When This Blows Over

…In short, Trump has become the Walmart version
of retail politics. His political message is easily
packaged and consumed with minimal
understanding of the intricacies of the issues. His
solutions to making America great again are simple
and appeal to voters' nostalgia for an era where no
country dared mess with the USA.
It would be easy to blame these voters for not doing
their homework and falling victim to a Ponzi scheme,
but democracy can be a messy process. By
definition, it requires deliberation, negotiation and
compromise. However, the American electorate
typically lacks a basic understanding or appreciation
for the democratic process.
Instead we would rather place our trust in
candidates to save the day. Political campaigns
encourage simplified messages based on style over
substance. The Obama campaign gave us hope that
he could unify the country, but that hope has failed
to materialize. Instead, partisanship in America
increased, and now some voters are simply looking
for the next unlikely hero to save America from itself.
- Jonathan Rothermel