WHO WON AND WHO LOST LAST NOVEMBER 3RD — A MAN, A PARTY OR BOTH?

By Edwin Cooney

Throughout the years of my political interest and attention, I've generally resisted the wisdom of those who insist that they vote for "the man" rather than "for a political party."  In the wake of the 2020 election, it's increasingly evident to me that the majority of American voters voted against a man more than they voted for a political party. Perhaps we will know more after tomorrow's vote in Georgia, but that doesn't guarantee that the above question will really be settled.

You may well ask, how important is it that we know the answer to that question? The answer is very simple. In politics, it's dangerous to continue a pattern of conduct that doesn't work. Of course, what works and what doesn't work changes from time to time. For example, the late 19th and early 20th Century practice of "front porch" presidential campaigns is a thing of the past, and it's likely that candidate and incumbent tweets constitute an era that has just begun! While I was growing up, candidates and political pundits often scolded candidates for getting too close to "the water's edge” when they became too strident.

Several days ago, an acquaintance of mine who is a Trump supporter wondered why the country would elect someone as old, sleepy, out of touch and, worst of all, as socialistic as Joe Biden who has been in politics far too long. As I see it, the reason Joe Biden was elected was because he was the only alternative to re-electing President Trump. I agreed with this particular gentleman that it didn't have to happen. Unlike this particular Trump supporter, I insist that the 2020 campaign ultimately was solely about Donald Trump just as the 1936 presidential election was about the person of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the difference being that FDR was personally about the well-being of the people. President Trump is more about settling scores whether they're with domestic political opponents or with foreign governments.

President Trump's candidacy or agenda in office was never about the nation's fears, hopes or priorities. Clearly a chronically angry man, Mr. Trump's resentments govern almost everything he has done from his continuous tweeting to his efforts to build a wall he never realistically could get Mexico to pay for.

Someone in the not too distant future will document and publish the reasons for the defeat of Mr. Trump last November. It's my guess that the results will show that most of his predecessors, whether or not they were defeated or re-elected, accepted the results with dignity if not always with grace. President Trump's major political flaw is his tendency to emphasize his resentments over the people's priorities.

History demonstrates that a new administration, in order to be successful, has to allow for some degree of continuity with its predecessors. For instance, President Eisenhower resisted Old Guard GOP efforts led by Senator John Bricker, Thomas E. Dewey's 1944 running mate, to limit the power of the president to negotiate treaties as FDR had done at Yalta and Harry Truman had done at Potsdam. Furthermore, Ike, in the face of conservative objections, challenged McCarthyism, and advanced a national highway reconstruction plan that was as New Deal-like as anything else you can imagine. The GOP under Ike went so far as to establish the cabinet department of Housing and Urban Development putting a woman at the head of it. The 1950’s Republicans hated FDR's New Deal and Harry Truman's Fair Deal, but they respected its appeal, if not its method or purpose. President Trump demonstrated no sense of continuity, but sought to destroy everything President Obama did regardless of Mr. Obama's continuing popularity with a sizable portion of the voting public.

Bill Clinton's welfare reform act was moderate enough to get the endorsement of conservative Republicans whose primary loyalty was to Presidents Reagan and George H. W. Bush  and centrist Democrats. Many liberal Democrats opposed President Clinton's brand of welfare reform.

I can think of no instance when President Trump sought to bring progressives into an effort to modify and improve Obamacare. Mr. Trump's alternative to Obamacare never saw the light of day because healthcare was never on the president's agenda or that of his party despite their insistence to the contrary.

As I see it, one of the realities of 21st Century America is that "we, the people,” whether we call ourselves Conservatives, Populists, Progressives, Liberals, Democrats, or Republicans, expect the United States government to protect us from what we regard as the dangerous consequences of outrageous fortune. Furthermore, regardless of how contradictory the elements of our complaints and fears may be, we expect the person of the President of the United States of America to be our champion. President Trump certainly championed a number of popular causes both legitimate and controversial, but few presidents in our history have ever sought to destroy the causes of the opposition like President Trump.

It's my guess that millions of Americans who voted for Mr. Biden remain uncertain as to the likelihood of his success. However, he comes to his office both approachable and optimistic. Unlike President Trump, he generally doesn't see his political opponents as corrupt or criminal. The criminalization of political opponents on the part of ideologically oriented candidates and supporters has gone on so long that it has poisoned the well of freely elected government which was one of President George Washington's fears about the establishment of political parties.

History will record that President Donald John Trump ultimately was his only real constituent. His self-indulgence became too evident for a truly united people to endorse!

In 1653, Oliver Cromwell (who would serve as Lord Protectorate of the British Commonwealth) used the following words to describe the uselessness of the parliament then in session. I suggest that these are the precise words which should be used as President Trump leaves office:

"You have sat too long for any good you have been doing lately. Depart and let us have done with you! In the name of God, I say -- go!”

Only time will tell who won and who lost the 2020 election. Republicans made gains in the House which may be countered if the Democrats can take Georgia tomorrow.

It's just possible that our fears rather than our hopes prevailed last November!

I'll have more to say about fear very soon!

RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED,

EDWIN COONEY