Threat to Democracy

In less than 24 hours, the attack ads will cease. The shrill histrionics of politicians and their media allies will change from hyperbolic claims about a "threat to democracy" to more mundane analysis about the election outcome and what it all means. There is a strong probability (we'll find out tomorrow ) that the Democrats will pay an electoral price for policies that creating rampant inflation, high cost energy, high crime in blue urban centers, and an effectively open southern border, not to mention embarrassment and chaos internationally.

If the price to be paid is the Democrats losing control of both the House and the Senate (a reasonable probability), opinion writers at the NYT, WaPo, LAT, and their brethren at MSNBC, the Atlantic and Salon (to name only a very few) will invariably argue that 'messaging' was the problem. The unspoken subtext of their argument is that the broad electorate is too unsophisticated and/or ignorant to absorb the subtle importance of their leftist positions. If there was a failure, it was in the manner in which the "guidance" to that electorate was presented, not in the positions themselves.

It seems that the Democrats never, ever conduct a post mortem analysis, evaluating their policies and the results of those policies critically. In fact, there is a strong contingent among the Democrats that, I think, believe that words are all that matter. If you say the politically correct thing, that's all that is required. Results? Costs? Impact on ordinary people? Long-term predictable effects and unexpected collateral damage? None of that matters as long as the message exemplifies 'virtue.'

The last time I checked, a Democracy is a political system that offers the electorate choices. Those choices are made based on the past performance of politicians that currently run the show and the ideas of politicians who want to replace them. There is absolutely no "threat to democracy," regardless of the outcome of tomorrow's vote. Those who claim otherwise are not to be trusted.