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Parenting is an extended improvisation, but over time, certain patterns develop. Some you recognize from your own childhood; some you might build in reaction to your own childhood; some come from the kid or the situation. But most of the time, there are parameters within which you expect things to happen.
Recently I’ve had to answer some questions that I never expected to confront.
“Yes, we know who’ll get the most votes, but who do you think will win?”
I’m a political scientist by training. I’ve taught American government and spent more time on the Federalist Papers than is probably healthy. I know about the Electoral College. But even with all of that, it still seems … odd … that we so casually distinguish between getting the most votes and winning the election. After more than 100 years of moving in tandem, they’ve split in two of the last five elections, and there’s a nontrivial chance it will be three of six.
“Why are people actively making it harder to vote?”
This one is really galling. Every textbook tells us that the way you win elections is by persuading the most people. A more cynical version says “fire up your base.” At this point, one party has given up on both of those and is instead trying to prevent people from voting. The median voter hypothesis only works if the median voter can actually vote.
“When do you think we’ll be able to go back to school?”
When I was growing up, the usual answer was “Monday.” In summer months, it was “September.” Now it’s a shrug emoji. This is not progress.
“Can I watch the election returns with my friends at Jason’s house, if the windows are open and we all wear masks?”
In times past, this would have conjured images of a sleeper cell. Now it’s basic hygiene. I’m glad that her friend group is tight enough to want to get together and civically engaged enough to care about the election. But until this year, I never expected to tell a group of teenagers to be sure to wear masks before taking political action.
I’m just old enough to remember when the prospect of angry groups of teenagers wearing masks at night was considered a bad thing.
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Last week I gave a talk to a graduate class in higher ed administration (via Zoom). One of the students asked whether I thought there would be another round of CARES funding.
My answer: “Ask me Wednesday.”
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I’ve been voting since 1986, and I’ve studied enough elections to have a favorite (1912 -- it wins for sheer weirdness). I’ve been on winning sides and losing sides. I’ve worried about outcomes before. But I’ve never worried about postelection outcomes before. In the past, I assumed that a peaceful transition of power according to established rules was a given. Yes, 2000 was an ugly shock, but it felt like a fluke at the time. And even then, I assumed that once the dust settled, the duly designated winner would be acknowledged. Which is exactly what happened. This time, a legitimate and orderly election and postelection is an aspiration rather than a given. That is not progress, either.
Your move, America. Fingers crossed …
