What Did the Dutch Election Really Prove?
One vote and the perils of over-interpretation
In January, as Mark Rutte, the prime minister of the Netherlands, campaigned to stave off a challenge from Geert Wilders and the anti-Muslim, far-right Party for Freedom, he that ran as full-page ads in several newspapers. In it, Rutte rang up mentions of “the silent majority” and castigated immigrants who “abuse our freedom.” He later added, “If you reject our
