Far be it for Republicans to select candidates who are evocative of the awful time in American history when Republicans recaptured control of the House of Representatives for the first time in a half-century and bent a popular Democratic president to their political will. The success of that project was partly a product of a new belligerence from the GOP. But the fights that Republican Party picked were not engaged in the pursuit of a backward-looking desire for retribution or fueled by a sense of injury. That Republican Party’s eyes were locked on the horizon, and it was buoyed by a jaunty and genuine belief in its inevitable ascendancy.

The message Scott promoted on The View was precisely that. He is not merely a product of America’s past but a symbol of its future — he and so many others like him are inevitable. If you honestly believed that, then you, too, would project infectious enthusiasm. If you didn’t, you might spend an unhealthy amount of time fixating upon past injustices, being provocative for provocation’s sake, and reveling in your opponents’ aggravation. There’s self-satisfaction to be found in that unproductive pursuit, but it’s not a recipe for winning elections.

[Elections are always about the present and future, not the past. And even then, it’s more about the future than the present — “Morning in America,” a future of prosperity and security. The midterm election disappointment should have taught Republicans this lesson — the candidates who focused on the 2020 election almost all failed, especially in Senate races. And 2020 will be even farther in the past when 2024 rolls around. — Ed]