Jeopardy star James Holzhauer was stumped. Even though he knew plenty about art, opera, sports and other obscure topics, he couldn’t name Ben Sasse as the senator from Nebraska who wrote Them: Why We Hate Each Other and How to Heal.
Holzhauer, a professional Las Vegas sports better, has become a sensation for racking up more than a million dollars in Jeopardy prize money over his 20-game winning streak. But despite his wealth of knowledge, it’s not entirely surprising that he wouldn’t be able to name Sasse. He’s not from Nebraska, and the children’s books he says are key to studying up for the trivia contest typically don’t include lists of current politicians or their wishy-washy appeals to unity.
The $2,000 Jeopardy clue and awkward no-answer pause which followed and was eventually ended with host Alex Trebek revealing “Who is Ben Sasse?” to be the correct response.
Sasse himself, although a little late, chimed in on Wednesday, joking on Twitter that “I’ll take “uncomfortable awkward silences” for a thousand dollars, Alex…”
i’ll take “uncomfortable awkward silences” for a thousand dollars, Alex… https://t.co/DUXGuojIMb
— Ben Sasse (@BenSasse) May 1, 2019
All jokes aside, Holzhauer’s lack of awareness about just who was making laws (or more realistically grandstanding) in Washington, isn’t particularly noteworthy. Most Americans don’t know much about their own lawmakers, let alone anyone else’s.
A 2018 poll conducted by the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the U.S. Senate found that 39% of voters did not even know hat each state had two U.S. senators and that nearly 50% could not name both of the senators from their own state.
A similar poll conducted in 2017 found that voters are even less likely to know their own representative in the House. Just over half could correctly identify their congressman’s party and only 37% could give his or her name.
As much as America is obsessed with politics and daily headlines are dominated by high-drama hearings, such as William Barr’s Senate testimony Tuesday, Holzhauer’s blank stare is a good reminder that we could all benefit from studying up on the the working of Washington beyond the front page. Democracy, after all, depends on informed citizens.
