Because they could

Why did 64 members of Israel’s Knesset just vote to change how the Israeli government operates, to give the Prime Minister and his cabinet nearly unchecked power as in autocratic regimes—even as the entire opposition walked out of the chamber rather than legitimize the vote, even as the largest protests in Israel’s history virtually shut down the country, even as thousands of fighter pilots and reservists of elite units like 8200 and Sayeret Matkal and others central to Israel’s security say that they’ll no longer report for duty?

On the other side of the world, why did California just vote to approve the “California Math Framework,” which (though thankfully watered down from its original version) will discourage middle schools from offering algebra or any “advanced” math at all, on the argument that offering serious math leads to “inequitable outcomes”? Why did they do this, even as the University of California system had recently rescinded its approval of the CMF’s fluffy “data science” alternative to the algebra/geometry/calculus pathway, and even as Jelani Nelson and other STEM experts testified about what a disaster the CMF would be, especially for the underprivileged and minority students who are its supposed beneficiaries?

In both cases, it seems to me that the answer is simply: Because they could. Because they had the votes.

For someone like me, who lives and dies by reasons and arguments, it’s endlessly frustrating that in both cases, we seem past the point of persuasion. If persuasion were possible, it would’ve happened already. For those who agree with me about the overwhelmingly lopsided verdict of reason on these matters, the only response seems to be: get the votes. Win the next round.