British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli was famous for saying, “There are three types of lies – lies, damn lies and statistics.” The three are alive and well, and the stock and trade in the Democrats’ “will to power”.
Exploiting numbers are a favorite tactic in the pursuit of power, even if they are a product of an erroneous and deceptive calculation. Right now, the Democrats’ frenzied lust for power puts the US Senate in their crosshairs. The filibuster, a 50-50 split, and a couple of rogue Democrats stand in the way of their revolutionary blueprint. The Constitution requires equal representation (2 Senators for each state) and they are popularly elected by a vote in each state. If it was really “fair” in their minds, the “fact” that their candidates received a sum total of more votes nationwide than Republicans should naturally mean that they should have more Senators, if something wasn’t wrong with the system . . . thus the drive for statehood for two more Democrat fiefdoms: Puerto Rico and DC, or 4 new Democrat solons.
The problem with the logic is that it is illogical. The sum-total number is false. Here’s how. Some states, like the Democrats’ Wonderland of California have only one ruling party. The state’s non-partisan primary puts all candidates – Democrats, Republican, independent, or whatever – on the same ballot with the top two vote-getters appearing on the general election ballot. In a state like California, this can lead to two Democrats and no Republicans on the ballot, as what happened in 2016 in the Senate race between Kamala Harris and Loretta Sanchez. 12.2 million Democrat votes were registered, and zero Republican. Add up California’s numbers with the others and, voilà, the hucksters have a talking point in their drive for power.
The same pernicious thinking is at work – i.e., something distorted in the calculation – in the war on fossil fuels, CRT, Covid hysteria, the love of the administrative state, class warfare, racialized education policies, and almost any other mania that’ll undermine the basis of our civilization.
Something to think about. Eh?
*Thanks to Jim Geraghty for uncovering the statistical sleight of hand.
RogerG