Election, ugly. Let's recap what we've learned, and what will not end on Tuesday. Plus, Weekend Whats.
The candidates let you down. The media let you down. Those are two things people across the aisle seem to agree on “with more than eight in 10 voters saying the campaign has left them repulsed rather than excited.” Indeed, our journey through this election season reads like a modern day rewrite of Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, with the current mood of the American electorate being aptly described by Kurtz’s final words: “The horror! The horror!” (Trump’s spelling may vary.) From the NYT: Voters Express Disgust Over U.S. Politics.
+ The Guardian: Pain, anger and fear: US voters deprived of a serious presidential election.
+ Consider this from Vox: “Network newscasts have, remarkably, dedicated more airtime to coverage of Clinton’s emails than to all policy issues combined.”
+ On the plus side, the next President will enter the Oval Office with remarkably low expectations.
+ Yes, the election let you down. But you loved it. You couldn’t get enough. The race dominated your dinner parties and your social media streams. Pageviews on political and news sites went through the roof. Cable news channels saw increased revenues. Even the parodies of the farce got a ratings boost, as the campaigns and debates put the bite back into Saturday Night Live. You say you hate it, but you watched this election like it was a less politically-correct version of Game of Thrones. So here’s a spoiler alert. After Tuesday, you can expect more of the same.
After Tuesday
Let’s look at a few of the trends that will continue past Tuesday, starting with this piece by Luke O’Brien: “I spent weeks figuring out how hate gurgles up from the nastiest recesses of the Internet. And I’m sorry to report that unconscionable racists will be a force in American politics well beyond November 8.”
+ Buzzfeed: How Macedonia became a global hub for misinformation.
+ The Guardian: And slowly, before anyone can even take note, memes are ruining democracy. (Insert Crying Michael Jordan image here.)
+ You know how we only have eight Supreme Court justices? Well, that might last well beyond this election too.
+ Will facts survive the 2016 election? One never knows, so you might as well read WaPo’s 2016 Election Fact Checker. It could be the last time we even bother with such things.
Weekend Whats
What to Roar: In what could be a timely documentary, the always excellent Tiffany Shlain explores where we really are on the greater arc of history of women and power; and examines what it will to take to get to a 50/50 world. If you have a daughter, watch this with her.
+ What to Binge: The first two seasons of American Crime were both good, and both featured an excellent acting (the main actors take on entirely different roles in an entirely different story, from one season to the next). The issues are timely. The cast is rock solid. And it’s on Netflix.
+ What to Hear: Bruce Springsteen’s Murder Incorporated, live and acoustic from the Berkeley Community Theater in 1995. And from the same show, The Ghost of Tom Joad.
Less Ice, Ice, Baby
OK, you want a break from political news, so let’s discuss an issue that has been largely absent from the election. Climate Change. Here’s a question: Who is to blame for climate change? Answer: You. (Well at least for the melting of about 645 square feet of Arctic ice every year.)
The Command Line
Are you overweight, covered in tats and stoned on weed? Then Uncle Sam Wants You (No, seriously). As the front has moved from land, sea and air, to 1s and 0s, the Pentagon is looking to overhaul its pitch to potential warriors. (I guess if I want to qualify, I’ll need some tats.)
Then Things Went South
“The crisis began when local media reported that the notoriously aloof Park had been relying on Choi Soon-sil, a longtime confidante with links to a questionable shamanistic cult, for secret advice on everything from speeches to her wardrobe.” WaPo provides the latest on South Korea’s weirdly fascinating political scandal.
+ The New Yorker: Two Koreas, two cults, two internets.
And a River Runs Blue It
“The Great Analytics War ended at 48 minutes after midnight on November 3, 2016. The terms were unconditional surrender … The victors were Theo Epstein, the analytics movement, and the game of baseball.” In The Ringer, Rany Jazayerli with a spoiler alert: The Curious Have Won.
+ The Chicago River ran blue, and millions of people lined the streets. Here are some scenes from the Cubs Parade.
Traffic Alert
“Kelly, 44, began weeping immediately after the verdict was announced. Baroni, also 44, showed no emotion.” After several days of deliberation, two Chris Christie associates were found guilty for their roles in Bridgegate. Both have promised to appeal. And the broader story is far from settled.
What About Bob
“One day, on my way to work at the Village Voice, I found a folding chair on the street and stashed it under the stairs so I could pull it out and sit there, inches away from Dylan, and listen to him writing at the piano.” When Bob Dylan Practiced Downstairs.
Bottom of the News
Well, here’s one way to stop consumers from associating your brand with exploding phones. Samsung just recalled almost three million washing machines due to impact injuries. I always tell my kids: No tackle football. No trampolines. And no laundry.
+ 20 “best-selling” music artists online.
+ And, in a rare speech, Melania Trump vowed to take on cyberbullying as First Lady. (At least our republic managed to outlive irony.)
