God and Godbout forgive me, but yes, we need at least one more epilogue on the historic win of Donald J. Trump.
If you don't think so, skip this column, but do so at your peril.
Far before Trump, Brexit, and even much of the current nationalist populism in Europe, I ran as a no-name, alternative, right-wing candidate.
In the end, I took five per cent of the vote while spending less than half per ballot compared to my opponents. If nothing else, I've walked in the political outsider's shoes.
Speaking of outsiders, that's a great place to start. Have you noticed how ads, TV, and Hollywood movies have stopped resembling real people whatsoever?
Combine that with the diversity enforcement agenda currently dominating political discourse all over the world and you might just begin to understand the makeup of Trump's electorate: they don't feel represented socio-economically, politically or ethnically anywhere.
Let me say that again: anywhere.
I gave a rather angry voice to some of that demographic three years ago.
Like Trump, I argued the average British Columbian had been left behind in everything from economic growth to basic education. Obviously, that message resonated, as even a no-name like myself was awarded over 1,000 votes in four short weeks. And given the similarity between demographics in our region and the blue-collar states that flipped for Trump, I might have just been slightly ahead of the times.
I can hear the sophomore's questions beginning to brew already, so let me skip to the take away - voters all over the world are ready for radical change.
This is largely thanks to the economic stagnation that has been "business as usual" for nearly a decade, but populist candidates, particularly nationalist ones, are finding electorates ready for harsher terms on immigration thanks to terrorism while simultaneously pushing back political correctness regimes.
Political establishments, on the right and left, have still failed to grasp that many of their core principles - open borders, free trade and growing secularization - are the very reasons named by many for the growing threats to life, liberty and livelihood all over the world.
This can especially be seen by the ferocity nationalist populists have for their opponents - the media hates the lack of decorum, but the people love them sticking it to the man or woman they blame.
Trump tapped into a sense of resentment that has been growing for decades, thanks to the mismanagement of the nation by Washington elites.
The fact that he himself is the son of a rich man doesn't figure into it - he promised to drain the swamp and make America great again. That was enough to get out the vote in demographics that have felt left behind for years, including minorities, young people and even centrists who have lost hope in the Democratic Party.
In the end, people have stopped believing in what is being offered them throughout the Western world.
Neo-liberalism has failed to grow the economy, progressivism has made "tolerance" intolerable by excusing terrorist activity, and those in charge have continued to grow richer even during bad times.
Far from being the "end of all things," Donald Trump's election is actually the only logical conclusion: a strong man in favor of bold change - before it's too late.
