Just Another Election

Peggy Noonan is an insightful critic of American politics. She has a regular Friday column on the WSJ Opinion Page that is well worth checking out. Here's this week.

As a former speechwriter for President Reagan, she leans conservative. However, she's not a surrogate for McCain or the Republican party. She's not a Bill Bennett or Karl Rove. She regularly criticizes both Republican and Democratic politics.

In reality, she presents herself more as a surrogate for the American people. She seeks to capture the thoughts and perceptions of average Americans. Notice the simplicity of her language -- short sentences and fragments, earthy descriptions, the occasional curse word. Compare reading her to reading George Will, who has me often reaching for Wikipedia or Wiktionary. Her seriousness is always laced with humor because she knows there are more important things than politics. Though she's a pundit, she knows it's improper to take herself too seriously. Her writing style is really refreshing.

What's striking about Noonan is the tremendous respect she has for the average American person, especially in contrast to the knowledge and ruling classes. What makes up "normal" -- marriages, families, jobs, schools, churches, vacations, sickness -- holds so much weight and meaning for her. It also gives insight and credibility in deciding how to (or who will) run a country. And Noonan knows that this is who fundamentally decides elections. So she tries to glean that insight for those in the knowledge and ruling class who might have forgotten the value of common sense.

From this week's column:

A final point. Do you ever have the passing thought that the presidential election doesn't matter as much as we think? Whoever wins will govern within more of less the same limits, both domestically and internationally. A New York liberal leaning toward Mr. McCain told me this week he has no fear that Mr. McCain may be a more militant figure than Mr. Obama. We already have two wars, "we're out of army." Even if Mr. McCain wanted a war, he said, he couldn't start one.

I wonder if we follow the election so passionately because we're afraid. We're afraid a lot of our national problems are intractable, and the future too full of challenge.

We cannot tolerate feeling this way. So we make believe the election can change everything. And we follow it passionately to convince ourselves its outcome will be decisive and make everything better. We reassure ourselves with pictures of the cheering crowds at the rally. We even find some comfort in the latest story of the latest dirty trick. But deep inside we think: Ah, that won't work either.

Some part of me thinks we are all making believe this is a life-changing election because we know it's not a life-changing election. Ever have that thought? Me too. Then there's a rally or a scandal or a gaffe, and it passes.

Rest assured, you won't get that from MSNBC or Politico.com.