You hit the nail squarely on the head ... 'the quality of the electorate' is truly discouraging. Unfortunately, this isn't just a fluke, and it isn't going to revert back to the status quo that characterized most of the past century. For the past three to four decades, the United States has been flooded with propaganda coming from think tanks, endowed chairs at major universities, publications such as Reason magazine and the Wall Street Journal, radio personalities and cable television, all funded and coordinated by those who have benefited from the fossil fuel industry (with the so-called Koch network playing a central role).

The message of this disinformation campaign--which continues today--is twofold: we should not trust government and we should not trust science. The movement quietly gained steam during the nineties and after the turn of the century, giving rise to the so-called 'Tea Party' and plowing the ground for a narcissistic clown like Trump to come to poswer. I am at a bit of a loss myself ... I don't know how you deprogram an entire nation.

Thanks for reading and for your commrents--and despite the gloom in the news, I hope that you have a peaceful and pleasant holiday.