I love how this comment makes sense whether you’re on the left, right, or center.

Well, actually I’m offended because I feel excluded as I was personally hoping for option c. someone else. /s

Here's a thought. The fact that the two candidates for the most important role in the world are so bad tells you that the role is in fact, not very important.

That's a good thing.

We see you over there pretending one of them isn't going to end up in command of the largest nuclear arsenal on the planet. Pull your head out.

It isn't that important because there is "deep state" (entrenched bureaucracy), but what were trumps first actions? To install kiss the ring loyalists into as many positions of power as possible and bleed the diplomatic corps out. There was a mass exodus of the "deep state" you are now claiming is what is actually important.

His first presidency was a resounding success for him. He found that he only has a few hurdles left to successfully become a dictator. He neutralized the press with the gish gallop and "lügenpresse"[1], he neutralized his party with the big lie[2], he neutralized the supreme court by installing loyalists and letting them take bribes, he neutralized congress through gridlock. The only real hurdle trump has left is the joint chiefs of staff and you can guarantee his first action as president will be to clean house of people who swore an oath to the constitution and replace them with people willing to ring kiss.

If he is installed we get either a military "coup" to protect the constitution from a domestic enemy or the constitution becomes just a piece of paper in exactly the same way the bible is just a book, venerated but not understood.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lying_press

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_lie

You're inferring too much from my comment. I think the bureaucracy and big business have a huge inertia that effectively limits the presidents power. At least domestically.

Big business is easily won over with tax cuts and cheap labor. I don't think there is any question that big business prefers the "lax" regulatory environment the GOP offers.

You hope the deep state and big business can limit Trump's power, but it doesn't take a lot of effort to find historic precedence that those are hopeful limits rather than practical ones, thinking otherwise is American exceptionalism.

I appreciate your scepticism towards hope, however the USA is exceptional in the sense it has never had a dictator or monarch - at least since the War of Independence.

I think you should step back and appreciate the implications of the 22nd amendment, including when it was enacted and why.

I am pretty confident that most of our founding fathers would disagree with your complacence.

The time between when what became the USA had a monarch and now is shorter than the time between when Rome was a Kingdom and the end of the Republic.

There is nothing all that exceptional about the fact that the US has gone a bit under 250 years without either a monarch or dictator.

It's not unique, but I'm not sure it's not exceptional.