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by orblivion 1466 days ago
> blaming “billionaire Republicans”

I just can't imagine a world where an ousted politician (or elected bureaucrat in this case) says "wow I guess I really fucked up, I'm sorry. I'll pack my things and be out in the morning". They have to save face by blaming somebody.
2 comments
dash2 1466 days ago
Maybe it is different in the UK. John Major, 1997: "Tonight we have suffered a very bad defeat, let us not pretend to ourselves that it was anything other than what it was. Unless we accept it for what it was, and look at it, we will be less able to put it right." Ed Miliband, 2015: "I take absolute and total responsibility for our defeat. I'm so sorry for all those colleagues who lost their seats."
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belval 1466 days ago
No, maybe this is the norm in the US, but this is not normal and we should not pretend it is.

In Canada, most defeat speeches I've watched were about the candidate mistakes, what they were proud of having accomplished, etc... Playing the blame game is pathetic.

If you want an example, Stephen Harper's concession speech in 2015 was pretty good.

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orblivion 1466 days ago
Concession for a normal political defeat is one thing. In the US they don't usually blame, they do how you describe, and congratulate the opponent. Even Donald Trump did this once or twice to Ted Cruz in the primary.

A recall is specifically calling out the politician for failing badly enough to interrupt the election cycle.

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