The Wall Street Journal's Peggy Noonan has written presidential speeches, books, and a weekly column for the Journal. Here she reacts to Tuesday's election and, for a change, her
column is not behind the WSJ paywall. She first describes the election's meaning:
The president said he was not on the ballot but his policies were. Those policies were resoundingly repudiated.
Then she looks with dismay on the President's reaction to those election results.
It is confounding—not surprising but stunning, unhelpful and ill-judged—that the president is instead going for antagonism, combat and fruitless friction. This is not just poor strategy, it seems to me to be mildly delusional.
Her conclusion is charming:
This is no way to run a railroad. The president here is doing what he has been doing for a while, helping Republicans look good. That is an amazing strategy for a Democratic president to adopt.
Obviously not his intent, but he has repeatedly demonstrated a tin ear for political nuance.
