Puncturing political clichés; The most resilient undisputed cliché of all
The American political lexicon is filled with clichés, of which some are regularly the object of ridicule, while others are considered sacrosanct.
Clichés are meant to describe reality, whereas their usage has a variety of politically strategic aims: to reassure nervous constituents, to focus attention on a particular idea or policy, and to motivate voters in one direction or the other. Thus, we have, as just a couple of examples: “America is at a crossroads” (motivation); It’s the economy, Stupid” (focus); “The only poll that matters is the one on Election Day” (motivation and reassurance) ; and: “It all comes down to turnout” (motivation).
Many, if not most, clichés are recognized as such. But there is one, along with its complementary truisms, that is almost never publicly contradicted for a variety of reasons: “You cannot fool the American voter.” Other iterations include that of famed political scientist V. O. Key, who wrote in his seminal work, The Responsible Electorate, “The voters are not fools.”
Why is this sentiment so widely accepted?
More than half of the American people believe that Joe Biden was a bad choice to be president; more than half of Americans believe that Donald Trump is a bad president. Going back, few believe today that Dan Quayle was the best choice for vice president in 1988; there are even fewer who would believe that Henry Wallace, who later recanted his communistic bona fides, was a good choice for vice-president in 1940-including Franklin Delano Roosevelt who later replaced him with Harry Truman.
Was there any public outcry at the time? No. Moreover, find me someone who has ever heard of Henry Wallace today.
People didn’t even generally know that Wallace was a supporter of communism at the time of his running.
Every time I vote in general elections, I hear fellow voters around me talking about the candidates for whom they’re going to vote or not vote: “Who’s running against Moore? I believe he’s good for improving our schools.” “Who are the running mates?”
Ah. But my favorite palaver concerns the questions asked to voters. I shall quote just one out of 14 proposed initiatives from this year in Baltimore County:
“BOND ISSUE: COUNTY ORDINANCE (BILL 44-26)
PUBLIC WORKS BORROWING
AN ORDINANCE to authorize and empower Baltimore County, Maryland to borrow $54,380,000 for public works projects, including but not limited to: streets and highways, bridges, storm drain systems, sewer systems, refuse disposal systems, viaducts, environmental projects, grade crossings and parking lots and structures, to be undertaken pursuant to Sections 705(a) and 718 of the Baltimore County Charter.
A vote FOR the bond issue authorizes Baltimore County to borrow $54,380,000 for public works projects.
A vote AGAINST the bond issue precludes Baltimore County from borrowing $54,380,000 for public works projects.”
This was chosen at random. But I daresay there is not 5% of the public which can or will take the time to vote knowledgeably on this or any of the other questions. And that is an optimistic take.
This year in Maine, with all of the rumors swirling around him, Graham Platner won 72.3% of the primary vote. It was not clear until his withdrawal from the race that he had lost much of that support-again-from a Maine electorate who by choice or ignorance did not know of all of the accusations against him.
There is an avalanche of evidence that the voters, writ large, are ignorant: ignorant of candidates, ignorant of issues, ignorant of the background and even the names of the candidates.
Candidates will not acknowledge this — they don’t want to insult those who may vote for them.
The media will not acknowledge this — they’re afraid of losing listeners and viewers.
“You cannot fool the voters,” goes the cliché.
Virtually no one will address that matter. But don’t be fooled: the voters can be easily fooled and are regularly fooled indeed.
Richard E. Vatz https://wp.towson.edu/vatz/ is a Distinguished Professor Emeritus of political rhetoric at Towson University and author of The Only Authentic of Persuasion: the Agenda-Spin Model (Bookwrights House, 2024) and over 200 other works, essays, lectures, and op-eds. He is the benefactor of the Richard E. Vatz Best Debater Award at Towson. The Van Bokkelen Auditorium at Towson University has been named after him.