On Tuesday, the nation witnessed a vast and majestic spectacle: the American people participating in a democratic election to strike a blow against democracy. Enjoying the powers entrusted to them by the Constitution of the United States, they elected a man to be president who is no more willing to abide by it than he is to shave his head.
This momentous outcome, of course, is a stunning rebuke to those commentators in the news media who strongly preferred Democrat Kamala Harris to Republican Donald Trump, a group that includes me. It obliges us to stroke our chins, ponder our errors and ruefully acknowledge the ultimate wisdom of the people.
Just kidding. As many a parent has been known to say, just because everyone else is jumping off a cliff doesn’t mean you should, too. It comes as no great surprise to me to learn that my opinions are not universally shared.
In fact, I’m most inclined to doubt myself when I’m in the majority. To be part of a besieged and even despised minority feels, if not comfortable, at least familiar.
I grew up in Austin, Texas, in the 1960s and ’70s. It was a stronghold of President Lyndon Johnson’s Democratic Party, the home of the University of Texas and the counterculture capital of the Southwest. As a teen, I was a Republican and the son of a Texas A&M Aggie, and as straight and narrow as a flagpole.
My pronounced differences with those around me were a source of many headaches, and they left a lasting impression. I got used to swimming against the tide; I learned to doubt prevailing wisdom; I discovered that lost causes are not necessarily bad causes.
Before graduating from college, I had to decide between a career in politics or journalism. One reason I chose the latter is that politicians have to tell people what they want to hear. Journalists get to tell them what they don’t want to hear.
Trump partisans don’t hate the mainstream news media for lying. They hate it for telling the truth.
Vice President Harris had many views that I didn’t share, and I could have occupied the next four years scrutinizing her errors. But in terms of character, principles, knowledge, competence and mental health, she was and is immeasurably superior to Trump.
One of my early journalistic heroes (before I discovered his racism and antisemitism) was H.L. Mencken, who was no populist. Appraising the 30th president, he wrote, “Democracy is that system of government under which people, having 60,000,000 native-born adults to choose from, including thousands who are handsome and many who are wise, pick out a (Calvin) Coolidge to be head of state. It is as if a hungry man, set before a banquet prepared by master cooks and covering a table an acre in area, should turn his back upon the feast and stay his stomach by catching and eating flies.”
The American people have elected plenty of bad presidents. Johnson, who mired the nation in a losing war that cost 50,000 lives, won in 1964 with a staggering 61% of the popular vote. Richard Nixon won 49 states in 1972, only to be forced to resign over the Watergate scandal.
Do I believe a majority of Americans can be completely wrong? I’m reminded of the man who was asked if he believed in full-immersion baptism. “Believe in it?” he exclaimed. “I’ve seen it done!”
The people who voted for Trump yearn for the golden days of his first presidency when — according to their fallible memories — inflation was nonexistent, crime was rare and America was safe from unauthorized immigration. None of those beliefs is based on fact. But his voters don’t appreciate how different life will be in a second Trump term if he does what he promises.
Inflation is bound to rise after he imposes tariffs as high as 20% on all imports and 60% for those from China. Many goods will no longer be available at any price. Major economic disruption will ensue once he begins mass deportations. Houses won’t get built; fruits and vegetables won’t get picked; toddlers and nursing home patients won’t be cared for.
In his first term, the economy was relatively exempt from the chaos Trump sowed. In his second term, it’s likely to be in the path of the hurricane. And that’s even before he resumes his assault on democratic institutions and the rule of law, which are the indispensable foundation of our economy.
Warren Harding won the White House in 1920 promising a “return to normalcy.” Trump offers a break from normalcy, something Americans may not value until it’s gone.
But they can’t say nobody warned them.
Steve Chapman was a member of the Tribune Editorial Board from 1981 to 2021. His columns, exclusive to the Tribune, now appear the first week of every month. He can be reached at stephenjchapman@icloud.com.
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