The Primaries Refused to Follow the Script—and That Is the Real Story
Takeaways from Wisconsin, Minnesota, and South Carolina, where voters reminded both parties that political “momentum” is often just yesterday’s headline wearing a necktie. I have a modest proposal for everyone who makes a living announcing what “the voters” have decided: perhaps wait until the voters have actually voted. I realize this would disrupt an entire industry. Cable panels might be forced to discuss policy. Consultants could lose valuable television time in which to explain why the campaign they misread was secretly following the strategy they recommended. Polling analysts might have to retire the phrase “within the margin of error” as a ritual cleansing ceremony. Still, after the August 11 primaries in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and South Carolina, a little humility seems less like a virtue than basic protective equipment. These contests were supposed to give us a clean national story. They did not. Wisconsin was supposed to confirm the ascent of the democratic socialist wing of t...
