If you’ve ever watched a singing competition on TV, you will know that the host is inevitably fond of saying that “the stakes have never been higher.” In 2000, by contrast, it appeared that the stakes had never been lower; the country was at peace, and the economy was booming as a result of the tech bubble. We were in the middle of a golden age. We just weren’t aware of it, because everyone was fixated on Monica.
The 2000 elected pitted a Southerner running as the ambivalent heir to peace and prosperity against a frat boy from an illustrious family who essentially promised to let the good times roll. He also told us that his foreign policy would be “humble.” Guess how that one turned out.
Three comments about the contemporary relevance of 2000:
- A year ago, I would have told you that Bush 43 was unique in that he could convincingly run both as an insider (his pedigree was impeccable) and an outsider (he clearly and genuinely despised parts of the establishment). Today, the GOP nominee–the standard bearer for rural culture–lives in a high rise in Manhattan. Go figure.
- The electoral map finally came into focus in 2000. If a Southerner could not win a single Southern state, even his own, in a time of peace and prosperity, what hope was there for future Democratic candidates?
- He rarely talks about this directly, but if you listen carefully, Trump’s candidacy is as much a repudiation of Bush 43 as it is Obama. The Bush family has every reason to vote against him.