“HOWARD, ‘SPLAIN TO ME . . . I THOUGHT DEMOCRACY WAS MAJORITY RULE . . . ‘SPLAIN TO ME THESE ‘OTHER RULES’ . . . PLEASE”

Imagine you are in a foreign culture and you suddenly have to explain, per chance defend, “the electoral college” – its history, its intent, its operation.  Easy to get tongue-tied.  You may articulate the concept, but its logic may be more elusive.  Upon the heels of that awkward task, you are asked to offer interpretation and rationale for “filibuster.”  Yikes!  You might explain its operation, but try to convey its importance.  Forget imagination.  Here’s some real live narrative.

I am just back from a month in Mexico.  Mexicans, especially in my son’s neighborhood, love to talk politics.  Even the peasants among them are alert and well-read, perceptive and inquiring.  And they just love to challenge North Americans.  Conversations over cervezas or a good tequila are predictably lively.  My exchanges with Jose, who lives next door, are always particularly vigorous.  He loves to ply me with a probing question, roll his eyes, and break into a mischievous grin.  A recent question resonated clearly, indeed awkwardly, with another from a decade ago.

Rewind ten years: Gore v. Bush

The extended presidential election process between Al Gore and George W. Bush, had recently, finally, per chance unfortunately been settled      . . .  by the Supreme Court rather than the ballot box.  “Howard, ‘splain this to me,” Jose pleaded (our robust exchanges are in what we affectionately call “spanglish,” his English on a rough par with my Spanish, neither close to fluent).  “Mr. Gore got the most votes, but Mr. Bush won the election.  ‘Splain to me, please.  I thought in democracy majority rules”

I tried to ‘splain the electoral college the best I could, his perplexed look mirroring my own struggle with what seemed an arcane and dated and, as my fumbling search for words revealed, distorting provision in our electoral law.  He was quick to admit that it is not uncommon in Mexico, as they put it, “to win the election but lose the count.”  But this was different, he sensed – accurately, I think.  Bottom line.  My country’s commitment to democracy had just exercised a procedure by which “minority ruled.”

In the years since, when occasions arise, Jose has not passed up opportunity to re-visit what remained an odd and seemingly unjust electoral procedure . . . “Howard, one more time, ‘splain to me.  Mr. Gore won the election.  Mr. Bush is president.  ‘Splain to me.”

Fast forward ten years: Senate voting procedures

Mexicans have been fascinated by the health care reform debate in the U.S.  Like the vast majority of developed nations (Mexico on the fringe of that demographic category) the irony of a system that spends per capita, or as percentage of GNP, more than any nation on earth yet delivers health care to its population so unevenly is an enigma.  That private insurance companies make billions of dollars in annual profit, can refuse coverage at their discretion, can deny policies to anyone with a pre-existing condition, have primary decision-making about financial re-imbursement is utter mystery to Mexicans.  That millions of people have no coverage at all; that people die for inability to afford life-saving, disease-combating treatment or medication; or that thousands of people are forced into bankruptcy by medical bills they cannot pay astounds them.  Jose made me most uncomfortable when he asked a most probing question, “Doesn’t this embarrass you, as an American?”  I am not given to sheepishness, but my stammering response felt for all the world like embarrassment.

He caught me by surprise with how current with the Senate’s deliberations he was.  “Howard, ‘splain to me.  Fifty-nine senators agree on a reform plan, while forty-one are in opposition.  The plan is defeated!  What happened to democracy, to majority rule?  And ‘splain to me this ‘filibuster’ thing, please.”  I gave it a good try, blowing dust off memories of my college political science course, gathering what I have learned from the more recent debate.  Jose interrupted.  “How can your government function if you need 60% of the vote to do anything?  Won’t it stop working?”

“I think maybe it already has!” I found myself reply.