In 2016, I would have characterized it as disbelief.
Donald Trump's victory over Hillary Clinton left the media's talking heads in a state of shellshock. It was almost comical - not for us, but for them. The loss was so implausible, so improbable, that the only emotion that initially manifested was a jaw-dropping laugh: No way she really lost to that man.
Anyone watching the election returns Tuesday night hoping to see a repeat might have noticed something entirely different.
Shock was replaced with a condescending, righteous indignation.
In place of stunned laughter came an angry scorn: How dare these peasants actually vote for that man.
If you largely avoided watching network and cable news report the results, here's a clip of PBS's Jonathan Capehart to illustrate what I'm talking about:
This was the near identical sermon being preached by Jonathan Lemire just moments after the Trump train barreled through the MSNBC election studios:
When it comes to understanding how this all plays out, whether lessons are really learned, and changes are likely to happen, it's critical to recognize that neither Capehart, Lemire, nor any number of the stable of left-leaning analysts are asking those questions introspectively. This isn't, "Let's take some time to figure out why this many people in the country would support someone with such baggage."
No, this is sour grapes. This is a pejorative attack on Trump voters. This is more moral and intellectual condescension from Trump-haters who have all the answers.
Oddly enough, it's precisely the type of thing that led to the staggering results in this election. As it turns out, people don't take favorably to being called Nazis and fascists just because they would like to afford a trip to the grocery store.
Trump didn't win this election because of some hard-to-pinpoint, deep-seated racism, or some identitarian political nightmare formula. He won because the economy is terrible and inflation is crippling. Knowing that, feeling that every day, and having people call you a Nazi when you bring it up isn't going to engender your support or earn your vote. It's going to tick you off.
The solitary late-night comedian remaining on American television, Greg Gutfeld, summed it up nicely:
I don't know one neo-Nazi. I know a lot of Trump voters. And I also know that the latter certainly don't take kindly to being labeled the former, especially when the offense that triggers such a preposterous accusation is wanting lower taxes, believing it shouldn't be open season on baby humans through all nine months of pregnancy, or that Israel needs a better friend in the White House.
Nevertheless, there remains a shocking number of high-profile progressives who remain unwilling to take their medicine and learn their lesson:
She's close, but not quite there. It's actually an indictment on only part of America. Which part?
The one characterized by a movement Harris represented and that Jill belongs to, that has convinced itself that 67 million of their fellow countrymen are so evil they would vote for "literally Hitler."
It's insulting, but it's also insane.
And as long as the Democrat party continues campaigning with rhetoric straight out of a far-left fever dream, they will continue to lose not just the votes, but the respect of average Americans.
