adrien vincent

My top 10 observations on the results of the 2024 Presidential election: 1) Silver lining: democracy worked. We are not arguing about election integrity. This was a sweeping mandate. 2) Identity politics is dead. Trump gained with every demo (men, women, white, black, Hispanics, white collar, blue collar). Only college educated women withdrew support. 3) The American people have had it with the nonsense woke victim class obsessing about the <1% issues. Most Americans would support the inclusion and fair treatment of minorities whether they be defined by gender or race, but I believe they reject what they perceive as “promotion” of certain perspectives and lifestyles, especially to children. We have seen many examples of how this manifested in the extreme (“insisting that 2+2=4 is racist and a function of the white patriarchy”). The vast majority of the electorate are centrist who will not tolerate the fringe left wing nut jobs masquerading as “progressives”. 4) When Americans enter the voting booth what matters are the bottom levels of Maslow’s hierarchy: safety and well-being. The higher-level issues are a luxury. 5) Truth is dead. Perception trumps reality. The economy is doing well by all standards and the post pandemic inflation was a global phenomenon but none of that landed. Narrative is everything and the facts don’t matter. 6) As humans, our “animal instincts” are very much alive. We went for the macho “strongman” just like so many other democracies. Trump had a simpler, more visceral message that resonated with people’s fears. 7) Authority is dead. Trump's cabinet members warning about his character didn't matter. Celebrity endorsements didn't matter. And the MSM is vacuous. This result will be heralded as an inflection towards the creator economy. Today Tucker Carlson and Joe Rogan are more powerful than Fox News or CNN. 8) We should not read this as a rejection of principles: - truth does matter - integrity does matter - character does matter - decorum does matter They always have and they always will. In the long run. Yesterday, they got swamped by the other issues. 9) This is not a rejection of women. Kamala Harris ran as a candidate, not a woman candidate. That was a good thing. Female candidates should be judged on their character, experience, accomplishments and policies – not their gender. I am more confident than ever that we will have a woman President soon as we have great female leaders who will run as, be seen as, and get elected as, great leaders. 10) This too shall pass. It sucks today. We will survive and learn from it and adjust. And, in time, we will take up the fight to elect better humans for a brighter future. America is amazingly resilient and our market economy is the most agile on the planet. These are morning after observations that I’m sure I’ll massage and refine over time. Much will be discussed about the “why” of this result. We would do well to listen.