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{Written by Joseph Frager and originally posted to the JNS website}
As America suffers through an impeachment circus, Great Britain on Dec. 13 acted decisively, voting overwhelmingly for Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his Conservative Party.
The impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump had already given him a political boost (recall that Bill Clinton won a second term after an impeachment process), along with the jitters to some Democrats. The lesson of Johnson’s victory, however, “is screaming right in your face,” said Democratic strategist James Carville. Indeed, Democratic presidential candidates Joseph Biden and Michael Bloomberg have both voiced concerns that the Democratic Party’s lurch to the left is dangerous and self-defeating.
To make matters worse, the history of Conservative victories in Great Britain does not bode well for the Democrats.
Margaret Thatcher was elected in May 1979 prior to Ronald Reagan’s victory in 1980. Theresa May was elected in July 2016 prior to Trump’s victory in November 2016. If it follows the trend, Johnson’s victory spells doom for the Democrats.
Of course, not everyone agrees.
David Axelrod, who was President Barack Obama’s former chief strategist, called Brexit, the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union, “a unique circumstance,” and U.K. Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn “a uniquely weak candidate.”
There will be many analyses of Corbyn’s crushing defeat. According to Bloomberg, Corbyn’s “catastrophic defeat”(his words) had a lot to do with the Labour leader’s blatant anti-Semitism.
The British people made an important statement by rejecting Corbyn and his views. They showed they would not tolerate an anti-Semitic prime minister. This is real and significant progress in the face of growing anti-Semitism the world over.
It is also, however, the “Trump phenomenon” that the media fails to recognize that propelled Johnson to victory. President Trump is admired by many more in the world than he is given credit for in the media; a vote for Johnson was also a vote for Trump. Among other things, the British were savvy enough to realize that the good relationship between Johnson and Trump could indeed be helpful to Brexit and their own economy.
The American people, too, are a lot sharper than the media wants to admit. President Trump has fulfilled his campaign promises. The impeachment hearings against him have also irritated a large portion of the American public. If the British could see through the morass of British politics, I have faith that the American people will follow suit and re-elect President Donald Trump.
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