One German word captures a universal trait - taking pleasure in the misfortune of others.  ‘Schadenfreude’ is so perfect a descriptor that the only synonym in English is ‘gloating.’

It’s an unfortunate aspect of being human; who among us hasn’t silently rejoiced when a foe stumbles?  We’ll lay odds that even Gandhi, Buddha, and Mother Teresa succumbed to the feeling at one time or another in their virtuous lives.

This is relevant right now because schadenfreude seems to be the only thing in the Democratic playbook.  Trump-haters are actively rooting for bad things to happen in America. Egg prices down?  Bad!  Stock market plummets?  Excellent!  Possible peace in Ukraine?  Terrible!  

The most sickening example came recently – and unsurprisingly - on MSNBC.  While reporting on the explosion of an Elon Musk SpaceX rocket, co-host Symone Sanders broke out in song, while her colleague Michael Steele was downright giddy.  Because it was bad news for Musk, who plans to rescue stranded astronauts and help blind people see, it was fabulous news for them.  Even for that despicable network, it was a blitzkrieg of schadenfreude.

It should be pointed out that Democrats have no monopoly on gloating.  Bad news in the Biden administration was celebrated by Republicans, whether overtly or internally.  But there was one major difference: The GOP offered some genuine policy prescriptions.  They vowed to drill for oil, kill DEI, cut waste, seal the borders, deport criminals, and more.

What policies are Democrats putting forth?  The party is offering resistance, profanity, and a celebration of any Trump failure.  But they have to face a painful reality:  Schadenfreude alone is not a winning strategy … in any language.