Donald Trump has been elected president — and roughly half the country is disappointed, some deeply so. What comes next?
The temptation — already indulged by numerous pundits and media commentators — is to lament the sad state of the country. It is to conclude that the country is still deeply racist. It is to conclude that the country is not ready for a woman president. It is to conclude that many Americans, especially less-educated white males, are fearful of change, diversity and their loss of place. It is to conclude that the country is in deep trouble.
These sentiments all share a common feature: they blame the majority of Americans who voted for Donald Trump. They express absolutely no self-reflection.
When Republicans lose elections, Democrats are quick to offer advice. Republicans, they say, should move toward the political center. Republicans should reach out to Hispanic voters. Republicans should abandon their social issue agenda.
Democrats should take a page out of their own book. They should take their own advice and engage in genuine self-reflection about why they lost. If they were to do this, they would learn two lessons.
First, Hillary Clinton was a very flawed candidate. Her longstanding and repeated ethical lapses were not attractive to voters, who were loath to elect a president who has been under active investigation by the FBI. Democrats should run a better candidate next time.
Second, and more important, they would learn that the majority of Americans do not believe the government listens to, much less addresses their concerns. They are tired of the political class talking down to them, lecturing them and even mocking them. They are tired of the political class conducting government business on its own behalf rather than voters’ behalf.
When voters wonder why we cannot control our border — a fair enough question — they are told they are racists. When voters express alarm over a federal debt approaching $20 trillion — also fair enough — they are written off as know-nothings unfamiliar with arcane concepts of debt-to-GDP ratios and the like. When voters seek a measure of safety for themselves and their families — also fair enough — they are called bitter clingers. When voters oppose partial birth abortion — a grisly and inhumane practice — they are called religious bigots and incredibly, anti-woman.
Much about how the future unfolds will depend on how Donald Trump chooses to govern. Trump had no experience in running a primary election campaign when he began; he had never stood for election before. But he learned quickly enough to win. Nor had he any experience in running a general election campaign, having never done that either. But he learned quickly enough to win.
It is fair enough to say that on the cusp of assuming the presidency, Trump has no experience in governing, which is a very different enterprise than campaigning. But if the past is any guide, he will learn that quickly too. He will learn that if he is to succeed he will have to mend fences with his own political party in Washington. And he will hopefully learn, too, that he must reach out to the opposition party in a way that his predecessor never did.
Both political campaigns demeaned one another and demeaned the motives of opposition voters. In some measure, this was what attracted voters to Donald Trump — they felt for once they had a candidate who gave as good as he got.
But the campaign is over and it is time to govern. For Trump, this will require a positive, forward-looking agenda, absent any political retaliation. For his opponents, it should mean an end to demeaning the majority of American voters and engaging in some long overdue self-reflection.
• Jeff Bergner served in the legislative and executive branches of the federal government. He is currently a resident of Norfolk, Va.
