As of this writing, we still have about 100 days until the 2024 US election. Things have been absolutely chaotic, and they’re constantly changing, so it doesn’t really make sense to write a reflective blog post about that. Instead, I want to take a look at broader historical trends to gain a sense of perspective on how we got where we are and some general explanations of the goals of those responsible.

But mostly I want to talk about what it’s like to be able to see big picture possibilities and to have a sense of what’s coming when so many people are distracted by narrow, short-term concerns. I want to talk about the steps that led our democracy into its death spiral and why we let them happen.

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