I think the last 30 years has seen the perfect storm of ingredients to land us where we are.
The first was the cancelling of the fairness doctrine. This lead to the likes of Beck and Limbaugh in the 90's.
Politicians saw the power of outrage and the likes of Newt Gingrich started capitalizing on it.
I think, before that, many Americans would have switched back and forth between parties depending on the candidate. Not so much after.
Both sides became intrenched.
9/11 poured gasoline on already dangerous fires of patriotism and reckless wars drove an even deeper divide with more and more outrageous rhetoric being used to prolong the wars and fund the industrial military complex. War is big money and power.
By this time the conservatives have realized that the supreme court is where the real power lies and step up long term plans for that.
We elected a black President
Then there was Citizens United which pretty much took the limit off political spending.
By now, the likes of Roger Ales and Rupert Murdock are making tens of millions in the realm of sensationalist outrageous news.
Spectrum media weren't far behind and right wing talk radio boomed with everyone wanting a slice of the advertising dollar.
Around this time, anyone could join in and start a youtube channel or podcast.
The more obscene and outrageous, the more clicks.
In the meantime, without citizens united, any candidate could be bought by big business who despised the profit cutting regulations and corporate taxes of the left so more and more money was pumped in to the right as movements like the Tea Party gained huge financial and political support.
One of the main focus point of all the outrage was Obama. Campaigns and movements seeded in racism grew roots and grew rapidly.
A generation who'd grown up without the fairness doctrine and being primed by the right to think that extremist views were/are acceptable and even encouraged. Money flowed through groups like the NRA, christian mega churches and even the country music industry, all sending the same message.
All painting an extreme nationalist view of America.
Trump saw this audience as an easy mark and the once Democrat went about hijacking the republican party which was clearly beginning to lose control of it's messaging.
A generation resenting the way their life had changed (tho in most cases it hadn't really) were now free to blame anyone different to them for anything they didn't completely agree with. Immigrants, blacks, gays, students, liberals, all fair game. The internet acted like oxygen to a fire and people who, a generation ago, kept their racist xenophobic feelings in check now had the freedom to express themselves, tho most still hide behind names like 'catturd'.
We now have a huge problem where half the country have been conditioned to find Trumps behaviour acceptable while groups like the heritage foundation have been chipping away at the supreme court to make the rot harder and harder to stop.
And all the Democrats bring is empty platitudes.
Thanks for coming to my ted talk
