So how's about we get back to the titular topic: This Isn't the Most Important Election of Your Lifetime. Not Even Close:
If you believe that a midterm election in a time of relative peace and economic prosperity is the most important in history or even the most important in your fortunate lifetime, you either are oblivious to history or don't have a single nonpartisan synapse firing in your skull.
Yet it's now become standard for partisans to claim that every presidential election is the most important ever. Seeing as many people view the president as an emperor, perhaps they believe it. That's one thing. But now we have people foisting this insufferable cliche on us for House elections, which happen every two years in every single district.
The 2018 election is "the most important election of our lives," writes a hysterical David Corn at Mother Jones. Prognosticator Charlie Cook explains, "Everybody always says, 'Oh, the upcoming election's the most important since Moby-Dick was a guppy.' This one actually is really important." "The most important election of your life," tweets Donald Trump's spurned bestie Joe Scarborough. "The most important election any of us have voted in so far," declares Joe Biden, who notes that "everything" is at stake in 2018.
"The most important election of our lifetime," says Sen. Cory Booker. And Democratic National Chairman Tom Perez. And New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. And former President Barack Obama.
As anyone who's been paying attention already knows, this is utter nonsense, because 2016 had the most important election ever.
"I believe this may be the most important election of our lifetimes," Hillary Clinton told us. Mike Pence assured America much the same. "Why 2016 may actually be the most important election of our lifetime," a headline from The Hill read. Bloomberg Businessweek agreed. So did The Nation. "2016: The most important election since 1932," declared the esteemed Brookings Institution. "The Most Important Election of Our Lifetime," read a Franklin Graham headline. "This Really Might Be the Most Important Election Ever," The New Republic added.
It really might have been. Though it surely was not so important as the 2012 election...
Tradition is not the worship of ashes, but the preservation of fire. ― Gustav Mahler