Thanks for the discussion. I’ll give you the last word on those points. We’re obviously not going to agree on Trump. I do agree, though, when it comes to cynicism about politics in general, including about liberals such as the Democrats. See, for example, my article, Femininity and Masculinity in American Politics, where I argue that Democrats are as disappointing as Republicans, albeit in very different ways.

I understand that Republicans think Trump is a saviour-figure, because he’s an outsider that tells it like it is and is set to clean up Washington. I agree with the radical assessment that structural change with the “deep state” or the “establishment” is likely needed. But I’m wary of frauds and I certainly don’t think Trump has the best interest of average Americans in mind. Even if he did, I don’t he’s competent or sane enough to deliver.

Trump’s being used to deliver tax cuts for the wealthy and conservative judges for the Evangelicals. Along the way, he’s trashing American norms without replacing them with anything better. I suspect his victory is a sign of the global decline of neoliberalism. Both parties championed free markets and globalization for decades, although Republicans represented mainly the minority that profited by far the most from that economic arrangement.

Republicans are far too corrupt to work towards improving the lives of the majority, and Democrats are too decadent and cowardly to stand up for their convictions. So it’s a pox on both their houses, as far as I’m concerned. (Of course, I’m just a Canadian observer.)