Kamala Harris lost because her party supported radical left-wing extremists

President Trump said his resounding victory gave him the mandate to continue the policies he championed. That's true, but only to a certain extent. The election results also represented widespread rejection of the Democratic Party's policies and the qualifications of its candidates.

More than most presidential elections, this one was about both negatives and positives. Many voters cast their votes against the opposing candidate and not for the candidate for whom they reluctantly voted. Both parties need to understand this reality if they want to learn the right lessons for the future.

Democrats must recognize that we are a centrist country and that as a party they have moved far too aggressively to the left by spotlighting radicals at their convention, praising anti-American and anti-Israel campus protesters, and nominating too many extremists to join them Positions of authority.

American voters want pragmatic moderates rather than extremist ideologues. They also eschew the elitism of the current Democratic leadership and large segments of their voter base.

Democrats used to be the party of the working class, who valued feeding their families more than pursuing a progressive agenda. Lately they have become prisoners of the hard left, especially among young people.

Its leaders, including Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, categorically refused to confront and marginalize the extremists. Instead, they welcomed them into a tent that contained far too many elements that voters generally perceive as too extreme, too ideological and even too anti-American.

Harris' first mistake concerned her first major decision, which was the selection of a vice president. The obvious choice was the popular governor of the key swing state — Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania — but Harris didn't want to anger the hard left, which includes anti-Semites and anti-Zionists.

Shapiro is both Jewish and Zionist, and Harris feared she would lose Michigan if her election provoked pro-Palestinian voters. Instead, she chose a man from Minnesota who had even less experience than her, particularly in foreign policy. Neither she nor her vice presidential running mate were ready to become president, and voters worried about their judgment in choosing him.

Harris still might not have won the election if she had chosen Shapiro and thus won Pennsylvania. But her rejection of Shapiro on seemingly religious grounds and her capitulation to the hard left angered many moderate voters across the country.

President Trump also made numerous missteps, particularly in the last 10 days before the election, but many votes had already been cast and other voters had made up their minds.

If Trump wants a successful presidency, he too must move to the center. He will be tempted to use the criminal justice system against his political opponents and claim that they started it. He would be right in this assertion, but it would be wrong to imitate it. He should announce that he will never use the criminal justice system against his political opponents.

To demonstrate his honesty, he might consider pardoning Hunter Biden along with non-violent protesters on January 6th (full disclosure: I represent a peaceful protester who entered the Capitol). Trump should appoint an attorney general who is above reproach and impartial.

Trump himself must be given credit for exploiting his opponent's weaknesses and running an authentic, if controversial and often disturbing, campaign. He seems to know the pulse of the American voter better than his critics. But his election is neither a justification for his excesses nor a mandate to persist in them.

What we need now is a Lincolnian approach to bringing a divided nation together, with malice toward none and mercy toward all. This is a big challenge, especially for Trump. But if he succeeds, his legacy will be secured and the world will be better off. That is his biggest challenge. It is up to him to face it with strength and magnanimity.

Alan Dershowitz is Professor Emeritus at Harvard Law School. He represented Donald Trump at his first impeachment trial and is the author of “War on the Jews.”