Tuesday, May 30, 2017

Wisdom from An Odd Source

Andrew O'Hehir has spent the last 20 years at Salon, a left-wing website I normally avoid like the plague. Atypically, he has written a long article you might enjoy, taking fellow Democrats to task about their party's many failures. His message to delusional Democrats:
Get over Montana already — and stop trolling yourself with that stupid special election in Georgia too. They don’t mean anything, and anyway — that dude Jon Ossoff? He’s about the lamest excuse for a national progressive hero in the entire history of Democratic Party milquetoast triangulation. Oh, and since we’re on the subject: Forget about the “blue wave” of 2018. Forget about the Democratic majority of 2019. Forget about the impeachment of President Donald Trump. Have you even been paying attention? Because none of that stuff is happening and it’s all a massive distraction.
About Gianforte's win in a Montana by-election, after decking a persistent reporter:
I think it’s safe to say that likely Republican voters in Montana, and damn near everywhere else, can be divided into two groups: those who didn’t much care or were inclined to look the other way, and those who were absolutely thrilled.
As for the future:
My position is that Donald Trump is a symptom of the fundamental brokenness of American politics, not the cause.

Right now the Democratic Party has no clear sense of mission and no coherent national message, except that it is not the party of Donald Trump. I can understand the appeal of that message, the longing for a return to normalcy, calm and order that it embodies. (snip) There is no “normal” state we can return to.
Yes, O'Hehir hates Trump and wishes he would just go away, but his political grasp otherwise isn't far off the mark. Trump was nominated because establishment Republicans were empty suits, do-nothing careerists. Trump was elected because a huge swathe of voters felt unrepresented by the Democrats.

Trump represents a beginning in the rebuilding the Republicans needed to do, the Democrats haven't yet begun their needed rebuilding, but O'Hehir thinks they need to get started. Hat tip to Instapundit for the link.