Winners and Losers (So Far) From the 2020 Election
Some people won. Some people Lost. The circle of life.
Now, three days after the election, let’s identify some winners and losers from this week’s election fracas.
WINNERS:
President-Elect Joe Biden (D-DE): Obviously, the winner of the big enchilada. Biden overcame the 14-year curse, the Democratic left, being left for dead in the primary season, a pandemic, an incumbent President, and concerns about his age to finally win the Presidency on his third try. Not many people take three bites at the apple, and I can’t think of any of them who have succeeded. But Biden did.
Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY): The most important man in Washington remains the most important man in Washington.
House Republicans: I highly doubt even they or the National Republican Congressional Committee thought the election would turn out this well for them.
Lt. Gov. Boyd Rutherford (R-MD) and Harford County Executive Barry Glassman (R-MD): Both potential Republican candidates for Governor would have had zero chance to win if Donald Trump were re-elected. Now, they are both well-positioned to run credible and serious statewide campaigns.
Election Lawyers: They’re going to be busy. And cashing a lot of fat paychecks.
Television Networks: Ratings have spiked for Election Week, for sure.
Never Trump Republicans: While it’s true that there are fewer of us than there were four years ago, those they stayed a. Republicans and b. Anti-Trump were ultimately proven correct about Trump’s staying power, statism, and competence in office. Sen. Ben Sasse (R-NE) and Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) are among many who look prescient today.
All of the 2024 Republican Presidential Hopefuls: Vice-President Mike Pence will not have the power of incumbency that propelled former Vice-Presidents like George H. W. Bush and Al Gore to their party’s nomination.
The Count: He hasn’t gotten this much media attention in years.
PUSH
Kimberly Klacik: Sure, she got the doors blown off of her campaign (again). But now she has a massive fundraising list and is the celebrity she wanted to be. She checked the boxes she wanted to check.
Gov. Larry Hogan (R-MD): Yes, he did the right thing. But voters didn’t reject Trump nearly as much as some people thought they might. That hurts his path forward in the GOP.
Vice-President-Elect Kamala Harris (D-CA): Why a push and not a loser? Because I’m not entirely sure that she thought Biden would win. Now, she is going to have to get dragged to the center to help the President-elect’s agenda. How much does that help or hurt her in the long run?
All of the other 2024 Democratic Presidential Hopefuls: This is a weird one to handicap. Because more than likely President-Elect Biden will not run for re-election in my opinion. That means that the Presidency would open up earlier than anticipated. But they would also be running against an incumbent Vice-President. Time will tell if that helps or hurts.
Pollsters: Why push? Because I think once all of the votes are counted you will see that pollsters weren’t as far off as you think they are. That doesn’t mean polling doesn’t need serious reform. This is a time pollsters should figure out their future and what the future of polling looks like in a sane and scientific way.
LOSERS
President Donald Trump (R-FL): Trump is the Biggest Loser, obviously. Not just because he lost the election. But he has managed to do so in a way that is beneath the dignity of the office he holds. Not that this is a surprise, mind you. He is who we thought he was, and will be right until the end.
President-Elect Biden’s Transition Team: What’s gonna happen between now and January 20th is gonna make what happened with the W’s on keyboards look Bush league.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC): They morphed from Trump opponents to Trump sycophants and for reasons that I can’t understand they have decided to go down with the ship.
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL): No specific reason. He’s just always been a loser.”
“The Squad”: Representatives like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), and Rashida Talib (D-MI) may be super popular with the far left of the Democratic Party and with Democratic activists. But their left-wing policies and talk of socialism was an albatross around the neck of Democrats in competitive districts and one of the reasons why there are at least 10 fewer Democrats in the next Congress than this one.
Conservative Talk Celebrities: How many of them, including one I know personally, have sold out their credibility and their principles to prop up Donald Trump. Sure, they’re still cashing in (those houses in Florida don’t pay for themselves). But they did so with a tremendous cost to their credibility and their dignity.
Boat Parade and Car Parade Enthusiasts: Bet they wished they knocked some more doors now don’t they?
QAnon Believers: How’s that working out for you.
Election Truthers: It’s entertaining when people who have no idea how elections work think that everything that happens that they don’t like is a conspiracy to throttle their vote.
Residents of Georgia: They’re still not done counting ballots and now they have two U.S. Senate runoff elections coming January 5th. The Christmas season is going to be dominated by television commercials paid for by political candidates and outside groups. Bah humbug.
People tired of Presidential Elections: The 2024 Presidential Election is only 1459 days away. Thosecampaign stops in Iowa, New Hampshire, in South Carolina aren’t going to make themselves.