S.E. Cupp: Amidst the grief of Trump win, some tough love

For millions of Americans, this is a precise acheronian day. An incomprehensible day. A time galore thought would ne'er come.

I’m profoundly disappointed, too. After everything we cognize astir Donald Trump, and everything he’s already enactment this state through, however is it imaginable we’re choosing to bash this to ourselves again?

The chaos, the destruction, the incompetence and craziness — we genuinely decided we wanted much of this?

Bracing for different 4 years of Trump is simply a pugnacious pill to swallow. Among the galore disappointments is knowing that each of his crimes, lies, gaslighting, narcissism, bigotry, and greed weren’t punished connected Election Day, but rewarded. It each feels truthful unjust, truthful unfair. Bad guys aren’t expected to win, and helium is without question a atrocious guy.

So, what tin we blasted for this devastating crook of events? We’ll undoubtedly look to societal ills similar racism and sexism to explicate however an capable pistillate of colour mislaid to a achromatic antheral who is simply a criminal, a liar, and an ignoramus.

And those things exist, and surely animated immoderate of his voters.

But possibly the amended question is, however did a qualified, competent, upstanding campaigner similar Vice President Kamala Harris suffer to specified a vile idiosyncratic arsenic Donald Trump? What went truthful incorrect that helium was seen arsenic the amended option? What did Democrats miss that allowed him to win, and triumph big?

There volition beryllium truthful galore lessons to beryllium learned from this gut-punch of an election, and they volition necessitate not digit pointing, but introspection.

And that’s going to hurt. I talk from acquisition — arsenic a question blimpish and erstwhile Republican, the 2008 and 2012 elections, wherever 2 precise qualified, conservative, decent, and motivation men similar John McCain and Mitt Romney lost, were excruciating.

But we took our lumps. And erstwhile you’re sent to the woodshed by American voters, arsenic we were, you spell and deliberation astir what you’ve done.

I worked connected the 2012 autopsy that examined our precise existent weaknesses among women, minorities, millennials and LGBTQ voters. We retooled our messages and our platform. We were acceptable to triumph implicit caller voters with a hopeful, compassionate and inclusive agenda. Then Trump came on and lit it each connected fire.

But present it’s Democrats’ crook to larn from this.

I spent this predetermination doing thing different. Instead of covering it chiefly from the perch of a cablegram quality workplace successful New York oregon Washington, I covered it done section quality successful the 7 plaything states, talking to voters connected the crushed for months astir the issues that mattered astir to them.

And they told maine implicit and implicit again, they were disquieted astir 3 things: the economy, crime, and immigration.

To beryllium clear, they weren’t disquieted astir China, fluoride, tampons successful men’s rooms, migrants eating their pets, oregon immoderate of the different garbage that Trump and his surrogates were pushing to inflame his rabid base.

But they were disquieted they couldn’t wage their bills, provender their kids, and enactment state successful their cars. They felt unsafe successful their cities and towns. They were anxious astir unfastened borders and the problems that poured crossed them.

To those concerns, Democrats told them the system was large — “strong arsenic hell,” successful information — and they’re conscionable not feeling it yet due to the fact that of “lagging indicators.” No 1 trying to bargain a location oregon a car oregon groceries is consoled by lagging indicators.

They were told transgression is down, nary substance however unsafe they felt. And erstwhile the FBI quietly revised its numbers successful September to bespeak a emergence successful convulsive crime, nary 1 corrected the record.

They were told the migrant situation wasn’t existent — that the problems associated with an unmitigated travel of non-citizens into their towns and cities were anecdotal and incidental.

These weren’t radical going to Trump rallies oregon watching the Nelk boys. They were mean Americans, with existent problems. And Trump, for each of his ugliness, was acknowledging them.

Lumping these voters — the bulk I judge — successful with Tony Hinchcliffe, QAnon, Proud Boys, insurrectionists, and the remainder of Trump’s disfigured cohort whitethorn beryllium convenient, and it whitethorn consciousness good. But it isn’t true, and it’s partially wherefore Democrats lost. Ignoring what voters are telling you isn’t a winning strategy.

These are achy lessons, with adjacent much achy consequences. But if we really privation to determination past Trump and Trumpism 1 time — and I desperately bash — it’s not conscionable Republicans who request to look inward. It’s clip for immoderate soul-searching by Democrats, too.

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