One of my most enduring interests is presidential politics. Ever since I majored in Political Science as an undergraduate, I’ve avidly followed each presidential race. I’m not into sports, so the quadrennial presidential contests are like my Super Bowl, World Series and World Cup rolled into one.
I’m not typical. Political pundits never tire of saying that the average American doesn’t start paying attention until sometime in the fall, just weeks before Election Day. That may be why candidates and their proxies have insisted for decades that the election they are competing in is the most important of our lifetimes. They’re saying it again this year, but this year it’s clearly not true. The most important presidential election of our lifetimes was in 2016, and we blew it.
Nonetheless, this year’s election is likely the second most important in our lifetimes, as it represents a last chance to reverse our country’s slide into chaos and tyranny. Perhaps that’s hyperbole, but maybe it’s not.
When Donald Trump was elected, a friend of mine shared with me her deep concern that he would succeed at subverting our democracy. I disagreed. I thought that the strength of our democratic institutions and the commitment of those in both parties to our constitutional norms would protect us from Trump’s worst impulses. I was wrong. Republicans in Congress have become apologists for the most anti-democratic president the country has ever had, and the lackeys Trump has appointed to lead federal departments have undermined the integrity our bureaucracy and the rule of law.
One thing seems clear: more than with any presidential contest in my lifetime, the average American is paying attention to this one. Assuming they are allowed to vote — a big assumption under the circumstances — it appears likely that Trump will not get another four years to finish his work of wreaking havoc on our republic.