Democrats Are in Disarray With No Easy Fix
The idea that another candidate could have succeeded where Harris failed seems spurious at best.
Next steps?
Photographer: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images North AmericaVice President Kamala Harris led a coalition that stretched from lefty Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to former Representative Liz Cheney and her arch-conservative father, Dick Cheney. She campaigned on a vision of a lawful, morally decent, multiracial society where hard work could still secure the American Dream, where clean energy would drive a dynamic economy, and where there would be enough to go around for everyone. That broad coalition and optimistic vision raised unprecedented funds. It activated tens of thousands of volunteers who walked precincts, made phone calls and staffed events. And then it crashed and burned.
Every losing campaign is run by dunces, just as every winning campaign is the product of genius. Monday-morning quarterbacks who have never worked in a campaign — especially in the fog of right-wing propaganda and disinformation that now permeates and distorts US politics — are rarely convincing. Donald Trump’s campaign was an objective dumpster fire of malice and stupidity. Even if Trump had lost, the MAGA ascendency, powered by QAnon and other delusional endeavors, is evidence that much of the US has entered a post-rational, post-civic political sphere where propaganda — often very stupid propaganda — reigns.