Larry D. Lauer

A communication analysis of Mr. Trump’s ability to attract a large following reveals how the needs of significant audiences can go mostly unnoticed for long periods of time, and the degree to which  festering anger can be awakened with autocratic, “rally the troupes” style rhetoric.

This situation has been made even worse in the presidential campaign by a major breakdown in the American political system. Relentless mean-spirited politics not only polarized Washington, but it was spilling across the nation and gradually angering huge numbers of people in economic decline. If legislators in Washington thought their ideology-produced gridlock had widespread national support they were totally missing large numbers of underserved people who soon would produce a protest loud enough to threaten the entire political system.

The result is that now there are even larger numbers of Americans disgusted with the entire presidential campaign. One candidate is looking more and more like a dictator threatening to jail his opponent, fire the generals he doesn’t like, and nuke his enemies. And troublesome skeletons just keep rolling out of the closet of the other. Many of us just can’t wait for the whole thing to be over.

So what will all this look like after the election? Even if Mr. Trump loses, his communication opportunities and followers will not likely go away. Bernie Sanders and his followers are not likely to disappear either. Others with special interest agendas will be encouraged to launch new political movements, and so processing information overload will continue to be a major challenge.

The gridlock in Washington will also likely continue, at least for a while. The U.S. will face a real struggle to recapture its role as leader of the free world. The Republican Party will have to rethink its divisive premises and find ways to collaborate. And even if the Democrats win, they will have to  overcome doing so with a very unpopular candidate.

Instant news and social media technology have been the enablers of this mess. Communication rules and processes are now all new. Policies and action plans are too complicated for 24/7 cable. The loud and the dramatic voices will continue to achieve the most visibility. And entertainment values will  continue to be used by news organizations in search of competitive advantage.

So these questions remain: What will the next four years look like in Washington with continuing political chaos and relentless all day news appetites? Will the Republican Party regroup and survive? Will special interest political parties form. Is the two-party system doomed? Even if Hillary wins, how will she and her party function when so many people in the U.S. and abroad don’t trust her? Is it even possible for the middle class to get turned around? Can we actually get organized to effectively address poverty, racism and violence in the nation’s neighborhoods? And can we reestablish the importance of moral character and integrity in leadership?

History shows how great civilizations decline and die. Early Greeks talked about how democracies are very capable of self-destruction. With this in mind, this campaign should be a loud wake-up call for all of us.