Donald Trump ends the third week of the Iran war confronting a crisis that seems to be slipping out of his hands: Global energy prices are surging, the United States stands isolated from allies and more troops are preparing to deploy despite his promise the war would be only a “short excursion.”
A defensive Trump called other NATO countries “cowards” for refusing to help secure the Strait of Hormuz and insisted the campaign was unfolding according to plan. But his declaration on Friday that the battle “was Militarily WON” clashed with the reality of a defiant Iran that is choking off Gulf oil and gas supplies while launching missile strikes across the region.
Trump, who took office promising to keep the U.S. out of “stupid” military interventions, now appears to control neither the outcome nor the messaging of a conflict he helped to initiate. The lack of a clear exit strategy carries risks both for his presidential legacy and his party’s political prospects as Republicans scramble to defend narrow majorities in Congress in the November midterm elections.
And nerds with plans lose student council elections to popular kids with charisma. Politics is a popularity contest. Always has been. Always will be. The objective superiority of your policy proposals matters jack shit. People aren’t emotionless robots. They don’t vote based on comprehensive utilitarian assessments. They vote with their hearts. Trump reached people’s hearts. Kamala didn’t. That’s why she lost. Learn to choose candidates with a soul or you will lose next time as well.
Kamala would have objectively the better choice. But voters aren’t rational. They’re emotional. Because human beings aren’t rational. We’re emotional. You can bitch and whine about that, but you won’t change human nature.
There are enough people today in the US that are so badly off that they’ll vote for a person whose only real appeal is that they promise to seriously shake things up. That’s why Trump won. Sure, some conservatives wanted him to advance conservative policy. But what really put Trump over the top was voters who just wanted some serious change. Think people stuck in wage slavery with no clear path to better their lives. Better to roll the dice on a complete toppling of the system than Kamala’s offering of more of the same.
People are yearning for change. That is what they feel in their hearts. You can have objectively better policies, but people will vote for the candidate offering dramatic change.
Kamala was a shit candidate because she couldn’t reach people’s hearts. As a presidential candidate, your policy proposals are largely irrelevant, as you’re extremely unlikely to be able to implement them anyway. Voting for Trump was an act of rebellion, a middle finger to the status quo that has left so many millions behind. Yes, Trump won’t actually help anything, but that doesn’t matter here. Politics is emotion, not reason. You can moan about it, but that won’t change the rules of the game.