Lessons from Trump’s Victory
The elites are not going to like them
Now come the inevitable after-election commentaries. Pundits of all stripes will make their pronouncements with calm certainty about “why things went as they did” and “what obvious lessons apply to the next elections.” Before we get into any of that, we need to review the track record of previous punditry. Fortunately, Jon Stewart has pulled together a good sample of the record.
So, can we say anything? In fact, we can.
The electorate is always right
This does not mean an election always selects the “best” candidate. Given the built-in limitations of the American electoral system, the “best” candidate is never nominated; if nominated, he never wins. The “fire in the belly” required to conduct a presidential campaign requires a degree of ego and narcissism that makes any presidential candidate questionable, at best. If someone wants power that much, he probably can’t be trusted to wield it.
