It wasn't just that Trump got more votes. It wasn't just that Harris had lower turnout. A deep dive into the psychological, existential, and systemic reasons Harris and Democrats didn't win in 2024.
A paper written in 2019 predicted the end of democracy. I'm providing a quote followed by a link for those who may be interested:
"As much as President Donald Trump’s liberal critics might want to lay America’s ills at his door, Rosenberg says the president is not the cause of democracy’s fall—even if Trump’s successful anti-immigrant populist campaign may have been a symptom of democracy’s decline.
We’re to blame, said Rosenberg. As in “we the people.”
Democracy is hard work. And as society’s “elites”—experts and public figures who help those around them navigate the heavy responsibilities that come with self-rule—have increasingly been sidelined, citizens have proved ill equipped cognitively and emotionally to run a well-functioning democracy. As a consequence, the center has collapsed and millions of frustrated and angst-filled voters have turned in desperation to right-wing populists.
His prediction? “In well-established democracies like the United States, democratic governance will continue its inexorable decline and will eventually fail.”
Well worth the effort. Thanks. My mood during most of the Biden/Harris administration and the 2024 campaign wouldn't be inaptly described by the words "despair" and "fatalistic" — and characterized by the sense, growing from January 21, 2021 onward, that not just Biden but the party leadership generally "just didn't get it". Tip O'Neill wasn't the first to say "all politics is local", but I'd add "and all politics is personal" ... which the Democratic party seems to have forgotten. Or somehow has come to believe that the "personal" connection between voters, candidates, and the party can be reduced to a financial transaction and annoying, ceaseless text messages begging for more money. As you say, one reason BLM and before it the civil rights movement was as powerful as it was is that it provided opportunities for ordinary people to be involved in political action.
Your initial thesis, that a generational loss of economic opportunity has fed alienation and dismay, seems quite correct. Your climate change thesis is quite interesting, although I’m not sure it can explain a change of the political tide in just four years. Alas, the bulk of your essay confirms my fear that the Left is determined to learn nothing from its massive failure.
Yes, the world is horrified by what they see in Gaza. The were also horrified by the October 7 attack last year and correctly saw it as a continuation of decades of terror and death wrought by Muslim extremists. Furthermore, they can see that Hamas squandered billions in humanitarian aid to build a military attack base underneath a crowded city. Gee, it’s almost as if mass civilian casualties was part of the plan.
The Black Lives Matter movement was not crushed. It imploded from within almost immediately. All those idealistic young people who initially came out in support saw the demonstrations quickly taken over by professional provocateurs, cynical opportunists, and vandals. “Defund the Police” must be the stupidest political slogan in history. I’m sure you know that when asked, most Black Americans say they want more policing of their neighborhoods, not less.
I’m glad you mentioned the trans movement. By now, everyone knows someone who has lost a daughter to the gender hysteria that has swept social media over the last several years. Now, the Democrats come out in favor of transitioning children!
So the election presented a choice between proto-fascist tech bros on one side and, on the other, pure madness. No wonder people stayed home.
Me, who hates a lot of the institutions AND wants to see revolutionary change so that people can stop suffering: "fuck the institutions!"
You nailed it with this one, Elad. Strong showing, good analysis, honest reporting. Well done!
A paper written in 2019 predicted the end of democracy. I'm providing a quote followed by a link for those who may be interested:
"As much as President Donald Trump’s liberal critics might want to lay America’s ills at his door, Rosenberg says the president is not the cause of democracy’s fall—even if Trump’s successful anti-immigrant populist campaign may have been a symptom of democracy’s decline.
We’re to blame, said Rosenberg. As in “we the people.”
Democracy is hard work. And as society’s “elites”—experts and public figures who help those around them navigate the heavy responsibilities that come with self-rule—have increasingly been sidelined, citizens have proved ill equipped cognitively and emotionally to run a well-functioning democracy. As a consequence, the center has collapsed and millions of frustrated and angst-filled voters have turned in desperation to right-wing populists.
His prediction? “In well-established democracies like the United States, democratic governance will continue its inexorable decline and will eventually fail.”
https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2019/09/08/shawn-rosenberg-democracy-228045/
Well worth the effort. Thanks. My mood during most of the Biden/Harris administration and the 2024 campaign wouldn't be inaptly described by the words "despair" and "fatalistic" — and characterized by the sense, growing from January 21, 2021 onward, that not just Biden but the party leadership generally "just didn't get it". Tip O'Neill wasn't the first to say "all politics is local", but I'd add "and all politics is personal" ... which the Democratic party seems to have forgotten. Or somehow has come to believe that the "personal" connection between voters, candidates, and the party can be reduced to a financial transaction and annoying, ceaseless text messages begging for more money. As you say, one reason BLM and before it the civil rights movement was as powerful as it was is that it provided opportunities for ordinary people to be involved in political action.
Your initial thesis, that a generational loss of economic opportunity has fed alienation and dismay, seems quite correct. Your climate change thesis is quite interesting, although I’m not sure it can explain a change of the political tide in just four years. Alas, the bulk of your essay confirms my fear that the Left is determined to learn nothing from its massive failure.
Yes, the world is horrified by what they see in Gaza. The were also horrified by the October 7 attack last year and correctly saw it as a continuation of decades of terror and death wrought by Muslim extremists. Furthermore, they can see that Hamas squandered billions in humanitarian aid to build a military attack base underneath a crowded city. Gee, it’s almost as if mass civilian casualties was part of the plan.
The Black Lives Matter movement was not crushed. It imploded from within almost immediately. All those idealistic young people who initially came out in support saw the demonstrations quickly taken over by professional provocateurs, cynical opportunists, and vandals. “Defund the Police” must be the stupidest political slogan in history. I’m sure you know that when asked, most Black Americans say they want more policing of their neighborhoods, not less.
I’m glad you mentioned the trans movement. By now, everyone knows someone who has lost a daughter to the gender hysteria that has swept social media over the last several years. Now, the Democrats come out in favor of transitioning children!
So the election presented a choice between proto-fascist tech bros on one side and, on the other, pure madness. No wonder people stayed home.