I am not against Corbyn's ideas or his bent, but he is hopelessly ineffectual as a national politician and party leader. His ideas aren't all that bad, but his brand is, because he sucks at messaging, and is no better at corralling or convincing his partymates. He and his leadership have a dull a sense of political strategy and tactics. Arguably being right or more compassionate doesn't win you anything outside of school debates.
Supporters say Jeremy Corbin cares. Well, he can care all he likes, deeply and to his very core, but he won't be able to realize any of his ideals without a capable coalition which must be taken seriously, and not laughed out of the room.
Corbyn has faced strong opposition from some of his own party members, the Tories (previously--they are largely unconcerned with him now), and various entrenched interests. I do not suggest he has an easy road. Politics is a rough, dirty business, after all. People are going to be unfair to politicians. They always have.
Corbyn has faced strong opposition from some of his own party members, the Tories (previously--they are largely unconcerned with him now), and various entrenched interests. I do not suggest he has an easy road. Politics is a rough, dirty business, after all. People are going to be unfair to politicians. They always have.
If a candidate cannot deal with that, if they are better at ineffectively whining about how unfairly they've been treated... Well, that's only partly worked out for a handful of politicians: the Trumps of the world. It isn't generally a winning strategy.
When William Henry Harrison was running for POTUS, his opponents mocked him for living on the frontier. They said he had grown up in a log cabin making moonshine. This wasn't true. He was born into wealth on a vast estate. But he ran with what his opponents gave him, flipping the truth on its head to capture victory.
When George W. Bush first got into politics, he was treated as a carpetbagger and 'out-Texaned'. As a result, he decided to more thoroughly define himself as a Texan (despite his east coast, Ivy League roots), which carried him to victory upon victory. When he accepted his party's nomination for the presidency of the US, he declared on national television, "Don't mess with Texas."
Successful politicians adapt to circumstances and find ways to accomplish their goals despite inevitable set-backs and unfairness. Corbyn, on the other hand, weakly opposed Brexit and refused to campaign on it. Instead of explaining himself or changing his approach, he got angry at reporters for asking him why he was being such a milquetoast. Subsequently, Brexit barely passed.
When George W. Bush first got into politics, he was treated as a carpetbagger and 'out-Texaned'. As a result, he decided to more thoroughly define himself as a Texan (despite his east coast, Ivy League roots), which carried him to victory upon victory. When he accepted his party's nomination for the presidency of the US, he declared on national television, "Don't mess with Texas."
Successful politicians adapt to circumstances and find ways to accomplish their goals despite inevitable set-backs and unfairness. Corbyn, on the other hand, weakly opposed Brexit and refused to campaign on it. Instead of explaining himself or changing his approach, he got angry at reporters for asking him why he was being such a milquetoast. Subsequently, Brexit barely passed.
While the Tories were running around in confusion, Labour quickly pulled out its knives and began to stab itself in the back repeatedly, without any effort to aim even one blow against the Conservatives or even the far-right UKIP.
Labour could not have been handed better opportunities than they have in recent years. Instead of going on the offensive with a united story, Corbyn's party has managed to translate that into their own illegitimacy and irrelevancy, through backstabbing and incompetence. And, if the polls are even close to correct, they're about to become more of an afterthought than a real opposition party.
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