they crap all over ordinary Americans.

Dave Begley said...

The Dems are not intellectually honest enough to analyze why they lost. I just heard that Trump won the 18-29 demo. The reasons why the Dems lost is because their policies are failures and people hate the results. Real simple.

wild chicken said...

I love the old liberal trope that the answer to all our social problems is Education.

Today the professors at reddit are lamenting the voters' obvious lack of Education. Because if you have Education, we all agree on everything, no?

DanTheMan said...

You can't beat something with nothing. Kamala lost because there was no there there.

planetgeo said...

That's a great characterization and explanation of their fatal flaw. They fended off the middle. Thus, Tulsi, RFK, Jr., etc.

Trump Won 7 out of 7 swing states/ Rachel Maddow is a Psychopath said...

Opening the border and letting millions pour in. and then taking all of our tax dollars and giving these illegals more perks. And on top of that - lying about it and denying it!
CLUE!

pacwest said...

"Their main hope is now blaming President Trump for economic collapse"

And they will do everything in their power to make sure that there is an economic collapse to regain power.

"The fact people like you don't even acknowledge arms sales and defense in international courts will make anti-Israel policy a very obvious choice, at least among Democrats."

Please explain this more fully.

Quayle said...

Hey, make the best of it!

Quayle said...

It's the hubris whats done them in.

Trump Won 7 out of 7 swing states/ Rachel Maddow is a Psychopath said...

number 4 is the only one that starts to get it. Like, totally! oh and Kamala is up in Iowa!

Quayle said...

Their core message is pretty much crap. The remedial bolstering to that crap message isn't to turn up the volume. But that seems to be what they attempted this election. They turned it to 11 in a hope that we wouldn't notice that the music and playing was awful.

Dixcus said...

13 million fake ballots somehow never made it to the box. They couldn't cheat this time, so they lost. They'll lose EVERY TIME they can't cheat.

Dixcus said...

"They" chose Joe Biden. They did not choose Kamala Harris. Kamala Harris took over in a coup.

Tina Trent said...

Can Beinart get dumber? The DNC bent over backwards and forwards for the Palestinians. Negotiated with them endlessly. Brought them here too.

Lesson: Terrorists. They’re just not that into you.

Dixcus said...

Kamala Harris called Hitler and congratulated him on his victory.

Dixcus said...

They came very close to a Civil War (and still might ... all it will take is one assassin's bullet.)

pacwest said...

Demographics is Democracy. I would like to see someone do a deep dive on this demographic. Was it just the pendulum swinging back, or is it the education complex/media losing it's grip due to the recent availability opposing views. What does the future hold?

Freder Frederson said...

"I stand with Israel" is not "unambiguous clarity", it means absolutely nothing. In fact, it is exactly the same as the Biden/Harris campaign was saying.

Shouting Thomas said...

“Don’t be the last person to stop clapping,” might be the motto of such conferences.

Ice Nine said...

OK then: They chose a demonstrably stupid man to represent their party. Which leads any rational person to believe they're stupid.

Sydney said...

Exactly, and they have been abusing their power to force the fundamental transformation.

Quayle said...

So, I am guessing that Milton Friedman is back in charge now, and always was, apparently.

Dixcus said...

Keep in mind that the Democrat Party wisely rejected Kamala Harris as a presidential candidate.

She was put there in a coup.

Dixcus said...

As long as AOC is a member in good standing in the Democrat Party, they aren't a serious party.

Rocco said...

Two-eyed Jack said..
Everyone wants to blame white women or Hispanic men. I think that the Democrats should concentrate on finding who are the 15 million first-time voters who came out for Biden four years ago but didn't show up for Harris. If you can find a way to consistently get those votes, you will never lose an election again!

We should call them the Corn Pop voters.

Or, because they were about 10% of the votes cast, we can say they were 10% for the big guy.

Dixcus said...

That, Ice, is a solid analysis.

Dixcus said...

13 million Democrat voters just up and died, bro. That's how many fake ballots they produced in 2020.

Dixcus said...

$5 gas and eggs will kill your party.

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

I think the chart I saw actually should have labeled 18-29YO as Gen Z, not X.

doctrev said...

Let's break down Israel policy down by Western voter category:

- hardliners. Some religious Jews, Ben Shapiro, many Christian Zionists. They support Likud or the settler right, and respond to allegations of genocide with fervent denials or a simple "good." No Democrat is ever likely to get these votes.

- liberal internationalists. The vast majority of American Jews and most globalist-aligned elites. Supportive of Israel, but very dependent on rule of law rhetoric and international institutions. Could not care less about Palestinians, but boy do they like to virtue signal. Your average Ezra Klein podcast.

- skeptics. Tucker Carlson, Martin van Creveld, Thomas Massie, lots of LIVs. Not openly hostile to Israel, but increasingly concerned and looking to realign strategy. Furiously denounced by both of the previous groups.

- Israel haters. Rashida Tlaib, college students, Norm Finkelstein, the vast majority of Muslims worldwide, and Max Blumenthal who really needs to be less hateful to the Jews. They won't let a conversation go without accusing Israel of genocide, and won't be satisfied until BDS is broadly implemented across the West.

Hardliners in America might think they are working the refs, but in reality they're making it impossible for the second group to continue supporting Israel.

Trump Won 7 out of 7 swing states/ Rachel Maddow is a Psychopath said...

Imagine if FOX News called all Democrats Nazis - like MSNBC did.

Imagine.

jim said...

Kamala did the best with what she had.

Democrats have to drop the social stuff exemplified by concerns about pronouns and boys playing at being girls.

They need to focus completely on the concerns of the working class. That concern must include fostering the capital accumulation that enables labor productivity.

The republican party, as always, is the party of car salesmen. The democrats need to make clear that they are not.

Trump Won 7 out of 7 swing states/ Rachel Maddow is a Psychopath said...

While Americans suffer - the entire Roosevelt Hotel ins New York is filled with Illegal Immigrants - purposefully planted there. And WE get the bill.

btw- It's not just NY hotels that are filled with tax payer funded illegals. Those hotels are all over the nation.

hawkeyedjb said...

"She spoke in the foamy blather of a corporate human resources manager."

Somebody said it a few weeks ago - if Harris hadn't sexed her way into politics, she would be an assistant HR manager at a mid-sized firm.

Rocco said...

So now comes the postmortem.
I see this little collection of chastened musings on the edge of the NYT front page...


Right now they seem to be in the Stage of Denial, starting to spill over into the Stage of Anger.

Can’t wait to see what happens next in the Bargaining Stage.

Shouting Thomas said...

The “Who We Are…” bit is basically an instruction to avoid reading at all costs.

Shouting Thomas said...

And she’d be sleeping with her boss.

Jersey Fled said...

It’s really simple. Their strategy is to oppose everything the Republicans are for. This makes them look really stupid when the Republicans happen to be right.

(Waiting for the first Lefty to jump in and claim the Republicans are never right. Which will prove my point. Hehehehe…)

hombre said...

It fits my pictures that Democrats/Progressives are moving toward the "Free Palestine" bullshit and supporting terrorists. Although their kinship with Iran concerns me. If they take the House a Democrat will be third in line and the mullahs are already threatening Trump and Vance.

BTW, have the Democrats' riots for Democracy begun?

Just an old country lawyer said...

Funny. I haven't seen where any of the promoters of the National Popular Vote Compact have urged New York, California, etc. to cast their electoral votes for Trump/Vance.

RCOCEAN II said...

Basically, Kamala lost Michagan because of the arab vote. Lots of voted for Jill Stein or stayed home. A few switched to Trump. Of course, the Big Jewish Donors RUN the Democrat party. Its their party in fact. Schumer and the Minority House leader are their butt boys. So look for the D's to do ZERO for the Gazans or to stop the Israeli genocide.

The Democrats have one big problem. Their biggest fans are the boomers over 65. Especially the women. And they're fading away. Maybe the illegal aliens they imported from all over the world will replace them, but its not looking good for them.

RCOCEAN II said...

Yesterday, I was at the doctors, and was seated next to two old ladies who were wondering what "The View" said about that "Terrible Trump". These are first two people I've ever seen - in real life - who admitted to watching "the View".

Dixcus said...

Bish shouldn't have killed P'Nut.

JAORE said...

Border = secure. Save democarcy by tossing Biden/keeping people on or off ballots. The guy that was POTUS just 4 years ago in Hitlerrrrrr! Inflation is down - yet prices are high.... Math is racist. The MSM and lefty politicos should be ashamed. They are not. But many people are waking up. Our youngest has told me for a year or so that younger people get their "news" from sources like bloggers. And they hear multiple sides with actual discussions on issues. (and, our son says, many influencers admit they are paid by the Harris campaign.) Rogan is king, but there are multitudes. And it ain't just "X". The media is weaker than ever - deservedly so. And watching them do the postmortems on the election shows they have learned zero lessons. Good.

Lazarus said...

"Kamala Harris Took Women for Granted"

Really? In what possible universe was that true? I'd say that Democrat women put so much stress on abortion that it was inevitable that abortion would be the centerpiece of any Democrat campaign. Pamela Paul apparently wanted Harris to focus on other "women's issues." Does that mean more giveaways? Would they be any more likely to make anything any better than the last round of giveaways did? Or does it mean obscure issues that nobody's talking about?

A not insubstantial part of any group gets turned off by repeated pandering, especially when it doesn't improve their own lives. Say women, women, women often enough and even women may get tired of it. Elsewhere online, we are hearing that "Kamala Harris took the ethnic-minority vote for granted." That's putting the cart before the horse. Biden made things worse for everybody so there was little Harris could do to win more African American or Latino votes than she did.

MadisonMan said...

'Failed to Read the Room' is right -- because she is surrounded by Democrats, and lives in a bubble with them. They all get their news from the WaPo and have lost the skepticism needed for reading that paper.

Jersey Fled said...

Megyn is the only person on Earth who is aging backwards.

Michael Fitzgerald said...

Sure libtards, the problem was that you didn't express your contempt for America and American citizens loudly enough. Hate harder, libtards!

pacwest said...

Thx.

William said...

Kamala was far more likely to morph into a Sister Souljah than to have a Sister Souljah. The Dems need to have a Sister Souljah moment and recognize that they nominated a Sister Souljah. Even that's understating it. I think if some responsible journalist would look up Sister Souljah and interview her, I bet anything that Sister Souljah would not be in favor of funding trans operations for felons and illegal immigrants.....Besides the unpopularity of her earlier positions, Kamala was truly charmless. That cackle didn't mask the absence of any sense of humor or fun. "Joyous" is not the word that springs to mind. She wasn't lackluster like Biden in 2020. She was lame.

Jim Gust said...

Harris was doomed from the start. She was known as "Biden's insurance policy" for good reasons. My lingering questions, was Biden supposed to endorse Harris to cut off any mini-primary, or was that his political revenge for being forced out? If there had been a mini-primary, would Michelle Obama have run? Had she been the candidate, would she have beaten Trump? She would have kept it much closer, IMHO.

William said...

I don't know what kind of peace Trump will be able to impose in Ukraine, but any peace there will be better than the war they have. In Gaza, Israel is now mostly making the rubble bounce. Perhaps, as Musk has suggested, they should impose a unilateral truce and perform conspicuous acts of kindness on the Gazans. I don't know if that's the solution, but I do know that Israel and Netenyahu would be far more likely to heed a suggestion from Trump and from Harris. I don't think anyone in Hamas or Hezbollah thinks they'll get a better deal from Trump than from Harris.

Quayle said...

She tried to lash herself to the abortion issue. And they had confidence that the number of abortion measures on the ballots would translate into votes for Harris. The outcome seems to suggest that voters were smart enough to separate the two, i.e. vote for the abortion protection but not vote for her. Apparently the voters never bought into Harris' claim that Trump wanted to restrict abortions. (My personal view is that Trump - a rich New York City playboy - have never been against abortion.)

Big Mike said...

Maybe supporting antisemitic rioters and antisemitism on campuses was not the best way to win over Muslim voters? Maybe a bunch of political consultants who think that Muslims like bacon bits on their salads should actually go meet some real Muslims? Trump voiced his solid support for Israel and yet still was endorsed by Muslim-American leaders. Maybe Democrat political consultants don’t always (or even often) know what they’re writing about?

One of the lessons that Democrats should be learning from Tuesday’s election is that voters of Hispanic descent are opposed to open borders — first because they got here legally and resent the party that uses their tax dollars to support people that skipped the immigration process, and the second reason is that the gangbangers who jump the border — Tren de Aragua, MS-13 — generally and preferentially prey upon Hispanic-Americans. “Shut up and let your daughters be raped by ‘undocumented’ border- crossers” seems to be the position of the national Democrats. How is that supposed to be a winning message? Oh, and referring to voters of Hispanic descent as “Latinx”? Don’t do that. They think it’s patronizing — and they’re right.

Enemy Within said...

It’s clear Democrats lost touch with their broader base compared to prior years, but the real issue is their inability to grasp why the center turned away.

Perhaps the issue isn’t Republicans painting Democrats as “too far left,” but that Democrats genuinely have shifted in that direction?

Or maybe, just maybe, the country’s core values haven't moved as dramatically as assumed. Instead, it's the Democratic Party itself that’s sprinting leftward.

Michael Fitzgerald said...

Completely wrong. The fog is clearing and the forces of Good vs Evil are coming into stark relief. USA/Trump is Good. USA/Harris is evil. Iran/Hamas+ is evil. Israel is Good. Young voters see this very clearly whereas the saggy-assed, limpdick boomers cling to their Jew-hate and voted for Harris.

Big Mike said...

My choice would be “petulant.”

rehajm said...

They view it as literally a postmortem. The most recent text from the left:

Yesterday, we grieved with loved ones. Tonight, join thousands of others on a call, with in-person actions this weekend. Learn more: (ADDRESS) Reply stop to end -BA

...It's too glorious to end...

Big Mike said...

She spoke in the foamy blather of a corporate human resources manager. She pandered to low-information, single women voters

Pamela Paul needs to consider that this is all Harris is capable of.

SAGOLDIE said...

Remember when Kamala was asked about accepting second place on the ticket after, essentially, calling Biden a racist? Her response? "It was a DEBATE!"

Today, if asked if she's really okay with handing the keys over to, actually, Hitler after identifying all the awful things that will happen starting January 20, I'm thinking that she'll say, "It was a CAMPAIGN!"

Real American said...

1. They didn't support terrorists enough - probably not a winning message.

2. They can't be honest about what they want and go out of their way to lie about their positions. Harris refused to defend her leftist positions.

3. They need to lie more about what they want to do to our country.

4. She came off as fake and scripted because she is a DEI hire selected only due to identity politics, not her accomplishments or political skill. Her handlers kept her under wraps for the most part because she's incapable of doing anything else.

Megaera3 said...

Do they have a choice? I freely admit it's been a while since I looked at the terms of the Compact, but I vaguely recall that member states (mostly deepest blue) MUST assign their electoral college votes to whichever side has the EC majority AND the popular vote. Imagine all the simultaneous cerebral hemorrhaging going on if California and New York have to assign their EC votes to Trump and Vance...

David53 said...

Cowards don’t fight.

Defeating the reincarnation of the greatest mass murderer of the 20th should be of paramount importance. Instead those who used that foul epithet skitter away to the msm to whine and cry and collect their paychecks.

Christopher B said...

That ZeroHedge meme needs to die before the Democrats start using to claim some kind of weird voter suppression (in fact, I've seen some indications that it's already being used that way.

Per the Election Lab at U of FL, only about 1 million few ballots were voted in 2024 than in 2020. Turnout looks to be down about 2 percent from 2024 but the voting eligible population increased by 5 million.

Jim Geraghty in his Morning Jolt today:

If you see that “there are 20 million missing voters” meme or argument going around, keep in mind that a bunch of the western states take an unforgivably long time to count the vote, and if they weren’t safe Democratic states, this would be a much bigger issue. As of this writing, Thursday morning, California has just 60 percent of the vote counted. There will probably be around 6 or 7 million more votes to be counted, and I’d expect a roughly 60–40 split in favor of Harris. Oregon has only 78 percent of the vote counted, and Washington State has just 71 percent of the vote counted. Arizona has just 70 percent of the vote counted, Colorado has 81 percent, Mississippi has 81 percent, New Jersey has 91 percent, Maryland has 82 percent, and Maine has 93 percent. So the total votes will increase, and either come closer to the 2020 vote total or perhaps even surpass it.

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

No, Biden-Harris always inserted a nullifying "but" statement that made their "support" quite ambiguous.

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

I had the same thought about Tammy Bruce the other day.

PM said...

I wish Robert Caro could've traveled with Kamala's campaign to write a piece for National Lampoon.

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

I've been asking that for two days now. Nothing but crickets.

Rocco said...

"Defeating the reincarnation of the greatest mass murderer of the 20th should be of paramount importance."

Wait, who's Mao in this scenario?

Enemy Within said...

But as of right now, this looks much less like a vote for Trump than a vote against voter’s frustrations with the Biden administration and the current economic conditions. Than it does like any kind of embrace of Trumpism or Trump remaking America or any of the grand and sweeping conclusions that some would like to draw.

gilbar said...

where did all the money go??
Kamala's campaign ends $20 million in debt despite raising over $1 billion in just 107 days
A Harris-Walz campaign staffer confirmed the report to Breitbart, adding that Harris campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon “blew through a billion dollars in a few months.”
The staffer noted that the campaign’s star-studded concerts with Katy Perry, Lizzo, Eminem, and Bruce Springsteen were allegedly “all Jen’s idea,” and O’Malley Dillon prioritized the celebrity concerts “at the expense of” other priorities such as “spending money on social media.”

so.. was she PAYING these people to play? like she was paying people to show up?
did at least SOME of it make into her people's back pockets?
or was it ALL wasted?

Lazarus said...

We don't know enough to predict what the situation in the Middle East will be in 2026 or 2028 or what Americans' attitude toward Israel and Palestine will be then, so it's foolish to give advice now about which Middle East policies will be vote-getters in the future. Beinart's wrong though in thinking that what's now considered "progressive" is going to be a winning platform.

Didn't we have a Democrat politics that was about more than "fending off the right"? DEI, LGBTQ, Green New Deal. Surely all that was more than defensive or status quo, and surely it didn't turn out to be successful or a winning platform for reelection.

The Democrats as "responsible reformers" isn't going to be convincing either, given what they did with their majority under Biden. The trendy, "progressive" things captivated Democrats, and they had very little to offer in the way of making government more efficient or more effective. "Neoliberalism" though -- not in the leftwing sense of the word but signifying a revisionist "Gary Hart liberalism -- was a steppingstone on the way to Clintonism, which won the White House for the Democrats, so maybe eventually they'll follow that path again.

gilbar said...

Junior Brown Where Has All The Money Gone?

J L Oliver said...

Yes. Revenge.

Rusty said...

Sure, Rich. Whatever gets you to sleep at night. What is ,"Trumpism" ?

Iman said...

My wife and I watch her every week day. She’s both fearless and insightful.

Josephbleau said...

Items 1 thru 3 are mutually exclusive, you can’t do all three at the same time. And number 4 can’t be right because AOC is successful.

loudogblog said...

I like #4. That sums up a lot of what I saw as wrong about her campaign. My last few years at work the language got so immersed in corporate blather, I thought my head was about to explode. Corporate blather was specifically designed to put everything in a positive light by talking in circles or being so vague that all the negative details are intentionally glossed over.

mikee said...

The Palestinians' mutligenerational attempts to commit genocide on the Israelis is what got the Gazans in their current predicament, where the best thing Gazans could do for themselves would be to kill all Hamas members themselves, and surrender unconditionally to the Israelis. So I'm glad to see that ROCEAN II recognizes the need for the Palestinians to stop their Israeli genocide,with or without Dem help. Even a blind squirrel....Even a broken clock....Even RCOCEAN II....

mikee said...

I suggest war crime trials by military tribunals after unconditional surrender of all Hamas members. Immediate peace in Gaza. Let Iran pay Israel to rebuild Gaza.

Trump Won 7 out of 7 swing states/ Rachel Maddow is a Psychopath said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Trump Won 7 out of 7 swing states/ Rachel Maddow is a Psychopath said...

Piles of blank ballots that did NOT have a person attached.

Trump Won 7 out of 7 swing states/ Rachel Maddow is a Psychopath said...

totally. But the left cannot think past their lust for power. Devising an actual solution is beyond their capability. This is why the democrat party is dead.
Someone should tell Andrew Sullivan.

stlcdr said...

While Democrats are looking inwardly regarding how they conducted the campaign, I'm see a lot of democrats (small 'd') - the people on the left - are suffering from the damage wrought by demonizing half the country.

As Kamala cackled once "it's just a debate!'. Unfortunately, the left proletariat fully bought into the Trump is literally Hitler campaign.

Christopher B said...

I still think the plotters were boxed into a corner with Harris. It's hard to envision that they weren't convinced Biden could at least survive the election when they rigged the primary for him. There was a genuine scramble after the debate and really not enough time to do much more than hold an open convention. I definitely think that Biden would have been ejected if Michelle Obama had been convinced to run, which I think points to the fact that she wasn't really in consideration.

Dogma and Pony Show said...

The compact doesn't take effect unless/until the requisite number of states are on board, so why would California and NY comply with it this year? I mean, how COULD they, legally?

It's all BS, of course. The compact is blatantly unconstitutional.