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Representative Democracy vs. the Price of Eggs
Some post-election ramblings from a disappointed voter.
I have listened to a lot of post-election analyses over the past week. As always, some make more sense than others. Regardless, none seem entirely sure what was going through the minds of voters when they returned an old man with authoritarian aspirations and a tendency to babble nonsensically to power.
One thing is clear; Americans no longer understand each other. We live in a country where our neighbors often seem to come from a different planet. The one thing that I consistently hear Trump supporters complain about is the economy. Prices are considerably higher now than they were in January of 2021. Therefore, Donald Trump.
Over the past year or so, I have made the typical facts and figures arguments with some of these folks: inflation went up everywhere post-Covid, it fell faster and further here than in most other countries, unemployment is low, wages are rebounding, etc., etc.
I also heard some pundits and Democratic strategists argue that this was the wrong approach. They advised Democrats to “meet people where they are” rather than tell them they are wrong about their feelings regarding the economy, crime, and all the rest. But how can we meet people “where they are” when where they are is…
