I don’t really want to talk about the election, but I don’t feel I could talk about anything else.
In my “optimistic” scenario, Donald Trump will merely be incredibly corrupt. And Republicans will also get their way on a bunch of things, like killing the ACA, eroding reproductive rights, blocking immigration, and getting their choice of supreme court justices. And the market will do badly in the year I’m supposed to graduate. But at least Donald Trump won’t destroy the Pax Americana, declare himself president for life, start a nuclear war, or recreate the Japanese internment camps.
I have talked to some people who are even more optimistic, believing that Trump will result in backlash and make way for a truly progressive party. I don’t think that’s how it works. Politics are more of a random walk than an oscillator.
More likely that this will lead to years of internal conflict among liberals, with some wanting a “truly progressive” candidate and others wanting anyone who will make the hurt stop. It’s kind of like how people thought 9/11 would unite the country but it ended up doing precisely the opposite.
In more positive news, look at the California election results. Not everything is going the way I voted, but the most important ones did. Prop 53 (voter approval required for certain budgeting) is failing. Prop 57 (makes parole easier to get) is passing. Prop 60 (condoms required in porn) is failing. Marijuana will be legalized. However, it looks like the death penalty will remain.
I feel done with blogging about politics and current events. For a little while, I’d like to write about things that are completely unrelated.