The Democracy-in-Crisis Crowd Never Took Its Own Agenda Seriously

At the Atlantic, David Frum offers up the banal observation that “people vote for reasons that may be quite contingent, even temporary or incidental, but that seem compelling in the moment — with effects that detonate long afterward”:

The example that Frum uses to illustrate his point is unfit for the purpose. “Good evidence,” he submits, “suggests that the GOP owed its [2014 midterm] sweep to an event almost forgotten in this decade that is now so defined by the COVID-19 pandemic: the panic in the fall of 2014 over the Ebola virus.” Nevertheless, Frum’s broader point is correct: People do vote on what affects them now, and their votes do sometimes have unrelated ramifications down the line. Today the issue is the economy; tomorrow it might be judges. In time, many twains shall meet.

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Charles C. W. Cooke

Charles C. W. Cooke is a senior editor at National Review and the host of The Charles C. W. Cooke Podcast.

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At the Atlantic, David Frum offers up the banal observation that “people vote for reasons that may be quite contingent, even temporary or incidental, but that seem compelling in the moment — with effects that detonate long afterward”:

The example that Frum uses to illustrate his point is unfit for the purpose. “Good evidence,” he submits, “suggests that the GOP owed its [2014 midterm] sweep to an event almost forgotten in this decade that is now so defined by the COVID-19 pandemic: the panic in the fall of 2014 over the Ebola virus.” Nevertheless, Frum’s broader point is correct: People do vote on what affects them now, and their votes do sometimes have unrelated ramifications down the line. Today the issue is the economy; tomorrow it might be judges. In time, many twains shall meet.