I think you hit the nail on the head talking about needing to have leverage over our representatives so there are real consequences for acting outside of our interests.

I also think this sort of leverage is impossible on a national level. The federal government is so detached from its constituency that it is unaccountable. Bureaucracy on that level becomes a farce. Voting in national elections is an appeasement.

At the same time, a black president would be fantastic in terms of identity politics. But he’s a scoundrel, and I know it in my heart. So I have no idea what to do.