Posted on 09/15/2015 12:09:46 PM PDT by Steelfish
Now Is No Time to Be Voting for President Based on Emotion
by Thomas Sowell September 15, 2015 In a country with more than 300 million people, it is remarkable how obsessed the media have become with just one — Donald Trump. What is even more remarkable is that, after six years of repeated disasters, both domestically and internationally, under a glib egomaniac in the White House, so many potential voters are turning to another glib egomaniac to be his successor. No doubt much of the stampede of Republican voters toward Mr. Trump is based on their disgust with the Republican establishment. The fact that the next two biggest vote-getters in the polls are also complete outsiders — Dr. Ben Carson and Ms. Carly Fiorina — reinforces the idea that this is a protest. It is easy to understand why there would be pent-up resentments among Republican voters.
But are elections held for the purpose of venting emotions? No national leader ever aroused more fervent emotions than Adolf Hitler did in the 1930s. Watch some old newsreels of German crowds delirious with joy at the sight of him. The only things at all comparable in more recent times were the ecstatic crowds that greeted Barack Obama when he burst upon the political scene in 2008. Elections, however, have far more lasting, and far more serious — or even grim — consequences than emotional venting.
The actual track record of crowd-pleasers, whether Juan Peron in Argentina, Obama in America, or Hitler in Germany, is very sobering, if not painfully depressing. The media seem to think that participation in elections is a big deal. But turnout often approaches 100 percent in countries so torn by bitter polarization that everyone is scared to death of what will happen if the other side wins.
But times and places with low voter turnout are often times and places when there are no such fears aroused by having an opposing party win. Despite many people who urge us all to vote, as a civic duty, the purpose of elections is not participation. The purpose is to select individuals for offices, including president of the United States. Whoever has that office has our lives, the lives of our loved ones and the fate of the entire nation in his or her hands.
An election is not a popularity contest, or an award for showmanship. If you want to fulfill your duty as a citizen, then you need to become an informed voter. An election is not a popularity contest, or an award for showmanship. If you want to fulfill your duty as a citizen, then you need to become an informed voter. And if you are not informed, then the most patriotic thing you can do on Election Day is stay home. Otherwise your vote, based on whims or emotions, is playing Russian roulette with the fate of this nation.
All the hoopla over Donald Trump is distracting attention from a large field of other candidates, some of whom have outstanding track records as governors, where they demonstrated courage, character, and intelligence. Others have rhetorical skills like Trump or a serious mastery of issues, unlike Trump.
Even if Trump himself does not end up as the Republican nominee for the presidency, he will have done a major disservice to both his party and the country if his grandstanding has cost us a chance to explore in depth others who may include someone far better prepared for the complex challenges of this juncture in history.
After the disastrous nuclear deal with Iran, we are entering an era when people alive at this moment may live to see a day when American cities are left in radioactive ruins. We need all the wisdom, courage and dedication in the next president — and his or her successors — to save us and our children from such a catastrophe. Rhetoric and showmanship will certainly not save us. Donald Trump is not the only obstacle to finding leaders of such character.
The ultimate danger lies in the voting public themselves. All too many signs point to an electorate including many people who are grossly uninformed or, worse yet, misinformed. The very fact that the voting age was lowered to 18 shows the triumph of the vision of elections as participatory rituals, rather than times for fateful choices.
If anything, the age might have been raised to 30, since today millions of people in their 20s have never even had the responsibility of being self-supporting, to give them some sense of reality. We can only hope that the months still remaining before the first primary elections next year will allow voters to get over their emotional responses and concentrate on the life-and-death implications of choosing the next president of the United States.
— Thomas Sowell is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University.
Most, if not all, elections are emotions over platforms and candidates.
I will be voting based on emotion. I will be voting for the candidate that causes the most emotional distress to the GOPe.
There is a group of people fighting HARD to preserve the GOP Establishment right now. David Brooks, George Will, Erik Erickson, to name but three. They are becoming more desperate, angry and unmoored as Trump continues to lead the pack. It won’t ease up any time soon. But they are like bees on a honey badger; honey badger don’t care.
This “no time to be emotional” is just another LSM slogan intended to make Trump supporters feel stupid.
We support Trump because we inately believe he is the real deal. He is talking to us with the truth that we have been craving and we are responding to that in a human way. As opposed to the robotic support that the establishment would like us to continue.
How, exactly did I get "caught"? You saying that Trump has offered plans. does not make it so. And I'm not looking for forgiveness from the Queen of the Cult of Trump, or anyone else.
But Trump IS going to be our next President..
No, he's not.
Who cares what Sowell thinks, he’s black isn’t he? Go Trump!
OH YES HE IS!!!!!
Trump fails at being a credible candidate because he has no track record of being conservative. To the contrary.
Just because he started mouthing platitudes 2 months ago about fighting immigration and can handle the media is no reason to believe he will govern according to anything like a conservative viewpoint.
He published his book, time to get tough, in’11. I keep asking the anti-Trumps to quote me one liberal position/idea cited therein; so far, crickets.
Another example of the newest attack strategy. If insulting the candidate doesn’t work, try insulting the supporters.
See, for me, the number one objective is keeping the Democrats from a third term in the White House.
I see you have different goals.
"SIEG! HEIL! SIEG! HEIL!"
...er, um... I mean...
YES WE CAN! YES WE CAN!"
...er, um... I mean...
He praised single payer healthcare in the first debate!
Didn’t you pay attention?
He’s no conservative. He consulted with the Clintons before deciding to run.
You all are being taken for a ride.
bwhahahahahahahah
Take two:
He published his book, Time to get Tough, in ’11. I keep asking the anti-Trumps to quote me one liberal position/idea cited therein; so far, crickets.
Incidentally, Trump’s hardline stand on the illegal invasion is part of his Get Tough plan. 2011 was more than two months ago.
I see you have different goals.
Not really. "Establishment pukes" include the establishment pukes of both parties. Communists one and all.
The establishment Democrats are the Leninist wing of the communist uni-party.
The establishment Republicans are the Trotsky wing of the communist uni-party.
Nope. Wrong.
He also said single payer cannot work in the US. But no one expects honesty from Trump haters.
If you believe everything Bill Clinton says, good for you. Otoh, his track record for honesty and accuracy isn’t all that.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.