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Old observations hold true

While browsing through my old college humanities textbook, I ran across the following: Graham Wallas, author of “Human Nature in Politics,” in 1908, wrote that voters did not coldly and logically reason things out, did not even very often exercise intelligent self-interest, but were influenced by flattery, by appeals to their prejudices, by the good looks of the candidate, and above all by a candidate’s paying them attention as persons, by so small a thing as calling them by name. A 102-year-old observation that still holds true. Amazing!

Another winner from this textbook, published in 1959: Walter Bagehot, an Englishman, wrote in 1869: The English people, on the whole, are able to withstand the temptation to indulge in abstract thinking, that they have the necessary stupidity to make democracy work. That was written 141 years ago. Somehow, some way, Americans still make democracy work for them!

Sally Giannini

Spokane Valley

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