At this point it's Europe and not the US which is closer to being the most advanced democracy in the world.

The last couple of election cycles in the US really haven't been anything special in US history. Vote stealing, gerrymandering, a jingoistic press and an electorate - or parts of same - with the cognitive skills of dead sheep have been standard issue in US politics since the end of the Civil War.

What changed - partly as a result of wishful thinking - was the realisation that better choices were possible. The earlier labour movements were powerful but reactive. The DFHs were proactive but not nearly as powerful. Even so - there was an understanding that a better reality was possible.

That's still around, but it's been marginalised as an extremist view in the US.

Given what's likely to happen next, I wouldn't be surprised if there were parts of the US where it's about to become mainstream again.