Most Popular ≠ Best

Posted 6:00 AM by Gerald So

There are a few recent examples of U.S. presidents who won the Electoral College but not the popular vote. Their opponents quickly pointed this out. But what about when a candidate wins both the popular and electoral vote? It's the will of the people. Majority rules. But does that make it best? I'm going to argue it doesn't.

American ideals point us toward tolerance, acceptance of all as equals. When the majority elects a candidate with a history of prejudice, they aren't living up to those ideals. In the same vein, someone may ask for tolerance, but are they tolerant? If they can't stand people who are different, with different views, they aren't following American ideals.

What's best tends to be difficult, unpopular for its difficulty, and time-intensive. Winning on Election Day is only one step in the long process of acceptance as an American ideal. When we achieve what we're striving for today, there will be more we haven't seen. The nature of ideals is they are never all achieved. yet they should always be pursued.