A Short Election Post-Mortem

A Short Election Post-Mortem

By

Leonard Zwelling

I am not going to bore you with a repetition of the Lichtman 13 Keys to the presidential election. I will say that he was very wrong this time when he picked Kamala Harris. While he was playing with his keys, the rest of us were watching what was happening in the country. This, I won my bet on who would win.

First, although the economy may be getting better on paper, most Americans perceived their buying power as being curtailed compared with what it was before Covid when Trump was in office. Period. Hard stop. It’s still the economy, stupid.

Second, many Americans fear their country is disappearing being overtaken by immigrants, criminals, and extreme liberal values when it comes to gender. They don’t like it. They just voted against it. They blamed Biden and Harris for the poor state of affairs.

Third, the Democratic Party was perceived as having been captured by liberals and elite intellectuals. The country doesn’t like that either. Now the Dems have lost the White House, the Senate, and probably the House. If the Dems want to quick start a recovery, get Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi to resign.

Fourth, abortion as an issue didn’t track with the presidential election. It’s a separate issue for many people and Harris was never able to make it her own. It was not a factor in the presidential race. We are still a country of “leave me alone.” The country feared Harris would not do that.

Finally, look at that map. There is blue on the coasts and in Illinois, New Mexico, and Colorado. That’s pretty much it. The rest is red. This is still a center right nation of people with traditional values who want their government to keep them safe. And let us not forget that although the country was founded on the basis of religious freedom, Christianity still rules. Trump was very skilled in articulating his devotion to the Christians. They reciprocated. He also treated minorities, not as special groups, but as Americans. That worked, too.

This is the end of the old Republican Party. Reagan’s party is dead. This is the end of the old Democratic Party. The party of Obama is equally on life support. The difference is that the Republicans have established a new direction and a novel coalition of working-class people and an ever-increasing percentage of the minority vote. The Democrats have no plan at all and no leadership to speak of.

Trump has won. Vance is in the wings. The GOP has a host of great governors ready for 2028 if need be. The Dems have no bench, no coach, and no owner. They also lack fans. For the first time in 20 years, a Republican presidential candidate won the popular vote.

This was an election of major changes for the country. Let’s see what happens next. Always an adventure in governance—248 years and counting—still. And the miracle goes on. The government was turned over yesterday without a shot being fired. That’s a miracle.

It’s a great country.