Ten days later

Trying to make sense of it all gives the illusion that we're not about to get drowned in a shit tsunami.

Interesting idea: the concept that the coasts, which are looked at as being made up of the cultural elite, are the home of economic refugees from the depleted middle of the country. By moving to a place where jobs are available and upward mobility possible, the political and philosophical shift toward sticking with an system of incremental change naturally follows, whereas in the depleted rural areas (generalizing here), the politics naturally gravitate toward populism. The coasts are the middle; made up of the same people, but graced with different opportunities, and therefore different politics.

Another idea: The Electoral College puts the US in a position as if China's leadership were to be decided by the rural areas that have been depleted by modernization, rather than by the wishes and prerogatives of the populous cities. Of course the authoritarian regime in power in China does not have to bow down to anyone, much less the interests of the exploited rural poor. They must be simultaneously horrified and bemused that the US finds itself in that exact situation. How can a political system both provide opportunities and at the same time nurture the environment in which those opportunities flourish for the long term?

What are the institutions that can keep things in check if all branches of government are corrupt? If information is all in silos, does the work of investigative journalism matter? We need some format where people can actually talk to each other... Can Facebook somehow mix us up together? Can news articles carry some sort of veracity-meter or color-coding that indicates if they are total BS - ?

Recent good podcasts, articles, and books: Musical stuff pre-election from the New Yorker podcast. Post-election autopsy also by the New Yorker, with George Packer. David Axelrod interviews with Van Jones, Mike Morrell, and DeRay McKesson. Listening to The Unwinding by George Packer on Audible. David Remnick article on Obama post-election, from the 11/28 issue (heartbreaking).