Normally, nations pull together after tragedy, but a society plagued by dislocation and slipped off the rails of reality can go the other way. Rallies become gripped by an exaltation of tribal fervor. Before you know it, political life has spun out of control, dragging the country itself into a place both bizarre and unrecognizable.<\/p>\n
This happened in Europe in the 1930s. We\u2019re not close to that kind of descent in America today, but we\u2019re closer than we\u2019ve been. Let\u2019s be honest: The crack of some abyss opened up for a moment by the end of last week.<\/p>\n
Blood was in the streets last week \u201d\u201d victims of police violence in two cities and slain cops in another. America\u2019s leadership crisis looked dire. The F.B.I. director\u2019s statements reminded us that Hillary Clinton is willing to blatantly lie to preserve her career. Donald Trump, of course, lies continually and without compunction. It\u2019s very easy to see this country on a nightmare trajectory….I\u2019m betting the local is more powerful, that the healthy growth on the forest floor is more important than the rot in the canopy. But last week was a confidence shaker. There\u2019s a cavity beneath what we thought was the floor of national life, and there are demons there.<\/p>\n