Democrats were very unlucky in the 2016 election, said Ross Douthat,
but “in most respects liberalism and the Democratic Party have been
very lucky since.” With the economy booming, ISIS largely defeated,
and terrorism contained, Donald Trump should have approval ratings
in at least the high 40s. But he’s been his own worst enemy. Imagine
an alternative reality in which Trump did not tweet, did not indulge in
cruelty and insults, and did not attack the press. If Trump had actually
governed as the populist he claimed to be, and pushed through a big infrastructure
bill, structured the tax cut for middle-class families instead
of corporations, and pressured Big Pharma to lower drug prices, the
president could have achieved a major realignment around a populist
Republican Party. He’d be favored to be re-elected. Instead, Trump’s
chaos, lying, and race-baiting have alienated so many Americans that
Democrats remain competitive, despite the fact that their base is currently
pulling the party “way left of the middle on issues of race and
culture and identity.” The very Trump traits that make “liberals feel
desperate” are also the ones for which they should be thankful.
