Pathway to power for US Democrats has UK signposts

SINCE Donald Trump’s US presidential election win, some leading Democrats have turned on one another in recrimination. However, now is the time for the party to look to the future, not the past, and outward, not inward.

Devastating as the defeat feels to many Democrats, there is a pathway back to power. This is shown by the party’s own rejuvenation after previous major presidential election setbacks, including those in the 1980s under Ronald Reagan and George HW Bush.

Democrats can also look internationally, including to the United Kingdom, for inspiration. The US “political cycle” is sometimes seen to be ahead of that in other countries. For instance, before winning office in 1997, Tony Blair’s Labour Party learned from the US Democrats following Bill Clinton’s 1996 and 1992 presidential wins.