Monday, November 11, 2024

Understanding an Election

 de Tocqueville wrote three books almost 200 years ago. One about the culture in the US, his most famous, and one about the causes of the French Revolution, and one about Ireland just prior to the Famine. Now he made three observations:

1. The people of the US were individuals who from time to time organized groups for specific interests. Their Governments were local as befitted their interests.

2. The main cause of the French Revolution was the centering of all power in Paris, devoid of any understanding or interest in the provinces.

3. The Irish were grossly oppressed by the English overlords,who forbade any form of independence, forbade their religion, forbade moving from one place to another, forbade inheritances etc. In effect the English overlords were tyrants.

I believe these three elements played into the latest election. Citizens seek individuality, namely the right to choose, people seek to deny the centralization of power, and people reject overlords delimiting their freedom.

Perhaps of the 200 year old observations were known to some of the recent electorate it could have improved their chances.