Americans voted on quality of life. Will the press cover that for them?

The American people committed an act of democracy last week. They believed government wasn’t working to improve their lives, and acted decisively.

Voters concluded that Donald Trump and Republicans failed to deliver on — arguably reneged on — his 2024 economic promises. They voted in large numbers to empower Democrats — in the House, the Senate and state houses across the country.

How will the press handle the sea change?

Peter Baker of the New York Times described the scene in Washington, with Democrats considering their opportunity and their obligations, and Republicans sifting through the political wreckage.

One Democratic House member was succinct:

“People are conveying: ‘Yes, we feel joy, we feel relief,’” said Representative Hillary Scholten, Democrat of Michigan. “But also: ‘Get to work, Congress. We do not want political theater, we don’t want drama, we don’t want infighting.’”

Might I suggest that admonition could apply to the press, as well?

Narrative is the beating heart of journalism. It’s also — I’m changing metaphors mid-paragraph — a drug. Compelling narrative draws in readers; it’s what brings people back day after day. That’s a commercial necessity — not a democratic one.

The Times on Saturday offered, “White, working-class voters shifted left in the midterms. We asked them why.”

The subhead read, “White voters without a college degree, a cornerstone of the Republican base in the Trump era, moved left this year. Some cited high prices, the war with Iran and more in their decisions.”

But the seventh paragraph tells a different story:

Many of them vehemently oppose Democrats’ stances on issues such as abortion, L.G.B.T.Q. rights and immigration, said Alan Abramowitz, an Emory University political scientist. But in this election, “people were really focused more on what was happening to their standard of living,” he added.

So, they didn’t “move left.” Just like two years ago, they wanted their economic lives made easier, and they decided to look elsewhere for that.

It may seem like a small point, nitpicking. But the left-vs-right framework, seeing everything that affects community well-being and quality of life through a lens of political gamesmanship, can pollute the public discussion.

Often, elections produce muddled, inexplicably contradictory results. Not this time.

The question is, will the American people get what they voted for? Will the press frame its coverage with that at the center?