March 10, 2020 at 3:12 p.m.
The solutions will not be simple
Letter to the editor
To the editor:
The fact we, as a nation, are polarized to the extreme is nothing new
There has been, since the election of Donald Trump, a plethora of books written about this polarization phenomenon, although, to be fair, this problem preceded Trump. His election just made it more visible.
Ezra Klein, in his book, “Why We Are Polarized,” adds an interesting twist to this subject. Not only are the demographic changes that are coming going to fundamentally change how America looks, whom we elect to an office is going to be determined by where we live. Geography is going to determine, largely, who gets elected. In other words, it will become a question of where you live rather than who you are.
Klein writes: “As the country grows more diverse, the representation and power in our politics will grow even less reflective of that dynamism. And he adds further to this assertion: “By 2040, 70 percent of Americans will live in just 15 of our 50 states and 50 percent will live in just eight states.”
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that the Electoral College will be less representative and less responsive to the popular vote. Trump lost the popular vote by just under 3 million votes in 2016 but based on the geographic changes cited by Klein, future presidential elections could swing to the loser of the popular vote, even if they lost by six or seven million votes. Think about that.
Add the “thumb on the scale” effect on decisions by the Supreme Court affecting racial discrimination, voter suppression and, blatant gerrymandering, as well as the, “dumbing down” of social media, and it isn’t hard to imagine a troubling future for our democracy. Klein suggests there are few solutions to this conundrum and is cognizant that many of our problems are cultural rather than structural. But there is an answer to the problem of geographical polarization.
The most obvious solution would be to eliminate the Electoral College which, if Klein’s statistical analysis is correct, a logical choice. Klein also argues for giving Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia, statehood. In addition, make the House of Representatives more reflective of the states. All of which, Klein maintains, would help resolve the quandary that lies ahead.
Klein admits and I agree, none of the aforementioned solutions will come easy. We face the monumental challenge of deciding, as Robert Frost did in his poem, “The Road Not Taken,” which road we will take.
Michael Kinser
Portland
The fact we, as a nation, are polarized to the extreme is nothing new
There has been, since the election of Donald Trump, a plethora of books written about this polarization phenomenon, although, to be fair, this problem preceded Trump. His election just made it more visible.
Ezra Klein, in his book, “Why We Are Polarized,” adds an interesting twist to this subject. Not only are the demographic changes that are coming going to fundamentally change how America looks, whom we elect to an office is going to be determined by where we live. Geography is going to determine, largely, who gets elected. In other words, it will become a question of where you live rather than who you are.
Klein writes: “As the country grows more diverse, the representation and power in our politics will grow even less reflective of that dynamism. And he adds further to this assertion: “By 2040, 70 percent of Americans will live in just 15 of our 50 states and 50 percent will live in just eight states.”
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that the Electoral College will be less representative and less responsive to the popular vote. Trump lost the popular vote by just under 3 million votes in 2016 but based on the geographic changes cited by Klein, future presidential elections could swing to the loser of the popular vote, even if they lost by six or seven million votes. Think about that.
Add the “thumb on the scale” effect on decisions by the Supreme Court affecting racial discrimination, voter suppression and, blatant gerrymandering, as well as the, “dumbing down” of social media, and it isn’t hard to imagine a troubling future for our democracy. Klein suggests there are few solutions to this conundrum and is cognizant that many of our problems are cultural rather than structural. But there is an answer to the problem of geographical polarization.
The most obvious solution would be to eliminate the Electoral College which, if Klein’s statistical analysis is correct, a logical choice. Klein also argues for giving Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia, statehood. In addition, make the House of Representatives more reflective of the states. All of which, Klein maintains, would help resolve the quandary that lies ahead.
Klein admits and I agree, none of the aforementioned solutions will come easy. We face the monumental challenge of deciding, as Robert Frost did in his poem, “The Road Not Taken,” which road we will take.
Michael Kinser
Portland
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