There are many reasons for the stinging repudiation Republicans suffered at the polls this week. But none is more important than this:

As President Reagan understood, elections are about the future. Always. They’re about what voters want and need — and what politicians propose to do about it.

Any politician will run into trouble if he or she forgets that. Elections aren't about them. They're about the voters.

And any party that ignores voters’ priorities — offering no real accomplishments, no solutions, and no plans — is asking for defeat.

This election was ugly. Its repercussions may be felt for years to come. And it has helped normalize candidates whose left-wing views were once considered far outside the mainstream.

All because Republicans forgot the most basic rule of politics: It’s not about them. It’s about the future. And the voters.