Part 2/8:
The overall tone from the campaign managers was characterized by a blatant refusal to take responsibility for the failure of their campaign. Rather than acknowledging that they mismanaged a billion-dollar budget and lost significantly, they opted instead to propagate narratives of displacement, suggesting that various external factors were to blame for their electoral loss. David Plouffe, a key consultant, repeatedly emphasized the "brutal" political environment they faced but failed to confront the reality that their candidate was part of the cause of that environment.