Posted on 11/12/2020 5:22:49 PM PST by ancientart
Close presidential elections are the rule rather than the exception in much of American history.
In the nine elections between 1876 and 1916, for instance, elections were so close that, in every instance, a minor change would have led to an entirely different outcome — the political equivalent of the butterfly effect.
Losing a tight election is frustrating, and it’s not unusual for those whose hopes are dashed to lash out, not just at their opponents, but at a benighted electorate. Exasperated at the 1896 election result, prominent reformer Ignatius Donnelly expressed his frustration: “The people are too shallow and too corrupt to conduct a republic. It will need a god come on earth with divine power to save them. And are they worth saving? Will they stay saved?”
But what close elections really show (win or lose) is that the two-party system is working the way it should, with both parties forming broad coalitions that serve multiple interests — and hopefully the nation as a whole as well. One of the best protections against the tyranny of the majority is the realization that, should you go too far, your party’s Mugwumps will bolt to the other side and you won’t be the majority anymore.
In everything from politics to sales to sports, there’s nothing like having a close competitor to force you to do your best. Two-a-day workouts? Extra time in the weight room? Extra training camps and clinics? If that’s what it takes to win, that’s what a top competitor does.
But the “whatever it takes to win” philosophy sometimes goes awry. Stolen signs, deflated footballs, steroids — all of a sudden people we really admire aren’t so admirable anymore
(Excerpt) Read more at aberdeennews.com ...
yeah right. 5 dem controlled cities in 4 dem controlled states producing enough votes for razor thin margins in those 5 states after vote drops to match and wipe out commanding leads in the middle of the night. all cutting one way for one candidate. right. happens in lots of elections. in 5 different states, right.
what nonsense.
Absolutely
Stupid headline.
Cheaters 1) want to win, 2) don’t want to get caught. That results in implausibly common razor thin wins, the first indication that fraud has taken place. Democrats have been cheating every which way for so long, it’s a running joke.
ff
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