Last month The Atlantic ran a piece called “How to Save Democracy.” This was just one of hundreds of similar articles from the past two years, all of them variations on one central question: How do we make things “normal” again? To the extent that these pieces are prescriptive at all, they mostly prescribe simplistic-but-radical changes in the way we do everything. End gerrymandering! Stop the spread of disinformation! Learn to get along with the fascists who want to erase you! In other articles, the rescue measures are egregiously oversold. Call your representatives! Check your voter registration status! Plant a tree!
Those pieces do not answer the original question. That’s because there is no answer.
This is not solely a commentary on the current state of electoral politics. It’s not quite right to say “I don’t care” about the outcome of the midterms (in fact I do care very much). What I mean is: The democracy cookie is crumbling, and it is unlikely that we can halt the process.
Let’s think this through. Even if Democrats had a clean sweep this year, they’ll become an easy punching bag for the GOP. If they can’t head off the appeal of right-wing populism by mending the wealth gap (spoiler: they can’t), they lose the presidency in 2024. But let’s say the Dems fix everything in the next two years — they pass a…
