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Lessons of the 2020 Election

These are not the lessons that the pundits will draw, but they should.

First and foremost, Red Staters are tribal. What does that mean? It means that they like to be part of a group. Growing up feeling inferior, they love getting together in large crowds at rallies where they experience strength in numbers. Being part of a movement gives them identity and the illusion of power. Dictators the world over and all through history have appealed to “the rabble” as their dedicated followers. Today, that word has a derogatory meaning, but originally it referred to the common people, the common man. A rabble-rouser was not necessarily a bad thing, it meant a leader had the common touch and could inflame passion.

Americans don’t care about, intensely dislike and don’t want educated leaders. In fact, they deeply resent all these Democratic Party candidates who graduated from Harvard. Unable to go there, Red Staters see it as a snooty, East Coast elite institution totally out of step with them, the common man.

“The campaign” is a 24/7 event 365 days a year. While the Democrats sleep between elections, the Republican Party is actively recruiting all the time. The result is that the Republicans own the state houses, the governorships and the counties in an enormous swath of the country. They set the state laws, they gerrymander the voting districts and they rule. Wake up, Democrats! If you want to be players, you have to get to work. Otherwise, you’ll continue to play second fiddle.

Stop putting a stooge as head of the Democratic National Committee. The Democrats “elect” their party leader from among the party faithful. Invariably, he is a hail fellow, well met individual who does a poor job. He does such a mediocre job, the party basically ignores him during the election. The DNC could be a powerhouse that wields real clout in American politics, but not if it continues to be an envelope-stuffing entity endlessly spouting the party platform.

With a sharp political operative as head of the DNC and 24/7 activity every day of the year, the Democratic Party can transform itself into what it was up until 1980, the party of the working man.

The Democrats have dollar signs for eyeballs. This must stop. Stop asking for money! Stop thinking in terms of money.  Volunteers are perfectly willing to work for free. Their enthusiasm is contagious. A grassroots movement of engaged, caring individuals can transform a community! That’s what the Trump supporters have discovered. This fixation on money, which began in the Clinton administration, has isolated the Democratic Party. The party leadership sees people as donors and voters.  Otherwise, they have no time nor interest in the electorate. “Send us your money, give us your vote,” doesn’t cut it anymore, if it ever did. You get Democrats bragging about their candidate’s fundraising. This is dick measuring writ large. Stacey Abrams raised so much money! We are told that Jaime Harrison raised and spent more money on his senatorial campaign in South Carolina than any other candidate in history! As if that is a meaningful benchmark. The man lost, for God’s sake! Fundraising and buying ads are functions of a campaign, but winning the election should be the only benchmark. “We lost, but look at how much money we raised!” is nothing to brag about.

Trump is a despot in the making, but he is also a whiny, scared, childish man. For all his tweet storms, he can be handled with a firm hand. Once out of the White House, his legal predicament is so precarious, it is almost certain that he will be forced to move abroad. To a country that has no extradition treaty with the U.S.   

Forget about Trump’s fantasies regarding the law. It is not his personal plaything, nor whatever he and his team of lawyers say it is. Don’t argue with the man, just ignore his rages. Everyone is equal under the law except the president and the vice president. Trump— despite his fantasies— will not be president forever.    

Trump supporters can be weaned off one dictatorial strongman for another. The Democratic Party should reach out to them. Parades, rallies and red meat rhetoric appeal to them. They are more accessible than you might think. It will take work and engagement in the hinterlands, but if the Democratic Party provides services and honest, caring leadership, they can win back rural America.