It’s in the nature of most politicians and their campaigns to spread dystopian fears about what might happen if their opponent wins. Joe Biden wrote that “Trump represents an existential threat to the future of our country.” President Trump said, “No one will be safe in Biden’s America.” This is nothing new: In 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson’s “Daisy” ad implied Sen. Barry Goldwater would cause a nuclear holocaust if elected president.
But no matter who wins the race for the White House, there’s no need to panic — it probably won’t change your daily life all that much.
A Trump presidency will be good for the country in some ways and bad in others. Same with a Biden presidency. Trump won’t save all unborn babies from abortion or give everyone a raise. Biden won’t stop global warming or stop all deportations of illegal immigrants. They’ll make changes on the margins, but neither will be the country’s savior nor its downfall, and neither will change your life more than your family, friends, or community can.
America is blessed to have a complex system of government. Executive power is separate from legislative power, and legislative power is split between 535 people in two different chambers, with an excessive number of committees. Biden can’t wake up, snap his fingers, and defund the police. Trump can’t build a wall with the swipe of his pen. Some may complain about the gridlock this creates, but the complexity keeps laws relatively stable. As Washington Examiner contributor James Wallner wrote:
If we lived in a parliamentary system, change would be much more swift and drastic. Imagine a government with Mitch McConnell or Nancy Pelosi as the head while change comes any time they can marshal a simple majority of their caucus to vote for their whims.
If Biden wins, whether “Medicare for all,” the “Green New Deal,” or court-packing happens will depend on the size of the Senate Democratic majority (or lack thereof). Yet, consider how little Republicans did with unified control of the government in 2017 and 2018, plus partial control since then: three Supreme Court seats, yes, but Obamacare is still partially in place (and the Supreme Court probably won’t repeal it), and even the GOP tax reform law was fairly unambitious (my extra money is nice, but the law is nowhere near a clean, flat income tax). If Democrats go nuclear on the Senate cloture rules, they’re likely to see centrist Democrats defect on extreme legislation, just as centrist Republicans did on healthcare.
But even if vast changes to the law come to pass, it mostly won’t change your personal life.
What is it that gives you a sense of purpose in your life? Hopefully, it’s not whether the president is a Republican or a Democrat, but instead has a lot more to do with your religion, your family, your community, your friends, and your work. The government certainly matters (especially because it is so large and its tentacles touch everything). The wrong laws and regulations can strangle the economy, but innovation and progress also happen regardless (and stock market returns are roughly the same whether a Republican or Democrat is in office). The presidential election will be a factor in how soon we finally overcome this pandemic, but governors will continue to drive the public sector response.
Every presidential election, we hear that it is, once again, the most important election of our lifetimes. (Since the government and the presidency, unfortunately, tend to grow increasingly powerful, perhaps this may be true). But you never hear from celebrities and brands that the elections in your communities are the most important of your lifetime, even though these people will probably have a greater effect on your life than the president in far-off Washington: your mayor, your county board member, your state senator.
No matter who wins, some things never change: Teenagers will still spend too much time on their phones, the Detroit Lions will still disappoint their fans, and my cat will still meow in the morning until she has had sufficient attention and treats. It’s fair to be angry about everything that’s going wrong in the country. But whether you’re happy or sad with the election results, don’t make too much of them. We’ll be voting for president again in 2024 either way.
