Democrats sift through 'unmitigated disaster' after Trump victory: ANALYSIS

In nan end, astir voters did want to spell back.

Vice President Kamala Harris and Democrats pounded distant astatine a connection of turning nan page connected erstwhile President Donald Trump and his marque of politics, promoting erstwhile aides who questioned his committedness to populist and producing their ain plans to combat things for illustration value gouging and precocious location costs.

Wednesday morning, though, they were reckoning pinch a stunning expanse by Trump, who arsenic nan now-president-elect, appeared group for a swing-state expanse and near Democrats wondering really it each went truthful wrong.

"Complete, unmitigated disaster," Democratic strategist Chris Kofinis said erstwhile asked astir nan results. "That was a wholesale repudiation of nan Democratic message, nan Democratic strategy, Harris' candidacy. There is nary measurement to sugarcoat what an abject disaster this was."

Trump's triumph was thorough. He was projected to triumph aliases connected gait to return each 7 plaything states up for grabs, while cutting down his margins successful bluish states from Minnesota to Virginia to New York. He mislaid women by 10 points aft losing them by 15 successful 2020, moreover aft fury erupted complete nan scrapping of law abortion protections. And he trim Harris' separator among Latino voters to 8 points aft losing them by 33 points 4 years ago.

Democrats, still licking their wounds arsenic they said to ABC News Wednesday, had a laundry database of prescriptions for nan party's woes, some strategically successful really nan 2024 title was waged and much fundamentally successful really nan statement is perceived seashore to seashore and nan authorities of its coalition.

Harris took complete successful a peculiarly hectic bid of events, taking complete arsenic Democrats' nominee from Joe Biden aft nan president's ruinous June statement poured pitchy substance connected concerns complete his property and fittingness for office.

Many expressed dismay and frustration, distressed that Harris' historical candidacy and nan statement marque wide held insufficient entreaty to triumph complete voters who alternatively backed a twice-impeached erstwhile president convicted of 34 felonies.

Logistically, astir pointed retired nan compressed timeline. In a state wherever elections person begun to tally astir 2 years long, Harris had astir 100 days, starring immoderate to constituent nan digit astatine Biden for staying successful nan title arsenic agelong arsenic he did complete nan summertime -- aliases moreover moving for reelection astatine all.

"He ne'er should've" tally for reelection, said Jim Kessler, nan laminitis of nan center-left deliberation vessel Third Way. "Democrats and nan Biden White House did not do a bully capable occupation listening to nan people, and they were saying large and clear, 'your property is simply a concern.' And they chose to disregard that. They were besides saying, nan border's a concern, and truthful is crime. And they sewage to nan correct spot connected each of those things, including Biden's age. But it took them excessively long."

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks astatine Howard University successful Washington, Nov. 6, 2024.

Kevin Lamarque/Reuters

Harris and Biden for weeks earlier nan predetermination touted policies they said would thief Americans woody pinch rising costs and hammered Trump for fundamentally sidesplitting a bipartisan measure that would've strengthened separator enforcement.

But for months earlier that, nan White House had insisted that nan system was strong, noting debased unemployment numbers and nan banal marketplace while batting down worries complete things for illustration market costs, and was disappointment complete nan inability to stem nan emergence successful unauthorized separator crossings earlier leaning connected executive orders that echoed those Trump himself had enacted.

All nan while, Harris, a loyal No. 2, appeared uncomfortable distancing herself from her boss.

Later successful nan race, she insisted that her management would not beryllium a "continuation" of Biden's and that she would name a Republican to her Cabinet, which Biden hadn't done. But a viral clip connected ABC's "The View" successful which she said she couldn't deliberation of thing substantively she'd do otherwise helped cement nan existing nexus she had to a president whose support standing was historically debased capable to descend his statement successful a statesmanlike race.

"Clearly, voters thought nan state was connected nan incorrect track, and she became nan position quo candidate," said seasoned Democratic strategist James Carville. "And nan history of position quo candidates…is not good."

Some Democrats boiled it down to a building that Carville himself made famous: it's nan economy, stupid.

A Gallup poll conducted successful September 2020 -- nan bosom of nan COVID-19 pandemic -- recovered that Americans said they were amended disconnected than they were 4 years agone by a 22-point margin. The aforesaid canvass conducted past September fond that Americans believed they were worse disconnected than they were 4 years agone by a 13-point separator -- a 35-point swing.

"It's nan inflation, stupid, right?" said 1 root acquainted pinch nan Harris campaign's thinking. "At nan extremity of nan day, nan biggest driver of people's voting behaviour is their economical self-interest, and they felt, by a wide margin, that they were doing beautiful good nether Donald Trump and that they were not doing good nether nan existent administration. Not to opportunity that different worldly wasn't important, but it was each superseded by their ain economical conditions."

Beyond her relation pinch Biden, Harris besides leaned into 1 of his favourite arguments against Trump -- that he posed a threat to democracy.

She had shunted nan taxable early successful her campaign, alternatively moving to present herself successful an ambiance of "joy." But arsenic aged management aides for illustration John Kelly rebuked him arsenic undemocratic, she pounced connected a connection that Democrats yet said felt unconnected to voters' mundane struggles.

"Democrats often make nan correction of focusing connected agelong word problems astatine a clip erstwhile voters person contiguous concerns. And populist seems for illustration a semipermanent issue, and it's not rather tangible. But state prices, market prices, separator crossings, a consciousness that crime is rising, those you consciousness each day," Kessler said.

Some Democrats saw deeper troubles.

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks astatine Howard University successful Washington, Nov. 6, 2024.

Kent Nishimura/Getty Images

Gone were nan days erstwhile Democrats appealed to moving and middle-class Americans they said. In their spot were rallies pinch Beyonce and concerts pinch Bruce Springsteen, while Democrats, successful critics' telling, lectured voters connected why nan statement was correct connected nan issues alternatively of empathizing pinch their underlying concerns.

In short, philosophizing alternatively than fighting.

"It was nan economy, was inflation, it was concerned astir nan border, and those were, for nan astir part, nan apical 2 issues," Kofinis said. "We had nary strategy successful bid to reside that. And arsenic a result, we conscionable fed that alienation. Then successful classical Democratic statesmanlike run strategy that was eerily reminiscent to 2016, we clasp celebrities and nan elites to someway power and dictate to nan mean elector really they should vote."

"I joined nan Democratic Party because I wanted to conflict NAFTA waste and acquisition deals. I joined nan Democratic Party because I wanted to drain nan swamp successful Washington, D.C. I joined nan Democratic Party because I was tired of seeing my taxation dollars spell to overseas wars while my organization was crumbling. That sounds for illustration Donald Trump today. We person to return that connection back," added Democratic strategist Chuck Rocha.

For Republicans, everything went correct this election.

Rather than deepen opposition, Trump's controversies and ineligible struggles deepened loyalties among his base. Rather than gin Democratic turnout, abortion ballot measures appeared to connection voters an off-ramp to conflict for reproductive autonomy while separately registering their discontent pinch nan existent administration. And alternatively of moving against a campaigner who offered a caller imagination from nan existent White House, Trump faced nan second-highest ranking charismatic successful it.

Republican statesmanlike nominee and erstwhile U.S. President Donald Trump dances accompanied by Melania Trump aft speaking during an predetermination nighttime event, Nov.6, 2024, successful West Palm Beach, Florida.

Carlos Barria/Reuters

Now, nan struggle will beryllium continuing nan success.

Trump's romp has nan upwind astatine Republicans' backs, and, should nan GOP return nan House of Representatives, he'll person astatine slightest 2 years to cement a drawstring of accomplishments pinch a pliant Congress. But word limits barroom Trump from moving again, and replicating his conjugation is easier said than done.

"That's what's going to beryllium very, very difficult," said GOP pollster Robert Blizzard, who worked connected nan 2024 statesmanlike run of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis -- 1 of respective Republicans who ran for nan White House adopting Trump's pugilistic style only to beryllium overwhelmingly rejected by superior voters this year.

Yet successful nickname of nan gravitation propulsion that Trump has connected nan country's politics, moreover immoderate Democrats said their way backmost to electoral occurrence lies successful portion connected nan president-elect.

Voters "are hoping to get a repetition of nan system that they liked successful his first term. If they get that, nan way backmost for Democrats successful 2028 is going to beryllium rather difficult. But if his tariffs thrust up ostentation and his recklessness really demonstrates to voters that he does not person nan typical condiment connected nan system that galore deliberation that he does, that will create a existent opening," said nan root acquainted pinch nan Harris campaign's thinking.

"It's tough, but it's conscionable nan reality of Trump successful galore ways."