In general, elections are divided into two categories: midterm and presidential elections. In both cases, the election is a referendum — the former a referendum on the incumbent president, and the latter a referendum on the country’s direction. However, the elections of 2016 and 2018 are different due to the immense amount of rage and vitriol poured into them. In 2016, two of the most disliked politicians were pit against each other, which naturally brought out the worst in our country. But, in 2018, there was a resounding, one sided rage: rage against Donald Trump. This difference seems to be driving a lot of our political discourse today, as a large majority of the country dislikes the president. These prior elections are emblematic of a shift in our country’s tone and direction.
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Thanks for the definitions of the two different elections. Your report on the midterm election points to another idea worthy of investigation– how was media coverage different in 2018 vs. 2016? How were political campaigns different in 2018 vs. 2016? Perhaps there’s something new you’ll discover from pushing the behind the scenes work of these two elections into a conversation.
DW