The Democratic party leadership should certainly be heaped with scorn, ridicule and self-doubt. They virtually assured the current result through their horrific strategies: they promoted a corrupt and criminal candidate at the expense of one who, though also flawed, was the clear choice of at least as many Democratic voters, and who had moved from a place far back of the final candidate to surge near the time of the convention. By that time, of course, as we now know, the fix was in, he was denied the nomination, and Hillary Clinton “won” that.
Then she made the disastrous comment about “deplorables”, and we all know how that backfired.
She covered up everything negative about her past and current conditions, even when it might have benefited her – earned her some sympathy, at least, at the Labor Day weekend near-collapse – if she had admitted to being ill. But no, she attempted to cover that up, as well. It’s like she is constitutionally unable (by her own constitution, that is) to recognize or admit the truth about things.
And she just didn’t energize her likely supporters. (It didn’t help that her willing collaborators, most major media organizations, “journalists”, “reporters” and other notionally “neutral observers” continually called the election as “in the bag” for her. I suspect that several million potential voters for her simply figured “why bother? they don’t need me to win this thing” and stayed home on Tuesday.)
There’s a lot in what @Cruiser says, and there’s also some truth to what @stanleybmanly has observed. We don’t really know yet exactly what platform we have elected to the White House. “Different” isn’t always better if you’re on the wrong road to begin with. (I’m reminded of the joke whose caption is, “Yeah, I know we’re going in the wrong direction, but we’re making great time!”)