In the classic film Citizen Kane, as election night results roll in, it becomes evident that newspaper magnate Charles Foster Kane will lose in his race for governor. That prompts Kane’s minions to change the headline in the newspaper he owns from “Kane Elected” to “Fraud at Polls!”
Donald Trump, in Kane fashion, has already laid the groundwork for a possible defeat by repeatedly suggesting that the election is rigged. This remains an applause line at rallies, so Trump continues to use it, weaving in references to “crooked Hillary” and a dishonest media.
At its most basic level, Trump’s protests are too soon. They began well before early voting and before any of the votes have been counted. The press has advanced the narrative by suggesting that the race is over.
Fox News media reporter Howard Kurtz maintains that the press is projecting too much. “I’m always more cautious than that,” writes Kurtz. “I’ve seen too many elections where a candidate bounced back after being written off, the polls were off, or some unexpected event moved the needle.”
But there is a larger issue here. It’s the casual use of the word “rigged.” Yes, there are always some voter shenanigans, but nothing like there used to be. It was much easier to stuff ballot boxes when the two parties exerted almost total control over the process. But party power has diminished, giving way to the primacy of individual candidates.
Trump’s unfounded allegation seeks to unfairly undermine the process, fueling his supporters to believe the results will be illegitimate if their candidate does not win.
The “rigged” narrative did not start with Trump. As the Wall Street Journal pointed out recently on its editorial page, Bernie Sanders based his campaign on the message that the economy is “rigged” for the wealthy and powerful. The paper also reports that Elizabeth Warren used the word “rigged” five times during her speech at the Democratic National Convention when talking about the economy.
Voters may also remember the contested 2000 presidential election where Democrats charged that George W. Bush stole the election from Al Gore.
The definition of rigged is to “manipulate fraudulently.” Think about that for a moment: Whether it’s the election or the economy, the suggestion is that a person or group conspired to violate the law in their favor and to the detriment of others.
Of course there are individual instances of economic and election fraud, but the overly broad criticisms by people in leadership positions suggest that capitalism and democracy themselves have become corrupted. If these institutions are fraudulent, why should anyone follow the rules? What chance do regular folks have?
Egalitarianism is a vital attribute of American democracy, rooted in the Founders’ principle of a classless society. Granted, much of the angst this election cycle stems from the belief that we are losing that quality, that wide swaths of America are suffering and Washington is unwilling or incapable of listening to the concerns or fixing the problem.
Fair enough. That’s an issue that warrants the attention of our leaders, but the “rigged” allegation is far more serious. It triggers an emotional response that makes too many of us victims by giving us an easy out for failure. We can’t be blamed if events conspired against us, right?
Political leaders often use overheated rhetoric to fire up their base and gain attention, but they also have a responsibility not to try to advance their own standing by tearing away at the very fabric of the country.
In the fictional Citizen Kane, the candidate was actually leading in his race against a corrupt opponent until Kane’s extra-marital affair with a young singer was revealed. The post-election story in his newspaper blames a rigged election, when it’s obvious his own failures cause his defeat.