You can't kill an idea. But you can kill the instantiation of the idea.
On this last Sunday before the presidential election the Idea of America is teetering. Hillary Clinton leads Donald Trump by 2.9% in 538's weighted polling aggregation, a slim edge on which the Idea stands, of course, but the election and the Idea do not balance on that slim rail, they balance on the Electoral College, and the Idea is falling off that rail:
One could argue about whether Clinton’s still ahead in the Electoral College...Clinton has 268 electoral votes in states where she’s clearly ahead in the polls — two short of the 270 she needs.
Bono is correct that the Idea of America now lives in people throughout the world. It will continue to live there regardless of the outcome Tuesday. But without that beacon...Without America as the instantiation of the idea...
The Idea of America has shrunken in the world since 1989 when some proclaimed it universally triumphant and "The End of History." And now, look at the map, it is shrinking in its home, in America.
On this last Sunday before the presidential election the Idea of America is teetering. Hillary Clinton leads Donald Trump by 2.9% in 538's weighted polling aggregation, a slim edge on which the Idea stands, of course, but the election and the Idea do not balance on that slim rail, they balance on the Electoral College, and the Idea is falling off that rail:
One could argue about whether Clinton’s still ahead in the Electoral College...Clinton has 268 electoral votes in states where she’s clearly ahead in the polls — two short of the 270 she needs.
6. Does one candidate appear to be doing better in the Electoral College than in the popular vote?
Yes, Trump.
Clinton’s “firewall” has crumbled to some extent
9. What would keep me up late at night if I were Clinton?
I can imagine a few ways that I might lose: If African-Americans don’t turn out in large numbers, if there’s a large turnout for Trump among white non-college voters, or if some whites with college degrees — traditionally a Republican-leaning group — come home to Trump. If one of those three things happens, I should be fine. If all three of them do, I’m probably toast. If it’s two out of three, that’s where we could be headed for a very long night and a possible popular vote-Electoral College split.
The Idea of America has shrunken in the world since 1989 when some proclaimed it universally triumphant and "The End of History." And now, look at the map, it is shrinking in its home, in America.
