The 2024 Election: A Narrow Win or a Mandate?

The 2024 presidential election was close. Donald Trump won with 49. 8% of the popular vote and 312 electoral votes. This was not a huge win. It was the fourth-narrowest margin in the popular vote and the seventh-narrowest in the Electoral College since World War II. Yet, many people act like it was a big win. Trump and his team say it was a historic landslide. They use this idea to justify big changes. They say the win gives them the power to do things like cut the federal bureaucracy and end diversity efforts. But not everyone sees it this way. Some Democrats think the election was a win for the MAGA worldview. They act like the public supports Trump's ideas. So, they avoid fighting him on big issues. They focus on smaller things like health care instead. But is this really what the public wants? Polls show that many people disapprove of Trump's handling of crime, immigration, and the economy. They also reject his efforts to censor broadcasters. This suggests that the election was not a clear win for Trump's ideas. The Democratic Party is struggling. It is unpopular with many voters. But the problem is not that the public supports MAGA. The problem is that many voters are cynical and skeptical of the political system. To fix this, Democrats need to stand for something. They need to have principles that they won't compromise on. They need to build a party that is more than just a way to elect people to office. Abraham Lincoln is a good example of this. He stood against the expansion of slavery. He did not compromise on his principles. He tried to lead the public, not just follow it.