Presidential election, 2016

[Bob Butler 54]

I'm trying to find an upside.  I keep telling myself that before you get an FDR or Lincoln, you have to put up with a Hoover or Buchanan.  Before the massive transformation, the old culture has to drive itself into the ground.  If Hillary went in, with Republicans controlling both houses, she wouldn't have gotten all that far anyway.  To change a culture, to make a large part of the population shift world views and values, one needs a really really big disaster.  We now have the potential for a really big disaster.  Hillary might have managed a few baby steps forward, leaving regeneracy no closer.

Trump has promised borrow and spend trickle down.  Under prior Republican presidents this has been horrible, but will the symptoms show before 2020?  Bush 43 made it last 8 years.  He almost strung it out so the collapse happened on Obama's watch.

Trump has brought the race problem fully alive, making open prejudice more common.  What form will the backlash take?

During the campaign, he would flare anger whenever opposed.  Will this continue as President?  How much more difficult will this make forming a governing coalition?  Will the prime tension be red - blue, or establishment - Trump?

I'm not happy, but we'll have to see what happens at this point.