The Democratic Party is without a leader or savior in sight

Surprised by Donald Trump’s significant victory, Democrats are engaged in the blame game, with Joe Biden being the scapegoat.

Members of the party who were aware of Biden’s insufficient condition in 2020, and who hid his weakness until June, now criticize him for being “selfish” to run for re-election.

However, Biden was the only Democrat capable of challenging Trump effectively, evident in Kamala Harris’ lackluster performance.

Democrats essentially sealed their fate by selecting a ticket that was suitable for 2020 but lacked viability for the future, unless the Republicans nominated someone similar to Trump in popularity and resilience.

It’s important to note that any Republican other than Trump would have also been labeled a “fascist” and a women-hater, but unlike traditional politicians, Trump never attempted to soften his image to appease his critics.

Biden was able to compete with Trump because he reminded voters of the pre-“woke” Democrat days.

Voters were seeking a return to a patriotic party focused on blue-collar workers, reminiscent of the eras of Franklin Roosevelt or John F. Kennedy, rather than the party’s current emphasis on financial interests and identity politics driven by the college-educated elite.

Biden positioned himself against Trump’s voters, although in reality, he wasn’t much different from the politically correct elites who have controlled the Democratic Party since the 1990s.

Biden wasn’t fit for a second election, yet Democrats had no other viable candidate, and there is currently no one on the horizon capable of competing with the populist Trump-Vance version of the GOP.

This leadership crisis traces back to Barack Obama.

Just as kings need heirs, presidents require successors as well. Obama left his party without someone capable of replicating his success, perhaps because his accomplishments were less remarkable than his admirers believed.

Obama selected a senior Biden as his vice president in 2008 due to his inexperience and uncertainty about older Democrats’ support. Biden served as a support in 2008 and continued to fulfill that role in 2020.

Once Democrats lacked a charismatic figure like Obama to veer attention away from the party’s direction, they were left with Hillary Clinton, Kamala Harris, and others who relied on gender and race for their appeal, despite flawed policies.

Contrarily, Trump’s status as an outsider resonated with voters seeking a break from the ineffective border policies, foreign policy failures, and globalist economics of Washington’s elite leadership.

Democratic figures like Clinton, Harris, and others offered more of the same, along with identity politics and controversial social agendas.

With Biden’s ordinary persona and Bernie Sanders’ socialist policies as the closest alternatives, Democrats struggled to find a compelling candidate.

Looking ahead, potential Democratic prospects like Newsom, Whitmer, and Shapiro face challenges that hinder their appeal to the diverse party base.

Ultimately, the only figure capable of reviving the Democrats may be the one they despise the most: Donald Trump.

They must learn from his achievements, similar to how Ronald Reagan’s success influenced Democratic appreciation for free markets.

By embracing secure borders and putting America’s interests first in economic and foreign policies, Democrats could become more electable by distancing themselves from extreme “woke” ideologies.

Daniel McCarthy is the editor of Modern Age: A Conservative Review and editor-at-large of The American Conservative.