MILWAUKEE — Let’s face it — anyone who claims to know where the presidential race is headed is just guessing. The whiplash American voters experienced this campaign is unprecedented, unless you devour too many conspiracy-driven political novels and dip down too many Reddit rabbit holes.
In just the past six weeks, we’ve gone from Donald Trump being convicted on charges in New York to a Joe Biden debate that raised serious questions about his ability to serve another four years, and now an assassination attempt on Trump.
Any of these developments would be classified as unprecedented. Put them together and it creates a stew that can be quite toxic if we’re not careful.
For months now, one of the questions that has bothered me about this election is: How does the country manage the day after? Will the losing side accept defeat within the norms that have kept the country largely in place since at least the 1880 election? More importantly, will the losing side accept the idea of not only losing, but also accepting the fact that the winning side will rule legally?
Well, we’re testing early. So far, it seems that a decent number of elected leaders on both sides are trying to guide the country’s better angels. Pennsylvania’s Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro and House Speaker Mike Johnson, to name two, exemplified senior leadership from the party. Both the former president and the current president struck the right tones and notes of unity that we all expect and expect from commanders in chief.
But let’s not pretend that theirs is the only voice filling the conversation right now.
Thanks to the algorithmic dumping of misinformation that big tech platforms generate to profit from our information ecosystem, there are plenty of comments that could easily be classified as divisive and meant to incite more violence, not less. Unfortunately, a handful of elected politicians have contributed to and fueled this conversation, which can be easily misunderstood by a mentally disturbed individual.
Online political debate has become almost exclusively an exercise in what. Hard-line partisans want to believe they are righteous, pointing to the other party as the instigators of the violent atmosphere. Many hard-line partisans refuse to acknowledge that their own rhetoric contributes to the dark climate of politics today, seeing only the ugly rhetoric of their political enemies.
The fact is, we’ve all allowed political rhetoric to overheat in a fragmented information ecosystem where algorithms reward anger and rhetoric that dehumanizes people we disagree with.
This current standoff between Trump and Biden is indicative of the divide. The two did not shake hands before the argument. It’s a small gesture, but none can add up. My fear is that neither campaign thought the handshake was good basic policy.
If they’re really serious about bringing the country together, they might agree to a joint political ad to run during the campaign — the two sitting next to each other, urging their supporters to disagree without displeasure. This is a gesture that the country desperately needs right now. Perhaps this is not possible, although it is not without recent precedent. As Utah’s 2020 gubernatorial contenders show with their joint ad campaign. But now I’d rather be hopeful than disappointed. I’m afraid no campaign will agree to something like that, unfortunately, for fear of how it will play out politically. But I still hope.
But that’s the point. Both of these two-term and future presidents should be critical of themselves and their bases regarding the Armageddon-like rhetoric that many routinely use.
Could this be a possible development in this campaign? Probably not, but it’s something the country desperately needs, and both candidates should consider it, as both would like to have legitimacy as president if elected.
Ultimately, if we want better and calmer politics, we, the American electorate, must demand it. We should not fall into partisan traps and accept the worst of those with whom we disagree politically.
If their side loses, it’s not healthy if the entire country treats this presidential election as our last. I know I don’t believe it; I believe more in our democracy at local and local level. But the number of responsible elected officials who claim democracy will end if their side loses is a really big part of the problem.
The whole reason mankind invented politics was to find a better way to resolve disputes without violence. Second, we introduce violence into the equation, that‘s when we really start to lose democracy.
America’s 250th anniversary is now less than two years away. The next few weeks will test both sides and both candidates to see if either or both of them can make it to the event, whoever presides over this birthday party to prove that we can keep this unique experience in self-government alive and well. let him know.