Some big questions | Michael Tomasky

Commenter ravcasleygera (are you new? welcome) asked me on the last thread:

Just out of interest, Michael: do you ever actually think, 'I give up?' Have their been moments in this spectacularly depressing period since about six months into the Obama presidency where you have just thought: 'American democracy is broken beyond repair?', or, 'the slow dismantling of the state is unavoidable?'

I'm not being facetious, I just genuinely wonder. People seemed so convinced the 2006-8 results meant...