The best explanation I have seen of the current political era from the always excellent @ezraklein. Summary: “The parties are so different that even seismic events don’t change many Americans minds. The parties are so closely matched that even minuscule shifts in the electoral winds can blow the country onto a wildly different course. And even in a time of profound economic dislocation, American politics has become . . . about whether the cultural changes of the past 50 years delight or dismay you.”
I am relieved by the outcome of the midterms, but the conditions Klein describes aren’t going to disappear any time soon. Add three other factors — the anti-majoritarian flaws of our Constitution, the polarizing effects of social media, and the growing right-wing flirtation with authoritarianism — and you have a prescription for ongoing political turmoil, with enormous risks for liberal democracy, and no end in sight.