Trump, JD Vance win showed strength of the republic over progressivism

Originally published in the Columbus Dispatch, this is a slightly expanded version that goes into more detail. I truly appreciate the Dispatch for their willingness to include contrarian voices and headlines that help to sell newspapers.

In virtually every part of my life, I’ve long believed that if I wanted a different outcome, I was the one who needed to change. Today, with Donald Trump’s unequivocal popular vote and electoral college victory over Kamala Harris, Democrats must heed that advice.

My teachers weren’t at fault when I failed a test. My coaches weren’t responsible when I lost a game. And my customers weren’t to blame when I lost an order. The responsibility was mine.

Voters aren’t at fault for resoundingly rejecting the policies, politics, and candidates of the modern Democratic Party.

Instead, a majority of voters across most of our states and in roughly 90% of U.S. counties made it crystal clear that they are tired of the condescension, open borders, and denial of their economic — if not biological — reality.

Look at the electoral county map of the United States from this election. It is a sea of red with but a few islands of blue, virtually all of which are in big cities. There is no better illustration of the reason democrats want to eliminate the Electoral College. They don’t understand the people and can’t win outside of those cities and believe they shouldn’t have to.

Mr. Trump’s selection of Ohio’s J.D. Vance for his running mate also proved to be a wise one. Senator, and now V.P. Elect Vance brought youth, intellect, Midwest nice, and working-class roots to the ticket.

While polls continue to show the economy as American’s number one issue, that is but an inevitable consequence of a much deeper discontent with the harm “progressivism” has wrought.

At it’s core, progressivism is rooted in the notion that the masses don’t know what’s best for us and we need “experts” to tell us what to do, what to believe, who to trust, and how to raise our children.

I value expertise but don’t let experts run my life.

Progressivism rejects the distributed power that underlies the United States’ unique system of self-government. This is despite the fact that, for all its imperfections, we are the longest-lived democratic constitutional republic in human history.

Thomas Sowell, one of America’s greatest public intellectuals of the last 70 years, explained this phenomenon in his books A Conflict of Visions and The Vision of the Anointed. In these tomes, Sowell describes a conflict between those who believe humans can be perfected with the right mix of expertise imposed by government power, and those who know both the folly and horrors of trying to do so.

In this, progressivism reveals its roots in Marxism, an obscenity to the principles of self-government and utterly antithetical to our Constitution. Many progressive policies are thus best understood as cultural Lysenkoism.

Progressivism led Barak Obama to lament Americans who “cling to guns or religion.” It led Hillary Clinton to describe Trump voters as a “basket of deplorables” and President Biden to call us “garbage.” It led the Harris/Walz campaign — with nary a hint of irony — to label us Nazis and fascists.

Even when progressivism cloaks itself conservative red, as it did with some of the retired judges who pushed Ohio Issue 1, it still oozed the elitism that rejects the legislators voters choose to represent them. Ohio voters saw through the 7000 word ruse and resoundingly rejected Issue 1.

Nowhere are Sowell’s “Teflon prophets” of the anointed more evident than on policies touching every facet of modern life. From Covid, to climate change, race, sex, health, education, immigration, and war, the predictions and policies of progressivism’s prophets of doom or salvation have — despite being consistently and objectively wrong — been imposed on the rest of us, whether we like it or not.

When the rest of us dared to object, progressives wielded the power of government to silence our voices.

On each of these issues and more, progressives made the Democratic Party into that which, paraphrasing George Orwell, instructed us to reject the evidence of our eyes and ears and do what we’re told.

Donald Trump is an imperfect messenger for the rest of us, but he built a coalition of Americans across the country and from every walk of life. He brought people together from the rich to the poor, male and female, white, black, and brown, gay and straight, those educated in universities, and those educated in life.

Americans rejected progressivism, not progressives themselves.

I have many relatives, friends, and neighbors who see themselves as progressives. All are truly good and decent people who want what they believe to be in the best interests of their families, communities, and our nation. I know they’ll continue working to make The United States a more perfect union.

I do not agree with all of President-Elect Trump’s proposed policies. I have repeatedly called out his incivility and will do so again if necessary. Though his history suggests otherwise, I am hopeful he will stick with his election victory tone of reconciliation. For now, I am heartened by the peace on our streets as I write this the day after the election. Time will tell.

I celebrate Mr Trump’s win not because I view him as a savior but because it demonstrates, no doubt to the chagrin of progressives, the strength of our republic. I look forward to supporting his promise to return power to the people by reducing the power of our federal government.

The outcomes from this election will ultimately be the result of the changes each of us make in our views of our fellow citizens. I choose to see the good. I cordially invite you to do the same.