CNN host Fareed Zakaria criticized Vice President Kamala Harris and the Democratic Party for their failures in the recent election against Donald Trump. He identified three major reasons for Harris’ loss, including the Biden administration’s mishandling of the southern border, the overzealous misuse of the law to punish Trump, and the left’s infatuation with identity politics. Zakaria argued that these issues contributed to Trump’s victory, where he secured 312 electoral votes.
One of the key errors Zakaria pointed out was the Democratic Party’s failure to address the collapse of the immigration system and chaos at the border. He criticized liberals for branding anyone protesting the asylum system as heartless and racist, despite a significant shift in public opinion regarding immigration. Harris’ statement on “The View” that she wouldn’t change anything from the Biden White House was also seen as a missed opportunity to address border issues.
Zakaria also highlighted the misuse of the law to punish Trump, which he claimed actually strengthened Trump’s popularity among voters. He specifically called out Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg for pursuing a case against Trump over falsifying business records, which he believed gave the impression that the legal system was being weaponized against Trump. Despite Trump’s conviction in the Manhattan case, the remaining federal and state cases in Georgia are unlikely to proceed.
The dominance of identity politics on the left was another issue Zakaria criticized, pointing out how it has alienated many Americans outside of the urban academic bubble. He mentioned the use of the gender-neutral term Latinx as an example of how liberals viewed people too much through their ethnic, racial, or gender identities. This focus on identity politics, along with the perceived illiberalism of cancel culture, has contributed to the alienation of certain groups, such as working-class Latinos who may have been drawn to Trump for various reasons.
Zakaria emphasized that the left’s focus on identity politics and the use of illiberal means, such as cancel culture, hinders their ability to achieve liberal goals. He argued that liberals must be mindful of how their actions may be perceived and that they cannot achieve their objectives if they resort to illiberal tactics. By addressing these criticisms and making changes to their approach, Democrats may be able to better appeal to a wider range of voters and avoid future electoral losses like the one against Trump.
