We have finally made it. After a debate fiasco, a candidate switch, brat summer, two failed assassination attempts, Peanut the squirrel, and dozens of other moments that will go down in political lore, the final day of the 2024 presidential election is upon us.
I could use this article to discuss the serious risks that another four years of Donald Trump would pose to this country. When he is not pushing his newest venture, crypto tokens (à la a scam), he is proposing insane plans like the elimination of the federal income tax because that’s a plan that worked once, before we had indoor plumbing. However, at a school where there is very likely more support for Jill Stein, the Green Party candidate for president, than Trump, I do not see the purpose in writing such a piece. Instead, I want to discuss who I hope will win this election: democracy.
John Winthrop once described the Massachusetts Bay Colony as a “city on a hill.” Abraham Lincoln said America was “the last best hope of earth.” And Madeleine Albright referred to the United States as the “indispensable nation.” But what makes those statements actually true and not just lip service? It’s the success of the experiment of democracy.
If you have spent any time on TikTok or YouTube, you have probably seen videos of massive brawls between members of parliaments around the world. Tempers flaring, punches thrown, and chairs flying.
“Sure, we might not love Congress, but at least our representatives are not re-enacting ‘The Maury Povich Show,’” we say when we watch these videos.
America is the shining city on the hill because we decide our conflicts at the ballot box. I vividly remember Nov. 9, 2016 at 2:29 a.m. That morning, Trump was declared the president-elect. That day, at my middle school, one of the guidance counselors gave a speech to the students. He remarked that his first three presidential votes were for Carter, Mondale, and Dukakis—0 for 3—but as Americans, we have to listen to the people’s will. You can be upset or angry when you lose, but you move on. Following the 2000 Supreme Court case Bush v. Gore, a 5-4 decision, which secured the presidency for George W. Bush, then-vice president Al Gore conceded the election. Gore’s supporters did not take to the streets or destroy property.
“We will try to beat the Republicans in the next election,” they said instead.
Sure, America is not perfect, but ask yourself why millions of people from around the world want to come to America while virtually nobody is immigrating to China and millions flee Russia. In America, you can go to bed tonight knowing that the rule of law and democratic principles are respected; you cannot say that for most of the world.
Yet, we have entered an era where accepting election results seems to be optional. The events following the 2020 election looked more like a brawl at Golden Corral after they ran out of steak, than like anything seen in the prior 58 presidential elections. Trump, the MyPillow guy, and other hucksters lied about the outcome of the election. Frivolous lawsuits were filed nationwide. Supporters of then-president Trump stormed the Capitol in an attempt to stop the certification of Joe Biden as the next president. Rejecting the truth has become a political litmus for many Republican candidates running for office. While nothing can compare to the election lies of 2020, it was also Hillary Clinton who had the brilliant idea to call Trump an “illegitimate president,” and Stacey Abrams has yet to concede the 2018 gubernatorial race in Georgia. As a country, we are getting closer and closer to that Maury Povich-level of politics that we see in Parliaments around the world.
Ben Franklin once described America as “a republic, if you can keep it.” The Constitution is only a piece of paper. It is not self-executing—people must uphold it. The American system relies on great people to ensure that democracy flourishes for generations. So what does democracy winning look like? It means that the results of the election are respected, the candidate that loses concedes, and the losing candidate’s supporters acknowledge reality. After the winning candidate is declared, the two should come together and commit themselves to working together in any way possible for the success of the country. American democracy must be bigger than the hubris of the losing candidate. How the candidates and the nation respond to the results of this election could very well matter more than anything the winner does legislatively. That is how democracy will win the 2024 presidential election.
Blake Fox is a member of the class of 2026 and can be reached at bfox@wesleyan.edu.