There have been two mundane political developments since the recent U.S. presidential election that between them have improbably illuminated one of the fundamental insights of conservative political thought.
The first was the unexpected sense of relief that spread across America, felt by some Democrats and independents as well as Republicans, at the victory of Donald Trump or (more precisely) at the defeat of Vice President Kamala Harris. This relief soon became a popular meme, known as the “vibe shift,” and went global. And though it doubtless had several causes — for instance, relief that the riots forecast if Trump won never actually occurred, in part because his victory was undeniable — the main one seems to have been a discovery by ordinary people that they could congregate, chat, sing, and say anything they wanted quite freely, and nothing would happen to them. By some accounts they realized this when they found themselves celebrating the election result with strangers in bars and restaurants, often despite themselves and what they had previously thought were their political loyalties. A mysterious blight had been lifted.
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