National Elections: Pyrrhic Victories

Thank God the election will soon be over! 

Yesterday I cast my absentee ballot. It was a very challenging vote. In addition to the national offices, in California we have to deal with a long list of initiatives, some pretty stupid and some incomprehensible. For example, we are asked whether actors in adult films should be required to wear condoms, whether we should increase taxes on others, whether people should be allowed to grow a limited number of marijuana plants for recreational purposes, whether our public schools should be told how to teach English to newcomers, and so forth. In most cases, these are technical issues that can be better decided by technical experts.

For the first time in presidential elections, I did not vote for someone I thought was the best option for the country. I voted against someone that I thought would be worse. This is a sad commentary on the two top choices … two flawed and unworthy candidates for president of our great country. Two individuals mistrusted by the majority of Americans.

Here you have two individuals who lack, on one side, honesty and, on the other, integrity. Voters, in essence, are being asked to rank order these two valued virtues. Is honesty more important than integrity or is it integrity more important than honesty: a kind of zero sum game. Depressing!

Lessons from History

Not many know the story of King Pyrrhus.  He was a general and statesman of the Hellenistic period in Ancient Greece. At one time he controlled much of Greece and Southern Italy. He was a strong opponent of the rising Roman power. As a result, he fought many battles against them. Some of his battles, though victorious, caused his army heavy losses.

Pyrrhus commented after one of his victories that if he won another battle he would surely be ruined. Why? The cost of his victory left his army much weakened. In the end, the Romans out maneuvered Pyrrhus’ army and defeated it.

Historians defined Pyrrhus lamentations a Pyrrhic Victory -- any victory that inflicts such a devastating toll on the victor that it is tantamount to defeat. Its heavy toll diminishes any sense of achievement.

The dustbin of history is full of such victories including but not limited to: the Battle of Bunker Hills (1775) during the American Revolutionary period, the battle of the Bulge during WWII (1945), the battle of Chosin Reservoir during the Korean War (1950), the battle of Mogadishu during Operation Restore Hope (1993), and the occupation following Iraq's defeat (2003).

Mistakes Ignored Are Mistakes Repeated

Fast forward to 2016 primaries. 

Trump singlehandly defeated 17 other contenders for the nomination. A Pyrrhic victory? He emerged as a much-weakened candidate. Why? By shamelessly attacking, demeaning, and ridiculing his opponents, he ended up losing their support. By engaging in bombast and personalized attacks, many came to challenge his character and fitness.

Clinton, on the other hand, won the nomination by walloping Bernie Sanders. Her Pyrrhic Victory? She shamelessly trivialized Bernie Sanders’ policies and in the process alienated his supporters. She emerged from the primary with a large number of Bernie’s supporters still refusing to support her candidacy. By playing hide and seek with her email scandal, she fostered the notion that she is secretive, and not to be trusted.

What happened to the real issues and potential solutions? They have more or less disappeared from public view. Here are some of them:

·      Controlling the excesses of Wall Street

·      Fixing or replacing Obama Care

·      Creating new jobs and retaining existing ones

·      International fair trade policies

·      Social justice issues

·      Growing the country’s GNP

·      Reducing a suffocating national debt

·      Securing our borders and streamlining the immigration laws

·      More affordable college tuition

·      A more holistic energy policy

·      Fixing our decaying infrastructure

·      A clearer strategy for defeating ISL and terrorism

Tackling these issues would surely advance everyone’s wellbeing. We cannot ignore these facts:

·      We have the lowest worker participation in history

·      The poverty level is stubbornly high

·      The size of our national debt has doubled

·      Healthcare costs continue to skyrocket

·      Middle East and Libya in flames

·      Immigration system in disarray

·      Student loans’ exploding liability

·      Racial strife in urban areas

·      Perception that system is rigged  

·      Crumbling infrastructure

Fast forward to the 2016 General Election.

A hostile press has pilloried Trump mercilessly: his style, his policies, his business practices, and his peccadillos. His unorthodox approach and fiery temperament have contributed to potential defeat by his own hand.

The publishing of a video showing Trump in a so-called locker room dialog was the October surprise the Democrats had in store. The video did not just surface. It was in the hands of the press for months. The emergence of several women, who accused Trump of sexual harassment, was very well orchestrated to extract maximum pain. No one can in real conscience condone the kinds of behaviors and words used by Trump. Indiscriminate attacks on Moslems, immigrants, and war veterans surely have not helped his cause either. All adds up to self-destruction.

Clinton, on the other hand, has been hounded by multiple scandals, but has deftly managed the news with help from a more congenial press. However, the steady drip-drip of emails from Wikileaks, the continuing saga of the private server, and alleged pay-to-play scandal with the family foundation continue to dog her. The chicanery of her staff trying to do damage control has hurt rather than help. Lastly, disclosure of her private remarks casting dispersion on Bernie’s followers, "deplorable" GOP voters, private versus public policy positions, and her open border secret wish have heightened the level of mistrust folks have for her.

What Next?

With a mere 22 days to go, the two candidates are locked in a sort of death dance, and are separated by a few points, in the margin of error territory. 

Neither candidate enjoys the support of more than 50% of potential voters. Whoever will win might not be elected by the majority of voters.

This is ominous, because it portends another Pyrrhic Victory: winning the presidency without the support of the majority of Americans.

At a time when the country needs to be more united, the seeds of more animus will yield further divisions. This disunity will impact importantly needed legislation. 

Personal attacks and exposes will continue.