Priors Confirmed, Priors Challenged

After elections, politicians and pundits invariably go out and make the case that the results have confirmed their priors, and cherry-picking data and anecdotes to weave into their preferred narratives. The final conclusion is always some version of “the lesson we should take from the election is that we need to enact all of my policy and aesthetic preferences.”

In the spirit of more sincere political discourse, I’m going to think about some things that surprised me or challenged my understanding of American politics. At the same time, I’m going to gloat about some…