Thread by @deanbarker

I was a casual voter from '92 on. The Iraq invasion in '03 made me a keen observer of state and national politics (against my natural instinct to stay within the walls of Epicurus' garden, tbh), and a regular and informed voter for each and every cycle since then.

Since 2003, I've enjoyed learning about politics and being as informed a citizen as I can be for the greater good. Also there was some personal enjoyment to having political science as a hobby. A fun field, at first.

Over time, it got to the point where I was more and more a person sought out for advice on this election or that policy. As I learned more, I became better at my amateur punditry.

The high point for this was the 2012 cycle. How things worked out, from president, to federal, to state, to local, all "made sense," down to an almost micro level of data detail.

And even some of the 2014 surprises became understandable soon after.

2016 upended all of that.

I am still struggling to make sense of it. I believe the reason I can't make sense of it is that none of my prior political experience and observation helps to explain it.

It was aberrant in a number of respects that were beyond my knowledge.

When people seek out my advice now, I tell them my observations really aren't worth anything anymore.

Everything has changed. I understood electoral politics and policy from a liberal (small l) perspective. We are, maybe irrevocably, hurtling toward an illiberal era.

Everyone needs to do everything in their power to turn out the vote this November, contra the many organized efforts to disenfranchise

It feels like the last shot at restoring the post-WWII American idealism and value set I was raised in.

Or, November will be conclusively bad.