Everyone seems to agree that the general election, now less than two weeks away, is crucially important. The reasons why it is important vary a good bit from one commentator to another. I have not yet read one that says what I want to say here, but I will say that Nicholas Kristof’s column in the New York Times today (October 24) helped me decide what I wanted to say.
There are two ways of thinking about this election. The first is that it is the politics that are important. The control of the House and the Senate are at stake. President Trump has had a free ride so far, treating the American federal government as if it were made up entirely of the executive branch. A Democratic congress would put a stop to that. This is the first way of thinking about it: it is political, partisan, and competitive.
The second way is governmental. If the Democrats win the Congress this year and even more if they add the Presidency in 2028, they will, for all practical purposes, have won the audition. It is an audition. They have been chosen to play the part of America’s leadership. Now there is the question of what they will do when the actual performance comes.
Here are some obstacles as Kristof sees them.
“A third pillar (the first two are education and immigration) that has made America the world’s leading country is the bundle of norms that govern our politics, economics and society.”
The bundle has come un-bundled. According to Kristof:
“Norms of self-restraint historically made the system work. Presidents did not try to crush law firms or universities, nor did their administrations mislead federal courts or send armed officers into cities, where they shot people.”
By “self-restraint,” Kristof means that there are things “one does not do” that come with the office. You could, of course, freely pardon anyone who broke the law in support of your agenda, but you don’t because of the sense of “a president does not indulge himself in such a way.” It is not that there is a law against it. It is prevented by the bundle of norms that govern our society.
But the process of campaigning has changed as well. Kristof cites David Beasley who wrote in the Post and Courier:
“Too many have gone along with winning by tearing others down and pitting people and communities against each other.”
And he added, “The vitriol is toxic [1] and it is undeniably feeding into the hearts, minds, and souls of Americans.”
The unbridled aggression of the partisan Chief Executive and the vicious campaigning of candidates for the House and the Senate are the kinds of things that were once prevented by the “bundle of norms.” Candidates who use this toxic campaigning do it because it works and the voters accept it because they are angry or despondent. If the voters were to respond to and reward thoughtful and moderate candidates, they would get thoughtful and moderate campaigns. Candidates would know that it is what works.
So when I say that winning the election is like being chosen in an audition, I mean that you get a chance to try to fix all these things. You get a chance to re-bundle the norms that govern campaigning and governance. The name-calling will stop when the voters stop rewarding it. That is a simple fact. But there needs to be someone who campaigns without the toxic demonization so that the voters can reward it.
And there has to be a president who will stay within the historical norms of the office in order for the voters to see that a government can work that way. And, of course, it needs to work. When we look for the Democrats victory to solve our problems, we ought to mean that they ought to get a chance to try.
Restoring the norms that once governed what we could successfully do and say will be a long job and it will not succeed just because it is right. It will succeed because it will show that the present excesses are not necessary for a government of the people.
When I say that this election is crucial, that is what I mean.
[1]. That means it is making us sick. Clearly, it is.
