Featured Photo by James McNellis. CC BY 2.0
Europeans were sure Kamala Harris would win the 2024 election. They were wrong.
Konstantin Kisin’s recent post on his Substack lays out a powerful reminder for Europeans of why so many Americans refuse to follow the same dismal path of managed decline. Americans value their country’s strength and want to keep it a global leader—not submit to internationalist agendas or economic suicide missions like Europe’s Net Zero policies. Kisin captures something Europeans miss: Americans cherish their self-reliance and the right to prosper without government interference. They value merit, not handouts or equal outcomes, and believe wealth isn’t something to be envied but something to aspire to. In America, the super-rich are proof of what can be achieved through hard work, not symbols of oppression, as Europe increasingly views them.
Americans are also pro-immigration—but they demand that it be lawful. They see immigration as a pathway to building stronger communities, not as a way to open borders recklessly. This perspective aligns with another point Kisin makes: Americans deeply value the rule of law, whether at the border or in addressing their nation’s racial history. For them, affirmative action and DEI initiatives are deeply flawed precisely because they’re unjust. Equality under the law, not preferential treatment, is what they demand.
Kisin touches on something critical to the American spirit: a deep-seated aversion to government overreach. This country was founded on resistance to tyranny, and Americans today remain suspicious of a government that seeks to control rather than protect. Unlike the European tendency toward resignation, Americans retain optimism and a belief in the value of freedom, even if that means fewer government safety nets. This mindset, rooted in America’s founding, explains why they’re increasingly skeptical of those who peddle despair and division.
This post originally appeared at https://www.phyllisschlafly.com/constitution/why-europe-got-the-election-wrong/
Phyllis Schlafly