We're all soaked now

On election night, November 2nd, one word seemed to be on every voter's mind and on every pundit's lips: wave.  The midterm election that resulted in Republicans taking control of the House of Representatives and making huge gains in the Senate and statehouses around the country was, as Fox News reported, an "historic" wave, with Republicans "thundering" into Washington.  This metaphor of election as wave is one that has swept the country and that politicians are riding to gain power (see what I mean?).

In my English class this week, we learned about conventional metaphors, or those metaphorical comparisons prevalent in a society's everyday language that influence its conceptual system (for a fuller definition with examples, click here).  The election as wave metaphor has come to define our understanding of elections, with the past 3 elections being called "wave" elections, and the election of 1994 carrying the same label.

So what does the election as wave metaphor mean for our political system, and for our nation as a whole?  The New York Times reporter Matt Bai, in "Another Election, Another Wave," notes the effect of these sweeping wave elections.  Politicians, he claims, take these waves as mandates for power, governing unilaterally because their party won significantly more votes than the opposition.  And it seems, on some level, that both politicians and the rest of us now expect waves every 2 years, with some Republicans already acknowledging that they could loose power in 2012 if they don't embrace tax and spending cuts (see this article in the Philidelphia Inquirer).  This growing expectation of wave elections has led to increased partisanship and rule under perceived "mandates" that are as transient as, well, waves.

In addition, David M. Kennedy, in an opinion piece for The New York Times, draws parallels between the wave elections of late and the paralyzing partisan oscillations (another word with wave connotations) of the late 1800s, the Gilded Age.  The Gilded Age was certainly not a time of memorable political achievements; in fact, it was a time of great corruption and inaction in the face of dire issues.  That sorry trend seems to be repeating itself today.  Although this may mean we will eventually ascend from the partisan shuffle into a successful and beneficial movement like the Progressive movement under Teddy Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson, right now we seem to be stuck in the political limbo of wave elections.

But, beyond historical comparisons and political punditry, the election as wave metaphor reflects the short-sightedness of voting Americans and those they elect.  A Pew Research poll found that Americans are considerably less happy with the results of this last midterm wave than with previous wave elections.  Clealry, the huge majority in the House and Republican wins elsewhere do not reflect the public opinion of Americans with much proportion.  Americans got swept up in this wave, with the news media and politicians proclaiming it days and weeks before the election even took place.  We have come to understand elections as waves, avenues for wiping out the ruling party and sweeping in the minority for a few years.  With the election as a wave, politicians are not rewarded for making the tough decisions and sacrifices necessary for America's long term stability (just look at the unpopularity of the recent report by the bipartisan deficit commission).  Instead, they must resort to wave-creating, short-sighted partisanship.

The metaphor of election as wave, although it sounds both powerful and refreshing, is really neither, and is certainly not a comparison that will pave the way for American success.  Rather, the US after the November 2nd wave is soaked in stagnation.

P.S.
For a comical interpretation of the election as wave metaphor, watch this video from Jon Stewart's The Daily Show.  As he says, all the phenomena being compared to this election, including the wave, "killed thousands of people."