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Both Parties Have A Lot To Learn From The 2020 Election
The Federalist ^ | November 16, 2020 | Christopher Jacobs

Posted on 11/16/2020 12:17:32 PM PST by Kaslin

As the country remains closely divided, the winner of the next election will likely come from the party that best heeds the lessons of Election 2020.


What does the leader of Britain’s Labour Party have to teach American politicians in the wake of an election? Quite a lot, as it turns out — and no, I don’t mean former Labour leader Neil Kinnock. Indeed, Joe Biden learned far too much from him 33 years ago.

The Labour Party’s recent attempts to rehabilitate its image after four consecutive defeats — and an election wipeout last December under leftist leader Jeremy Corbyn — provide a compelling example for both of America’s main political parties. That is, if the leaders of those parties take heed.

Losses Lead to Lessons — and Listening

Six weeks ago, addressing the first party conference as Labour leader — and the first conference since the party’s devastating defeat in last December’s election — Keir Starmer pledged both to listen, and to deliver a new approach:

Let’s be blunt. Let’s be brutally honest with ourselves. When you lose an election in a democracy, you deserve to. … You don’t look at the electorate and ask them: ‘What were you thinking?’ You look at yourself and ask: ‘What were we doing?’

Starmer’s conference speech intended to draw a clear line under Corbyn’s leadership, where the party’s far-left positions accelerated the migration of working-class voters to Boris Johnson’s Conservative Party. After losing four straight general elections to the Conservatives, he told the Labour Party that “it’s time to get serious about winning. That means we have to change, and that’s what we’re doing.”

Democrats: Mandate or Mirage?

Compare Starmer’s humility to the positions taken by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Joe Biden. In a speech on Friday, made before major news organizations called the presidential election in his favor, Biden claimed a “mandate for action.” Pelosi likewise claimed that Biden “has a strong mandate to lead, and he’ll have a strong Democratic House with him.”

Yet Biden’s comments come amidst the reality that if 20,000 or so votes swing the other way in a couple of key states, Donald Trump and not Biden would stand on the inaugural platform January 20 to take the presidential oath a second time.

As for Pelosi, her House Democrats lost at least half a dozen seats, and could after all the votes get counted (and recounted) lose double that amount. The losses came despite an enormous cash advantage for Democrats across the board, and predictions that Democrats would pick up seats rather than lose them. On both the congressional and presidential levels, those results can only classify as a mandate to someone with a magnifying glass or a microscope.

Republicans Shouldn’t Gloat

That said, Republicans also have reasons for humility, albeit different ones. Despite the closeness of the Electoral College counts, Biden won the popular vote by at least 5.2 million votes, a margin that will likely increase in the coming days.

Unlike Hillary Clinton in 2016, who could manage only a plurality of the vote, Biden won a majority of the nation’s votes for president. A Republican candidate has managed to win a majority of America’s votes only once in the past eight election cycles (George W. Bush in 2004).

Republicans also lost seats in the Senate, albeit fewer than expected, and saw Democrats retain control of the House. But the fact that Republicans have managed to win the most votes, let alone a majority of the votes, only once in the 32 years that Biden has been running for president should give any Republican a massive pause.

Leaders Should Listen

On the morning after the election, Politico ran an aptly titled column: “Democrats Look at Trump Voters and Wonder, ‘What the Hell Is Your Problem?’” That blunt question summarizes much of official Washington’s thinking about working-class individuals, or people in “flyover country.” Those sentiments bleed out in public, whether in Hillary Clinton’s discussion of “deplorables” (to laughter by the audience listening to her remarks) or Barack Obama’s comments about people “clinging to their guns and religion.”

Keir Starmer might tell Democrats that the fact they have to ask that type of question shows they deserved the results they received on Tuesday. Conversely, Republicans cannot expect to win the presidency with only 46-48 percent of the vote, and must expand their outreach to people of every race, class, and creed.

After Britain’s disastrous showing in the Boer War, Kipling wrote a poem describing the debacle, which starts thusly:

Let us admit it fairly, as a business people should
We have had no end of a lesson; it will do us no end of good.

Both parties should heed Starmer and Kipling’s words. As the country remains closely divided, the winner of the next election will likely come from the party that best heeds the lessons of election 2020.



TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS:

1 posted on 11/16/2020 12:17:32 PM PST by Kaslin
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To: Kaslin

Both Parties Have A Lot To Learn From The 2020 Election

They already have re-education camps planned so yep we will have learned a lot from this election, just not soon enough to matter.

Trust Barr-Huber! Yeah right.

2 posted on 11/16/2020 12:24:06 PM PST by itsahoot (The ability to read auto correct is necessary to read my posts understanding them is another matter.)
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To: Kaslin

The only lesson to be learned is that Democrats can do whatever they want to do.


3 posted on 11/16/2020 12:25:33 PM PST by Bratch
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To: Kaslin

The ONLY thing we learned is how the democrats cheat. We will never win another election State, local, or federal.

Get ready for war. If we cannot vote then let’s fight!


4 posted on 11/16/2020 12:26:01 PM PST by CodeToad (Arm Up! They Have!)
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To: Kaslin

Lesson #1:

It’s not the votes that count, it who (or what) counts the votes!


5 posted on 11/16/2020 12:26:36 PM PST by A Formerly Proud Canadian (I once was blind but now I see... )
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To: Kaslin

Advice that would only work if the DemocRATs cared about the law and weren’t simply power mad totalitarians. This author might find himself in jail for hate speech a year into any Biden “Presidency”.


6 posted on 11/16/2020 12:26:39 PM PST by Seruzawa (TANSTAAFL!)
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To: Kaslin

I’ve learned Democrats - after cheating and beating up our people - have the gall to turn to us and say, ‘let’s heal’...

Well, until you stand up to the effing liberal ‘elite’ bullies - at which point they’ll have one of their thugs throw us to the ground and kick us in the head.

Then they say, “Are you ready to heal or you want a few more kicks to the head?”


7 posted on 11/16/2020 12:27:14 PM PST by GOPJ (THE DEAD vote's proof positive of voter fraud... It's 'voting the people who don't show up to vote)
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To: GOPJ

“I’ve learned Democrats - after cheating and beating up our people - have the gall to turn to us and say, ‘let’s heal’...”

I have no impact on anything but my family. I’m an old white guy of modest means. But for what it’s worth, their appeals to “heal” just piss me off.


8 posted on 11/16/2020 12:34:28 PM PST by brownsfan (Behold, the power of government cheese.)
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To: Bratch

“The only lesson to be learned is that Democrats can do whatever they want to do.”

What you said.


9 posted on 11/16/2020 12:47:31 PM PST by Luke21 (Elections you say? We get them next election? )
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To: Kaslin

If it were up to me, we would do the following:

1. Nationwide voter ID

2. Go back to paper ballots, which are not connected to the internet or any computerized system. Computerized systems are great for some activities, but it seems we can’t trust them with counting the votes.

3. All involved in counting paper ballots should be sequestered so that they don’t know what the vote totals are in some other part of their state. They should be blind so they can’t do the old trick of waiting to see how many phantom votes they need to manufacture to win an election.

4. Dip a finger into the purple ink, the way they did in Iraq, to signify that you have voted. That would make it harder to vote in more than one location.

5. We need better chain of custody of ballots, both ballots cast, as well as ballots left over on election night, which weren’t used by anyone. Blank ballots floating around are an invitation to fraud.


10 posted on 11/16/2020 12:55:35 PM PST by Dilbert San Diego
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To: Bratch

Dick Morris spoke with the president last night and says if we want to help to tell the GA Speaker of the House, GOP David Ralston and Senate Majority Leader Mike Dugan to NOT certify electors until a fair recount that looks at signature is done-not the bogus one being done now.

Here’s info to contact:

David Ralston , Speaker of the House
404-656-6502
david.ralston@house.ga.gov

Mike Dugan, Senate Majority Leader
404-463-2478
mike.dugan@senate.ga.gov


11 posted on 11/16/2020 12:58:27 PM PST by TECTopcat (e)
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To: Kaslin

On the morning after the election, Politico ran an aptly titled column: "Democrats Look at Trump Voters and Wonder, ‘What the Hell Is Your Problem?'" That blunt question summarizes much of official Washington’s thinking about working-class individuals, or people in "flyover country." Those sentiments bleed out in public, whether in Hillary Clinton’s discussion of "deplorables" (to laughter by the audience listening to her remarks) or Barack Obama’s comments about people "clinging to their guns and religion."

Um, Harvard Law graduate Barack Obama should know better: Although Obama mindlessly and arrogantly looks down his nose at "guns and religion," they are rights guaranteed to Americans by the very Constitution that Obama claims to have read. If only Barack had a wife who studied the law, then she could have at least educated the hopelessly clueless Barack about our Constitution. Wait, what? Michelle has a law degree from Harvard, too? Seriously? YIKES! But Neil Gorsuch also went to Harvard Law School and he seems to understand the Constitution quite well. So the problem can't totally be Harvard's fault -- Barack & Michelle must take personal responsibility for being totally clueless about the law. I mean, if you don't even know what's in our Constitution, how can you really understand the law in this country? What's that? Barack taught law for 13 years at University of Chicago Law School? Oh brother. I hate to even ask this next question but I will: What did Barack teach at that prestigious law school? Constitutional Law. WTF? That's it, I've heard enough. I give up. It's a hopeless cause.


12 posted on 11/16/2020 1:04:50 PM PST by gw-ington
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To: Kaslin

As this nation crumbles, it will be interesting to see who
this Leftist media blames for it. It will be the logic
behind it that will be most interesting.

Orange Man bad, will only last so long. Then it’s all on
them.


13 posted on 11/16/2020 1:22:45 PM PST by DoughtyOne (I'm calling for terrorist and criminal reform. Defund them now!)
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To: GOPJ

They really mean is they want us to “HEEL.”


14 posted on 11/16/2020 1:34:11 PM PST by Hildy (In an unforgiving world, only the shameless survive.)
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To: Kaslin

Who the heck cares about, “both parties”?

One country, one republic hangs in the balance and people are penning insipid, obtuse edits? Good grief! Unless this is overturned in some way, there will be one party, that being totalitarianism...period, no need to vote ever again.


15 posted on 11/16/2020 3:55:42 PM PST by CincyRichieRich (Stand Back Quitter Caucus. Go Sit Down. NO SURRENDER! )
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To: Hildy

They really mean is they want us to “HEEL.”

That makes a lot more sense... Good one Hildy.

:)

16 posted on 11/16/2020 8:52:21 PM PST by GOPJ (THE DEAD vote's proof positive of voter fraud... It's 'voting the people who don't show up to vote)
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To: Kaslin

So Biden came up with a new position “ Office of the President-elect” complete with signs and other trappings.,

How nuts is that?


17 posted on 11/17/2020 3:06:23 AM PST by sodpoodle (Life is prickly - carry tweezers)
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To: sodpoodle

No he didn't. That arrogant pos former occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave Barack Hussein 0bama, the worst president ever did first.

Obama Invents 'Office of the President-Elect' Source: Newsmax: https://www.newsmax.com/InsideCover/obama-president-elect/2008/11/10/id/326510/

18 posted on 11/17/2020 3:27:03 AM PST by Kaslin (Joe Biden will never be my President)
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