A Reason to Rejoice
It is unlikely we will ever see a repeat of the 2024 election.
We had an incumbent President forced out of the running because of dementia and replaced by a Vice President who was not well-liked and who did not receive a single vote. She was the most radical member of the Senate and spent most of her campaign trying to hide her views from the public. She also tried to claim there was nothing wrong with Joe Biden, thus unable to explain why she was indeed the candidate.
The Republican challenger not only pulled off something not seen since Grover Cleveland, that is, winning nonconsecutive terms, he did so battling his own party, some of his past administration appointees, the press, the courts, the administrative agencies, and two assassination attempts. He was outspent 3:1 and still came out victorious. Remarkable.
While both sides did their share of mudslinging, it appears Mr. Trump was elected by people not only tired of being ignored but tired of being called white nationalists, deplorables, racists, misogynists, homophobes, and floating garbage. They knew such charges were a lie, and they deeply resented being called nasty names and denigrated for their views.
Taking both the House and Senate with the Presidency is quite a political earthquake, but below the surface, we see a quiet and emphatic rebellion against the “ruling class” of big business, big media, big government, and big Hollywood culture. This subterranean revolt is reshaping political parties in a way we have not seen since Franklin Roosevelt.
Donald Trump has emerged triumphant because, while a billionaire, he connected with working-class people and brought them into the Republican Party. His MAGA, or Make America Great Again, will go down as one of the greatest political slogans.
Among the biggest losers of this campaign was established media. Not only did they often beclown themselves, but they also simply lost influence. More people listen to Joe Rogan podcasts than the nightly network news. Moreover, citizen journalism, such as The Prickly Pear, The Federalist, Daily Caller, Tucker Carlson Network, and numerous Substack authors and Elon Musk’s X, created alternative news and opinion delivery that finally broke the monopoly of The New York Times and CBS News.
The pollsters are a close adjunct to the media. Again, most of them got it wrong. How many times do they have to be humiliated before they change methodology?
Another big loser was big entertainment. Hollywood, pop music, and late-night comedians. It was felt between the press and Hollywood that they could carry the water for Kamala. But thankfully, twerking celebrities and unctuous broadcasters could not pull off the miracle they needed. Instead, media in general will be howling not only because they lost but because they now must face their growing irrelevancy.
Much work needs to be done on the local level in states like Arizona, where local TV News and The Arizona Republic remain dominant, but at the national level, people could get alternative views and information, even while the government and big tech were trying to shut it down. Thankfully, local talk radio and independent online sites have at least eroded the monopoly in Arizona.
Besides independent journalism, the rise of organizations like Turning Point USA and its charismatic leader, Charlie Kirk, deserves special mention. They spent time on college campuses and at the grassroots level, finding Christians, social conservatives, and other individuals who seemingly had given up on politics and were just not participating in the political process.
Also worth honorable mention are the many who worked hard for election integrity. They did not buy into the line that election irregularities are normal and acceptable and that questioning election outcomes is “insurrectionist.” Because of them, Republicans were more alert to election misbehavior and better prepared for legal challenges.
Trump must also be credited with his ecumenical approach, bringing in a coalition of Robert Kennedy, Jr., Tulsi Gabbard, Vivek Ramaswamy, Elon Musk, and his shrewd selection of J.D. Vance. He has assembled quite a brain trust. And, to their credit, opponents of Trump who had been badly beaten, like Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, and others, joined the MAGA movement. Sadly, there was no movement from the remnants of the McCain, Romney, and Bush dynasties. History has passed them over.
What, if any, were the pivotal developments? Well, first of all, the Democrat establishment hid the issues of Biden’s cognitive decline and their resulting undemocratic process of selecting a candidate. Everyone knew how dishonest this was. Her refusal to be interviewed by those who might challenge positions conveyed a message of weakness and uncertainty. Contrasted with Trump’s strength, many people concluded that Kamala would simply not be up to facing Putin if she can’t talk to Joe Rogan. Trump’s spontaneous reaction of strength and defiance after an almost deadly assassination attempt was monumental in shaping a new image of the man.
The Democrats simply embraced crazy. They were open about their radical social positions, whether it be ESG, DEI, CRT, or Black Lives Matter. Their embrace of transgenderism was finally a bridge too far for most people. Can men get pregnant? They made a point of appointing many transgenders to official positions hoping to normalize mental illness. The public just was not buying it. Do men need tampons? How can you argue that you support women when you desire to define them out of existence?
What the mentally unstable do in their own homes is one thing. But bringing them into the schools, into the military, and into the corporations was going too far. We have seen a revolt of the normies.
Finally, the border chaos. Not only did they deliberately lose control of the border, Myorkas is a sanctimonious lying thug telling us not to believe our own eyes—moreover, Americans who are struggling noticed how coddled the illegal immigrants became. Not only were they allowed to violate our laws openly, but the Border Patrol was converted to a concierge service passing out food stamps, housing, medical services, and transportation. As it became clear that the resources of FEMA were exhausted by illegals and thus could not support American hurricane victims, resentment was cemented.
The results are not complete as this is being written. Trump has overwhelmingly won the Electoral College and the popular vote and the U.S. Senate is secured. There is a good chance that Republicans will keep the House.
This absolute mandate for change makes Trump’s victory one of the most consequential in modern American history. For that, we rejoice.
Photo credit: Gage Skidmore
