5 Thoughts for November 22, 2016

1. Post-Election Analysis: I'm holding off on taking any of it seriously until after all of the ballots have been counted and certified. Nevertheless, there appear to be two salient stories right now: (1) Politics guide people to overlook truths, such that, (2) People require tangible proof to overcome their cognitive dissonance -- but sometimes that isn't enough. A lot of Americans believe in the false equivalence that both candidates were equally bad. As such, they need to see the tangible proof that Donald is vastly inept and destructive, before changing their minds (hopefully we won't see the complete destruction of this country before the nation realizes its error and acts). That is not defeatist; it is a review of the reality of human nature. A long time ago it was Religion, not Politics, that guided people into overlooking truth until tangible proof could dispel myth -- think Galileo -- and yet, the Flat Earth society highlights that some folks will never accept the truth.
2. TPP Effect: It is somewhat untrue that trade deals, such as the TPP, are strictly meant to create free markets; they are actually meant to balance Capital and Labor needs. When Democrats are in charge of trade deals, they tend to choose greater Labor protections while when Republicans are in charge, they tend to choose freer Capital. The TPP is slightly different, though, because it represented something slightly more: An offset to China's growing economic and political dominance. Early in his first term, Obama spoke about the need to pivot (away from Russia) towards China. By killing TPP, Donald will have effectively expanded China's influence and diminished America's.
3. Donald + Commodus = Donodus: I'm sure that I'm not the first to offer this, but the comparisons between Donald and Commodus are stunning. Donald's penchant for showmanship mirrors Commodus' spectacle as a gladiator in his public games. Donald's war against the Establishment appears parallel to Commodus' war against the Establishment (Roman Senate) and its elite -- they share a megalomanic's desire while appealing to a populist message. Whereas Commodus renamed the calendar's months after himself, Donald's properties all bear his name. While Commodus cheated the gladiator system, Donald's legacy of $12M in fines involving a dozen separate cases shows his desire to cheat the system. I deem thee, Donodus, Emperor of America.
4. RIP Gwen Ifill: This is a week late, but Gwen Ifill's death was immensely more devastating to me, personally, than the deaths of popular icons such as Prince. She was the reason why I started tuning into Washington Week. She pushed back against the politics of the moment far more than her brethren, and sought to raise the knowledge of her viewers by forcing the other journalists in her roundtable discussions to come well-prepared. I watched every retrospect and tribute to her, last week.
5. Breitbart: A few weeks ago there were two law enforcement officers killed in Iowa, execution-style. In the first (republished) story on Breitbart, the comment section ran well over a thousand, attacking liberals and people of color as the underlying cause. Another (republished) story that followed later on Breitbart, identifying the perpetrator as a white male, resulted in zero comments. That pretty much sums up this election, doesn't it?