The pundits have had their say about why Donald Trump was again elected as president. Biden should never have tried to be re-elected, Harris was a weak candidate, Democrats didn’t appeal to the working class, Democrats come off as snooty, snobbish elitists, more focus should have been placed on the economy and immigration, disinformation from Fox and social media sources polluted the national discourse, etc., etc. There is at least an inkling of truth in each of these explanations, although I think Harris was actually a very strong candidate.
Let me add my observation for what it’s worth: wide swaths of the American electorate are ignorant and stupid. Ignorance is being uninformed. Stupidity is an inability to use reason, logic, and credible evidence to arrive at valid conclusions about what is best for our country. Surveys repeatedly reveal that many if not most Americans do not watch or read the news. Yes, the tribalization of the American electorate is real, and far too often we seek our silos for information or disinformation that supports predetermined viewpoints about national issues. Most voters, however, are at best tangentially connected to what is occurring in our political arena. Their votes are so frequently unrelated to what the facts reveal because they either don’t care about truth, or facts just get in the way of their complacent beliefs. That is ignorance on troubling display. No matter that during the Biden/Harris administration an almost unprecedented 16 million jobs were created, inflation caused by Covid restrictions instituted to save thousands of lives that once released became a raging river of demand peaked at 9% but rapidly declined to just above 2% by the time Americans went to the polls, unemployment has been at record lows for the longest period in at least 50 years, and the stock market sets records almost every week. Milk and eggs cost more still so let’s elect a felon, pervert, fraudster, and psychopath as president. Here is ignorance and stupidity merging into negative synergy, decisions beyond bad. What policies and proposals did Trump and Republicans offer to solve any concerns voiced by voters? Inflation is bad (even though it is now under control) so let’s elect a doofus whose answer is to jack up tariffs on imported goods at 20%, or 50%, or 1000% (Trump just makes up statistics on the fly) that operate as a sales tax and will massively drive up inflation. Immigration is bad so let’s deport 10 million, 15 million, 20 million, 25 million (Trump never could land on a number) without considering the consequences of massively depleting farmworkers and the effect that will have on grocery prices when there are few to pick crops. A much more detailed case can be made for my claim that ignorance and stupidity are the main culprits for the election debacle. Ultimately, what will occur is that those who have exhibited ignorance and stupidity or just plain apathy in this election will experience the pain and suffering that surely will result from the authoritarian clown show that will befall us all for at least the next two years or beyond. Then just maybe more Americans will pay closer attention, begin to value facts and evidence instead of delusional nonsense spewed by right wing media and this nightmare will eventually pass. That may be the best we can hope for. I wish us luck.
