Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard — H.L. Mencken

On November 5, 2024 — whether they realize it or not — a majority of voters in our country chose autocracy and authoritarianism over democracy and the rule of law. The primacy of straight, white, Christian men over equality for women and racial, ethnic, religious and sexual minorities. Demagoguery over character. Bigotry over acceptance of diversity. Trickle-down economics over an equitable sharing of the wealth. Protectionism and isolationism over beneficial trade and the global defense of liberty. Guns over healthcare. Vulgarity and cruelty over dignity and decency. Fossil fuels and deregulation over environmental protection. Corruption over accountability. Conspiracy and crank theories over evidence-based science and expertise. Lies over facts.

The list is almost endless.

Paradoxically, many people who are upset by price inflation also voted for broad tariffs. Some effectively supported and opposed women’s reproductive rights at the same time. A nation populated by immigrants and their descendants voted against immigration. There has already been much post-election analysis and there will be more, rife with undue credit and blame. Pundits who praised one political campaign and criticized another just a few days ago have reversed their positions.

A lot of things could have been done differently in the past few years, but I doubt they would have changed the outcome.

The causes of this political earthquake are both recent and longstanding. The COVID pandemic and surge of migrants across borders into Western countries angered enough citizens to put every incumbent regime in jeopardy, though not all of the major democracies are shifting to the right. And decades of globalization, technological advancement and free-market policies have caused economic disruption and greater inequality. (Ironically, the political forces largely responsible for this have now mutated into a populism that feeds off them.) Many people are also uncomfortable with novel demographic and societal changes, yearning for what they consider the virtues of a more-traditional society. Without a doubt, irresponsible and malign media have played a major role here too.

But, as history shows, electorates often choose poorly, and I fear that ours may soon regret what they have just done. Especially because it cannot be easily undone.