What My Students Just Taught Me

 Every year, I have my Comp Gov students write a paper on the electoral systems of either France, South Africa or Japan. They are basically asked to see if these elections are democratically legitimate and functioning as intended by their design. Short answer: France and South Africa are democratically legitimate and Japan's elections are kinda sketchy.

I just read the papers on France and the students overwhelmingly argued that France's elections weren't democratically legitimate because when two unpopular candidates - like Macron and Le Pen - advance to the second round, people are pissed about their choices. Typically, the French vote FOR someone in the first round of their elections and AGAINST someone in the second, but in that first round, they get to choose from a robust slate of candidates - usually over 10. So, you can vote for the Green Party in round one, but then compromise and vote for Macron in the second.

The mindset that people might not like the result is an interesting one, and it was not a position students took even a few years back. On some level, this is politics as retail activity. I ordered a specific item and if I don't get a specific item, I get my money back. The idea that I might have to compromise doesn't enter in to modern consumerism. You can find just about anything online and have it at your door in a few days. 

That's not how politics works. 

Here's the thing: I like Joe Biden well enough. I think he's a decent president and pretty good guy with some very human flaws. That Obama fellow - great guy, great politician, decent policy chops. But I will never have a Biden or Obama flag displayed in front of my house. That's just...weird AF. 

You see the opposite of this, of course, with the Trump cultists. His flaws don't exist and supporting him becomes a litmus test. However, you can also see it when you talk to young people about Biden running again in 2024. He's an old fogey (true); he's not a charismatic communicator (true); he doesn't address things young people care about (false). The first two are "vibes" the last is a misconception that arises from those vibes.

Biden isn't a consumer brand. He's just an old school Irish pol. And that's fine, unless you need him to be your best friend and messiah. And that's just weird.