“We Americans are reared with a feeling for the unity of our history and an unprecedented belief in the normality of our kind of life. . . . [T]he same political institutions have persisted throughout our whole national career and therefore have acquired a certain appearance of normality and inevitableness.” So states Daniel Boorstin in The Genius of American Politics, published in 1953.1 Sixty-four years later, voters elected a president who promised to overturn customs, protocols, and institutions of government. No continuity, no normality. On his road to the White House, Donald Trump understood that actions and words once considered unacceptable would serve him well. The more lies he told, the more boorishly he behaved, the more bigotry he espoused, the more ignorance he revealed, the more defiance he displayed, all the more approval he gained. Behold the genius of American politics today. Trump’s victory signals a rupture in American political traditions. We cannot know the extent of it yet, but the breach is visible. The fact that an ostensibly conservative party has brought this about attests to the seriousness of the situation. Conservatism has given rise to a strident, reactionary politics now called populism. One hopes that responsibilities of governance, established procedures, and political opposition will restrain the president. Then again, hope for moderation might well prove illusory. Republican control of both Congress and the White House gives Trump an extraordinary opportunity to “make America great again.”

中文翻译：

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唐纳德特朗普和反自由主义的胜利

“我们美国人从小就怀着对历史统一的感觉和对正常生活的前所未有的信念。. . . [T]相同的政治制度在我们整个国家的职业生涯中一直存在，因此具有某种正常性和不可避免性的外观。” 丹尼尔·布尔斯廷 (Daniel Boorstin) 在 1953.1 出版的《美国政治天才》中如是说。 64 年后，选民选出了一位承诺推翻习俗、协议和政府机构的总统。没有连续性，没有常态。在通往白宫的路上，唐纳德特朗普明白曾经被认为不可接受的行为和言论对他有好处。越说谎，越粗鲁，越偏执，越表露无知，越挑衅，越得到赞许。看看当今美国政治的天才。特朗普的胜利标志着美国政治传统的破裂。我们还不能知道它的程度，但裂痕是可见的。一个表面上是保守的政党造成了这种情况的事实证明了情况的严重性。保守主义导致了现在称为民粹主义的尖锐、反动的政治。人们希望治理的责任、既定的程序和政治上的反对能够约束总统。再说一次，希望节制很可能证明是虚幻的。共和党对国会和白宫的控制为特朗普提供了“让美国再次伟大”的绝佳机会。但漏洞是可见的。一个表面上是保守的政党造成了这种情况的事实证明了情况的严重性。保守主义导致了现在称为民粹主义的尖锐、反动的政治。人们希望治理的责任、既定的程序和政治上的反对能够约束总统。再说一次，希望节制很可能证明是虚幻的。共和党对国会和白宫的控制为特朗普提供了“让美国再次伟大”的绝佳机会。但漏洞是可见的。一个表面上是保守的政党造成了这种情况的事实证明了情况的严重性。保守主义导致了现在称为民粹主义的尖锐、反动的政治。人们希望治理的责任、既定的程序和政治上的反对能够约束总统。再说一次，希望节制很可能证明是虚幻的。共和党对国会和白宫的控制为特朗普提供了“让美国再次伟大”的绝佳机会。政治反对派将约束总统。再说一次，希望节制很可能证明是虚幻的。共和党对国会和白宫的控制为特朗普提供了“让美国再次伟大”的绝佳机会。政治反对派将约束总统。再说一次，希望节制很可能证明是虚幻的。共和党对国会和白宫的控制为特朗普提供了“让美国再次伟大”的绝佳机会。