The lesson from Donald Trump? The most important factor in a big election is a candidate’s ability to whip up voters’ emotions.

The crucial asset is not a smooth, well-organized ground game. Neither is it even a sky-high stack of money collected from aggressive fundraising. And it’s especially not VIP endorsements.

Otherwise, Hillary Clinton would be president-elect today. She had Trump beaten solidly on the mechanics: ground troops, campaign contributions, star endorsements.

The winning ingredient that Trump possessed was the natural talent to rile up emotion — mostly anger — in voters, especially white ones. He connected directly with them, inflaming their passion for change.


Rebelling against the establishment for change, after all, is central to the American DNA.

That’s where Trump had Clinton beaten from the start. His followers dismissed the tasteless, bigoted, misogynist and vulgar insults because he alone, they believed, could shake up the establishment and return the good life to middle-America.

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He won the battle for emotions two ways: First, by pummeling the unpopular political class and the mainstream media. Second, by drawing for an opponent an innately flawed, uninspiring candidate who was widely distrusted and disliked.


Trump couldn’t be bothered with a ground game to get out the vote. He’d do that himself. He didn’t spend much time, as Clinton did excessively, raising money privately from the rich elite. He held huge public rallies with frustrated people wearing baseball caps.

These voters were tired of the Clintons and the Bushes. They demanded change — just as voters did when they elected President Obama, Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan, etc.

Hillary Clinton never could connect personally with middle-America. In fact, she didn’t seem to try hard enough until it was too late.

California never was going to follow America’s lead and join the Trump rebellion. But this state — indelibly blue for the foreseeable future — did embrace historic change in public policy Tuesday. Like the rest of the country, California was not satisfied with the status quo and rattled some cages.


It legalized getting stoned on pot after inching toward that for decades.

But it may have voted to expedite the death penalty, like some red state might. Votes are still being counted and Proposition 66 is leading.

At the same time, it allowed supposed non-violent felons to seek early parole from prison.


It revived bilingual teaching in schools.

And it further tightened gun controls.

A big winner was Gov. Jerry Brown, again. He pushed the early parole measure to reverse a law he signed as governor in the 1970s.

Brown also appeared poised to beat back a potential threat to his bullet train and delta water tunnel projects. The ballot measure, which was trailing with votes still outstanding, would require a statewide vote on any state revenue bond exceeding $2 billion.


An even bigger winner was Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, sponsor of the marijuana legalization and gun control measures.

Combine those victories with the gay marriages Newsom pioneered as San Francisco mayor in 2004, and he can run for governor in 2018 as someone who has the ability to bring about change.

That is, depending on how voters feel by then about all the increased weed toking and stoned driving.

Sacramento Democrats and many special interests lost on Tuesday when the electorate adopted what for them is a radical idea: That any bill must be in print for 72 hours before it can receive final legislative passage. This will cut down on backroom secret deals.


The top-two open primary system also was a loser as it affects statewide races. The only two choices for the U.S. Senate were Democrats.

In theory, U.S. Rep. Loretta Sanchez of Orange County should have been able to appeal to Republican voters, pitching that she was more business-friendly and moderate than liberal state Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris. But Republicans felt left out and snubbed the race.

In future statewide elections, the GOP will need to get better organized and unite behind a single candidate in the primary to guarantee it a real choice in November.

California is indisputably a political outlier. The whole West Coast is. That may make most of us proud. But nationally the Democratic Party needs to look at reality and regroup.


Even in California, Democrats are flirting with potential disaster.

Start with the fact that Democratic leaders didn’t listen to Clinton critics and ignored her baggage. And they followed her over the cliff.

Now, they’re stuck not only with the bombastic Trump for at least four years, but probably his potential Supreme Court nominees for a generation.

Democrats are too tribal. They talk a good game of inclusion but focus on certain ethnic and socioeconomic groups.


In the state Capitol, there are caucuses for nearly every demographic contingent — Latinos, blacks, Asians, women, gays — but not the people primarily responsible for electing Trump.

The white working class — especially males — feel abandoned and abused. Democrats need to start concentrating more on them.

Start with streamlining regulations to encourage economic development. Get serious about underfunded public pension liabilities. Reduce college tuitions and student debt.

Trump will have an opportunity to increase his support among the frustrated middle-class.


Unfortunately, another Trump lesson Tuesday was that a candidate can now run a demagogic, uncivil campaign and win the American presidency. That’s not a good lesson for kids.

george.skelton@latimes.com

Follow @LATimesSkelton on Twitter

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