In America, What Is an “Election”?
Each hand of poker begins with the deal. But the deal is only the beginning of play. Not only is it just the beginning, but the deal is hardly deterministic of who will ultimately win the hand. Rather, the winner is determined in subsequent rounds of betting. We know this to be true because the winner can have an empty hand; or someone dealt a strong hand might be a loser. Indeed, a strong hand on the deal can be a disadvantage, because the player dealt such a hand might inadvertently tip off the others, who then fold leaving a very small pot. Or the holder of a winning hand might fold after being bluffed into believing another player has a yet stronger hand. The important takeaway is that a skilled player can overcome a bad deal.
Democrats believe that the vote determines the winner of an election. Their efforts to win the election are focused on 1) convincing voters to vote for them; and 2) getting out the vote. They expect that if they succeed in getting more voters to go to the polls and vote for them than for the other candidate(s), then they rightfully should and will win the election.
Republicans, in stark contrast, view the election as a hand of poker. They understand that the vote is analogous to the deal. It is only the beginning of the game and is hardly determinative of who the winner will be. To be sure, they campaign to win over voters and get them to the polls. But they also launch a comprehensive effort to manipulate the many other aspects of the election process: gerrymandering districts, suppressing votes by strategically eliminating polling locations and shortening voting windows, imposing voter registration restrictions and encumbrances, intimidating voters on billboards and at polling places, slowing the mail, disqualifying ballots, stacking courts with favorable judges; suing in the stacked courts, and forging a public narrative prospectively casting doubt on the legitimacy of the election should they lose.
Why do Democrats have a limited understanding of election? The answer is that they have faith in democracy. They presuppose that America is a democracy and power derives from the will of the people as reflected in the vote tally. Why do Republicans have an expanded definition of election? There at least two answers: 1) They have no principles other than winning; and 2) They have no choice. If the election reflected popular will, then the Republicans would not stand a chance. Their demographics, values, and policies put them in a perpetual minority. They have therefore adapted to the unlikelihood of winning on a fair deal by bottom dealing and by dominating the betting rounds — no matter how weak the hand they are dealt.
These two very different understandings of election can be understood as the distinction between ought and is. Democrats concern themselves with what ought to be. They cry foul when the winner is not the one who ought to have won. Republicans only chuckle at Democrats’ outrage because Republicans understand that in today’s America, raw power derives from is, not ought.
