American Politics the 2016 edition

You're right for a wrong reason. It's no plan, it's how the system works. No one cares to educate the masses because there's no need, a dumbass who doesn't understand anything should not be taught philosophy forcefully, and those who strive to succeed will do it on their own. Your problem though is that you confuse education with propaganda.

If this statistic is true Steve then WOW, shame on those that did not vote, although why did the Dems not show up is another question? All the analysis will start coming out on what happened both good and bad, that is what I have lots of interest in because you are looking at facts and not some media hyped poll that for the most part means absolutely nothing. 

And seems the facts are that pretty much the majority of polls got it horribly wrong . Which is funny to me that sooooo many put all their eggs into these polls all the time and come out smelling like rotten eggs in the end. Most of these political polls are a horrible measurement, I heard an interview withAllan Lichtman on NPR who has predicted 9 elections in a row using his method, quite interesting to me.

This somewhat gets to the point but the larger problem and the factor binding events like Brexit and the US elections is also a gradual tearing down of the aristocratic element of democracy and it being replaced by full on populism.  Here in India, we have had states governed by complete jokers; check that, right now and for many of the past several years as well, our most populous state has been governed by jokers or dacoits or call them what you will. Hasn't happened at the Central Government level or what you would call Federal in US.  

The need for an elite or aristocratic class was unquestioningly accepted in better times under the not entirely misplaced belief that they would contribute vital expertise needed to run government even if they did not enjoy popular appeal.  But with prolonged stagnation, it seems as if the masses now distrust the elites and favour anti-intellectualism.  The problem then is if we are really going to have governments run by anti-intellectuals we also need to change the governance structure to make it much more participative. The structure as it exists vests too much power in an individual to make decisions because it was never conceived that people with no administrative experience would rise to the most powerful position in the nation (and by implication, the world, in the American context).  The worst a corrupt and illiterate Indian chief minister can do is bankrupt an already impoverished state via handouts (which is bad but bear with me).  The worst an irresponsible US President can do is sign up for World War 3.  I am not (yet) saying Trump will be that guy since hope springs eternal but we do need a realignment of the system lest he is in turn succeeded by a hardcore populist dictator with unbridled authority as the representative of the people.  I.e the real Hitler reincarnate we had discussed before. 

Just her on campaign sabre rattling against Russia was scary.  I don't know that Trump will actually be as friendly with Russia as he says he will be but with Clinton, a prolonged confrontation on the battleground of Syria would have been almost assured.  Which brings me to the two party system of USA which deprived voters of choice, narrowing it down to the ultimate insider v/s the ultimate outsider.  

Whilst explaining the US voting system to us Indians, a newspaper projected how handsomely Modi would have won under the US system and it turns out it would have been a landslide.  As it was, his party only just managed to attain a simple majority of its own and then only because many of their opponents were splintered and had abandoned coalitions which would have captured more of the vote share and thus defeated the BJP in a first past the post system.  We have cursed the coalition system left, right and center for its inefficiency but I at least have done a double take now.  You know what's much worse?  Giving absolute power to a politician.  I don't mind inefficient as long as it represents a larger section of a nation's electorate.  Divisive mandates are messy.  As mentioned earlier, I have relatives living in your country (and they all pay taxes, don't worry) and it is in my and their interest that everything works out well and I hope that that will indeed be the case.

Also, Giuliani in charge of anything more powerful than a security post in northern Alaska sets all kinds of paranoia in me...