Author: patd

Observations by David Horsey in the Seattle Times yesterday worth pondering:

Even with so much evidence to the contrary, some media commentators cling to the creaky shibboleth that the “wisdom of the American people” is expressed in every election. Wisdom is not the word that springs to mind when contemplating what drives this country’s citizens to cast their votes the way they do. At best, an election is a collective gut reaction that is derived as much from deep-seated biases and misinformation as by rationality and serious research.

We may be sentient beings, but we are no geniuses when it comes to politics.

[…]

Voters on the left complain that Biden has not done enough, as if it is not a political miracle that he has accomplished so much in less than a year, given the razor-thin Democratic majority in the U.S. Senate. Voters on the right see Biden through the distorted lenses provided by Fox News, Alex Jones and QAnon and await the imminent restoration of Donald Trump’s regime, either through the Pillow Guy or the ghost of John F. Kennedy Jr.

Perhaps most dispiriting of all, the middle-of-the-road, suburban swing voters seem to be swinging away from Biden. Ask them why, and they cannot really tell you. If their comments to the media are a true indication, they have no clue what Biden has been doing for them. They know more about who Kim Kardashian is dating or where to get the best Black Friday deals.

Yes, the voters get it right now and then, but it is not wisdom. It is dumb luck.