The Biden campaign had it right. Rope-a-Dope as a campaign strategy worked. Mohammed Ali faced George Foreman in the “Rumble in the Jungle” and retreated in a defensive posture against the boxing ring ropes taking Foreman’s punches. The elasticity of those ropes largely dissipated the force of the blows and, in the case of Joe Biden, his basement was his defensive posture, and the media mainly served as the ropes that protected him from the punches thrown by Donald Trump. In other words, his campaign strategy was “don’t get yourself in trouble by going on offense, and let your opponent do all the work.”
Words matter. My mom and dad taught me that actions speak louder than words. I want to believe that still. In the case of this president and this campaign, words and messaging mattered more. Some people literally could not “pull the lever” for someone who did not publicly communicate presidentially, notwithstanding his accomplishments. Some of those accomplishments are more partisan than others, but many are unmistakably bipartisan.
A divided government can be useful, especially if it will stop legislation which will turn the country back to higher taxes, more regulation, and legislating courts. The Georgia U.S. Senate run-off races will be the most expensive in history because they might decide which party controls the Senate.
Mail-in voting is the future. Utah has it right. We have spent years refining this process and setting up procedures and methods to make this work. If you voted in the last presidential election, the county elections office mails you a ballot. If you register and request a ballot, one will be sent. There is still an opportunity for early voting and day of voting, and of course, absentee voting. This election went wrong when some states sent out mass mailings of ballots without a test, procedure, or method for determining the recipient’s eligibility (or existence). That led to an opportunity for mischief, such as “ballot harvesting.” This practice of collecting ballots is an undocumented chain of custody and disguised as “lending a helping hand” to those who did not necessarily request a ballot and who might not have even filled out their ballot. Much of the concern this cycle with balloting and ballot counts is that several states changed the rules mid-election. Changing the rules in the middle of the game is always problematic and creates fairness issues, even during a pandemic.
Election reform needs to be a top priority. Clear rules will establish a process that can increase the speed of results (which everyone wants) and credibility. A good example is Florida. One need only to remember the disaster that followed voting in the Bush/Gore presidential election. It took weeks to resolve and the Supreme Court to finally decide the results. After significant election reform, Florida is efficient and effective and produced results the same day. Every citizen should be concerned about the validity of elections; that’s why we have recounts and why we have rules. Sometimes it takes longer than we wish and might even require legal remedies to ensure the laws are abided.
Polling needs radical reform. Virtually every pollster was wrong, again. After the Trump/Clinton race, almost every pollster and news organization had egg on their face. Supposedly, everyone was going to have new methodologies and more patience this time. Oops! Worse than four years ago.
Political party constituencies are changing. This election revealed some interesting facts. The swing of Latino voters to the Republican candidate was dramatic in some regions of the country. Young black men voted in larger numbers as well. Working and middle-class constituencies identify increasingly with the Republican Party and its policies. Many view Democrats as the party of coastal elites. Is this a significant opportunity for the party or an aberration of the “Trump Movement.” That question will get its first big test in the 2022 mid-term elections. My sense is we are moving away from voting based on race and ethnicity and more on how we want the government to spend our money.
What do I know for sure? The sun will rise tomorrow and the day after that. Regardless of presidential elections, we have an opportunity to affect change in our own lives, build our relationships with our families, and serve our communities. We can choose to love God and love our neighbor. We can do that. Maybe we can get back to the “golden rule.” Not the one that says, “he who has the gold rules,” the other one… treating people the way you want to be treated. We can choose to do that. And maybe, those we elect will choose that too.
Bruce Hough is Utah’s two-time National Committeeman on the Republican National Committee, two-time Utah GOP chair, former South Jordan city council member, civic leader, and successful businessman.
