We were Trumpified before Trump Self-flagellation over the 2024 presidential race loss continues among Democrats. It is fueled by simplistic press narratives that I hear as: Millions face violent deportation, Ukrainians face losing their country, Gazans face continued slaughter, and the world faces the collapse of NATO and the rise of fascism American-style because Democrats have a messaging problem. The 75 million whose votes empower those outcomes? Their hands are clean. Brian Beutler is not buying it either: For all the unfolding recrimination, a fairly strong consensus has already formed across the left that last week’s election results are part of a global, post-Covid, post-inflation backlash against incumbents. And for what it’s worth, I agree with this consensus; Occam’s razor applies too neatly to start the analysis elsewhere. Operative word: start. The information environment itself is a place to continue: “Working the refs” was once an art. Under Democrats’ noses, the right has made it a science. (They won’t call it that, of course.) The right attacks. The left fails to respond, resulting in what this TikToker finds: Charlie Sykes is also skeptical of the emerging narrative. “Apparently, the Democrats have decided to bypass the autopsy and move straight to an orgy of self-flagellation,” he begins. He agrees with a lot of the criticism of Democrats but sees it in a broader context of what won out: Trump’s amorality, Republicans’ ethical collapse, “the utter failure of the criminal justice system,” and journalism’s failure as fearless truth-tellers. About those 75 million…