Beware the Law of Unintended Consequences

[Geee]

National Review:

Moderation and humility help politicians avoid results contrary to what they earnestly want.

The mix of politics and culture is far too complex to be predictable. Even the best-laid political plans can lead to unintended consequences, both good and bad — what we sometimes call irony, nemesis, or karma.

Take the election of 2008, which ushered Barack Obama and the Democrats into absolute control of the presidency, House, and Senate, also generating popular goodwill over Obama’s landmark candidacy.

 

Instead of ensuring a heralded generation of Democratic rule, Obama alienated both friends and foes almost immediately. He rammed through the unworkable Affordable Care Act without a single Republican vote. He prevaricated about Obamacare’s costs and savings. Huge budget deficits followed. Racial polarization ensued. Apologies abroad on behalf of America proved a national turnoff.

[Valin]

Logically, Clinton should have won. The media worked hand in glove with her campaign. Her ground game and voter registration drives made Trump's look pathetic.

 

Yet all that money, press and orthodoxy only confirmed suspicions that Clinton was a slick but wooden candidate. She became so scripted that even her Twitter feed was composed by a committee.

 

The more she followed her boring narrative, the more she made the amateur Trump seem authentic and energized in comparison. Doing everything right ended up for Hillary as doing everything wrong -- and ensured the greatest upset in American political history.

 

The ancient Greeks taught us that arrogance brings payback, that nothing is sure in a fickle universe, that none of us can be judged successful and happy until we die, and that moderation and humility alone protect us from own darker sides.

 

In 2016, what could never have happened usually did.

 

3 quick thoughts

 

1. While it is true we can (and should) learn from past Presidential elections, it is also true every Presidential election is different.

2. So much for buying an election.

 

3. Let us hope Trump and the GOP do not succumb to hubris. Remember weather we like it or not rthere are large numbers of Democrats out there and they must be taken into account.

[Geee]

 

Logically, Clinton should have won. The media worked hand in glove with her campaign. Her ground game and voter registration drives made Trump's look pathetic.

 

Yet all that money, press and orthodoxy only confirmed suspicions that Clinton was a slick but wooden candidate. She became so scripted that even her Twitter feed was composed by a committee.

 

The more she followed her boring narrative, the more she made the amateur Trump seem authentic and energized in comparison. Doing everything right ended up for Hillary as doing everything wrong -- and ensured the greatest upset in American political history.

 

The ancient Greeks taught us that arrogance brings payback, that nothing is sure in a fickle universe, that none of us can be judged successful and happy until we die, and that moderation and humility alone protect us from own darker sides.

 

In 2016, what could never have happened usually did.

 

3 quick thoughts

 

1. While it is true we can (and should) learn from past Presidential elections, it is also true every Presidential election is different.

2. So much for buying an election.

 

3. Let us hope Trump and the GOP do not succumb to hubris. Remember weather we like it or not rthere are large numbers of Democrats out there and they must be taken into account.

 

 

Hearing all of these people shouting with glee that the Democrats are done and will take years if ever to come back the last few days has really made me shake my head. How many times in my lifetime has one party or the other been dead and roared right back. The electorate is fickle and concentrates only on what is happening at 'the moment'. Can turn on a dime. People who are political junkies know better.

[Valin]

Related

Dec 3, 2016

On the 2016 elections, American politics and the Democrats after the 2016 elections. Click "Show more" to view chapters.

Chapter 1 (00:15 - 48:32): Trump and American Populism
Chapter 2 (48:32 - 1:29:44): The Democrats in 2017

 

In this conversation, Brookings Institution Senior Fellow William A. Galston shares his perspective on American politics today, including the factors that led to the election of Donald Trump, the state of our parties after his election, and the prospects for the Trump presidency. A former senior aide to President Clinton, Galston considers the significance of the 2016 elections for the Democrats and outlines potential conflicts between what he calls “pro-growth progressives” and “populist progressives” within the party. Galston also describes his work with President Clinton and reflects on Clinton’s political gifts.