Defeat to Trump prompts Democratic soul-searching

Author: Reuters

Democrats are facing a painful reckoning over Kamala Harris’s drubbing at the hands of Donald Trump in the US presidential election, as shock gives way to anger and recrimination in the aftermath of a devastating repudiation.

Lawmakers and strategists looking for someone to blame for Tuesday’s wipeout have so far been more likely to target President Joe Biden than Harris, who is regarded as having done a decent job with the short time she had to campaign. The election night disaster — Trump’s triumph was accompanied by a Republican “red wave” in the Senate — has proved to be a Rorschach test, with rival factions each offering reasons for the defeat informed by their particular brand of Democratic politics.

The circular firing squad began with progressive senator Bernie Sanders arguing in a scathing statement that a party that had forsaken the working class should not be surprised to “find that the working class has abandoned them.”

That prompted an angry rebuke from Democratic National Committee chairman Jaime Harrison, who dismissed Sanders’s thesis as “straight up BS” and posted a long list of Biden’s achievements for low income families. New York congressman Ritchie Torres hit out at what he sees as smug political correctness on the left, insisting that Trump had “no greater friend” than activists alienating voters with “absurdities like ‘Defund the Police’… or ‘Latinx.'”

‘Devastating loss’: Harris has escaped the harshest criticism, as she is regarded as having had insufficient time to campaign thanks to Biden’s initial insistence on running again at 81, despite having promised to be a bridge to the next generation.

The aging president’s sluggishness in bowing out after a disastrous debate performance against Trump deepened the challenge, as Harris had to start her campaign in July as a relative unknown, despite being the vice president.

Share
Leave a Comment

Recent Posts

  • Op-Ed

Trump wins!

Trump won a decisive presidential victory. Simply put, why? That question will dominate discussion and…

8 seconds ago
  • Op-Ed

Trump’s Victory: A Global Call for Change

Donald Trump's election victory has sent a strong message to America and the world. Though…

38 seconds ago
  • Op-Ed

Reviving Pakistan’s Economy

In the latter part of 2024, Pakistan's economy is exhibiting signs of resilience, driven largely…

1 min ago
  • Op-Ed

Dual Nature of the Internet

In our increasingly interconnected world, the Internet has emerged as one of the most transformative…

2 mins ago
  • Pakistan

Govt establishes first-ever ‘Cascade’ service center in diplomatic enclave

Interior Minister Mohsin Navi on Friday inaugurated the state-of-the-art “Cascade” service center in Islamabad’s Diplomatic…

5 mins ago
  • Pakistan

National STEM day emphasizes need for digital literacy in education

On National STEM day, educators urged parents, teachers and policymakers to prioritize STEM education and…

5 mins ago