One of Editor & Publisher’s ‘10 That Do It Right 2021’
Except for a few afternoon clouds, mainly sunny. High 62F. Winds E at 10 to 20 mph..
A few clouds. Low near 45F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph.
Updated: November 8, 2022 @ 1:49 am
After Tuesday, life will return to normal.
The 2022 general election will be over soon, and the completion of another fractious political year can’t come soon enough for most people.
The noise — and that’s what much current campaign debate is — gets tiresome. But then, no one ever said that democracy is meant to be neat and tidy. It’s never has been and never will be.
It could, however, be neater and tidier and, most importantly, more competitive, at least in Illinois.
The results, of course, are not in yet. But that doesn’t mean the shortcomings of candidates in both parties as well as the structure of legislative races are exempt from criticism.
For starters, Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker spent millions of dollars in the multi-candidate Republican gubernatorial to help assure that, in his opinion, the weakest candidate — Darren Bailey — would oppose him in the general election.
That’s a clever trick, one borrowed from former Missouri U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill. She initiated the tactic of trying to manipulate voters in the other party’s primary, and it was quickly picked up elsewhere, including in Illinois.
If politicians are as concerned about maintaining the democratic process as they say they are, this is one tactic that should be quickly jettisoned.
At the same time, the only voters who can be easily manipulated by such unsavory tactics are those who are not as well informed as they should be. Citizens must either educate themselves or pay the price of ignorance.
Remember, voters get the government they deserve, good or bad.
That leads to another subject that presents a problem to the people of Illinois — gerrymandering.
The democratic process works best when there is real competition that creates a situation where each party can watch the other like a hawk.
It’s impossible to predict the results of the Tuesday election. But the public should bear in mind that Democrats are hoping to expand their current super-majorities in both the state House and Senate and expect to win 14 of the state’s 17 congressional seats.
The reason those are — or at least were — realistic expectations is that Democrats drew the legislative boundary lines in ways that give them a substantial political advantage. If predictions of a “red wave” prove to be accurate, it may not work out exactly as planned. But why should politicians of either party — Republicans and Democrats both gerrymander — be allowed to put their selfish political interest ahead of the public interest?
These are just two of the shortcomings in the democratic process. Despite that, it’s important to remember that democracy in America has proved remarkably resilient and, in our view, will continue to do so.
Spring municipal and school board elections will follow next spring. The 2024 election will be here in the blink of an eye. After all, barring a change in schedule, the 2024 filing period will start in late 2023.
Some may view that with trepidation. Instead, it’s a blessing of liberty, a reminder of Winston Churchill’s famously sage remark that democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others.
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