In the past, American politicians on both sides of the aisle He will act like a good loser and lose the election gracefully. They will concede publicly even if they privately complain about the election results.
After the close and contentious 2000 presidential election, Vice President Al Gore gave an example. December 13, 2000, Goa Said The people “accept the final results that will be certified by the Electoral College next Monday. And tonight, in the interest of our national unity and the strength of our democracy, I concede.”
That doesn’t mean it’s never happened before. Challenge or false accusation Election violations and fraud. was there. But they were more the exception than the rule. And they have never been the stock or trade of an entire political party.
How have times changed?
what do we know happened in 2020. We also know that Donald Trump has already refused to commit to accepting the 2024 election results.As the former president said In an interview with Time magazine last month.“If you don’t win, it depends. It always comes down to the fairness of the election.”
That’s bad enough, but Trump is not alone.Cancer of election denialism has metastasized and is rapidly becoming an important part of Republican brand.
It feels like 2020 It may have been a “dry run” for 2024..
Today, the issue is refusing to say whether or not to accept the 2024 election results. A staple of Republican leadership Seeking support for Trump and his MAGA supporters. This reflects a political branding strategy and a unique psychological style called “.competitive syndrome”
as a commentator I will explain “The condition is reportedly characterized by extreme anger; denial of responsibility for defeat and blaming others; blame for what is seen as an unfair and unwarranted negative outcome of the competition. “Acts” that may include acts of violence against people who are considered to be ”
Another “loser” To tell“On average, you’re more aggressive than the winners. That makes sense. If your rivals are better than you, you should be aggressive and try to stop them.”
The third student hates losing explain“People who hate losing may just be spoiled.”
Sound familiar?
As we prepare for the 2024 elections, psychologists Made to remember It teaches us that accepting loss is a sign of maturity and spiritual strength. But it takes effort.
what people have What to do to prepare for defeat This includes expecting and not giving in to “untrue beliefs,” such as “the other person has been deceived.” They need to connect with people who are also feeling the loss but are not so competitive. And we need to remember that there are bigger things at stake than losing, and focus on the importance of those bigger things.
Dr. James Bray, past president of the American Psychological Association, said: explain“What is important for people to understand?” [an] The first thing we have to do with the election results is that we have to accept them. ” While striving for victory, political leaders must help their followers prepare for defeat and cope with loss.
They show grace even in defeat and ask their supporters to do the same.Arizona Senator John McCain offered An example is election night 2008, after his loss to Barack Obama. “Sen. Obama and I have had our differences and argued, but Obama has won. …Tonight I ask him to lead us through the many challenges we face. I promise to do my best to help you.”
“Not just to congratulate him, but to extend our best wishes to our next president, to find ways to come together, to find the compromises we need, to bridge our differences, and restore prosperity,” McCain told supporters. I hope that you will join me in demonstrating this serious effort.” …Whatever our differences, we are all Americans. ”
This is not the spirit in which leading Republicans will enter the 2024 election. They are not doing the necessary work to prepare themselves and their supporters for possible losses in a way that puts country above party.
As the New York Times reported last week, report“Republican leaders are refusing to say flatly that they will accept the results of the presidential election even if Donald Trump loses.” [They] Instead of sticking to concepts that were once so uncontroversial that they were rarely discussed before the election, they dodged questions, gave non-answers, and made outright falsehoods. ”
South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, one of President Trump’s running mate, made the embarrassing remarks during an appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” repeatedly refused to answer questions On whether he will accept the results of the 2024 election. “I’m not going to answer your hypothetical questions,” he said.
He ended the interview by predicting that “the 47th president of the United States will be Donald Trump.” And when asked again, “Will you accept the results of the 2024 election no matter who wins?” Scott responded, “That’s what I said.”
Scott participated In avoiding accepting the 2024 election results by other MAGA supporters.New York State Representative Elise Stefanik, The highest-ranking woman in House Republican leadership and another potential Trump nominee said she would accept the result “only if it is constitutional.”
In an ominous sign of what was to come, she explained: “We’ll see if this is a legitimate and valid election…What we’re seeing so far is that the Democrats are so desperate that they’re trying to take President Trump out of the election.” Ballot paper. ”
New York Times too report Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, a fellow vice presidential candidate, “did not respond to inquiries about whether he would accept the 2024 results.” By accepting Trump’s electors who were not chosen by Trump, he said he would have helped overturn the results.
On Sunday, he joined Scott and Stefanik in giving evasive answers about whether he would accept the results of November’s election. Vance: “If only we had free and fair elections.” Said CNN: “I accept the results”
Of course, we all know that in the view of Trump and his followers, an election can only be “constitutional” or “free and fair” if they win.
leaders of both partiesit’s because of our democracy“We will speak out against any attempt to undermine the integrity of our electoral system and undermine public confidence in whoever is declared the winner.” In doing so, they need to call on their colleagues and allies to engage in the hard work of democratic governance: “finding the compromises necessary to bridge our differences.”
Competitive people can’t and won’t do that.
Austin Surratt is the William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Law and Political Science at Amherst College.
Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
