There's nothing to "wake up" to when the alternatives were either wild idealists (Cruz, Sanders) or the most uncharismatic cardboard cutouts you can imagine (Kasich, O'Malley).
Also laughable nutty candidates, but not as bad as Trump (Carson, Webb, Fiorina). Also Trump-lites (Christie, Huckabee)
This demonstrates one of three scenarios:
1. This year was an aberration composed of a perfect storm of mediocre candidates
2. This is truly the best our current political establishment could produce, which only signifies how inept and appalling they all really are
3. This represents what American culture has become and our candidates are but a reflection of us as a people at this time
Of those, the third should terrify us all the most while we hopelessly wish that the first is miraculously true. My bet is that it's a combination of 2 and 3 - but mostly 3. Our society (along with virtually the entire Western world) is undergoing an unprecedented transformation that we're only now beginning to witness on the national political scene. This isn't going away anytime soon; not the polarization, the heated rhetoric, the demagoguery, or the frequent protests. Fortunately, like all transformative periods, this one will pass and we will become a better people on the other side. We really need a good, inspirational leader soon. And, although I support Clinton, she's simply not inspirational. Trump would only exploit our divisions and exacerbate them for political gain while mismanaging every other aspect of governance. Hopefully, 2020 or 2024 offers better options.
