Institutions do all the things that are supposed to be bad. They impede personal exploration. They enforce conformity. But they often save us from our weaknesses and give meaning to life.

Most people don't form a self and then lead a life. They are called by a problem, and the self is constructed gradually by their calling.

... trash talk ... Washington floats on a river of aspersion.

Clearly, politics is a team sport. Trump is not so much of a team player.

Russia has a very sophisticated, advanced attack on U.S. businesses and U.S. government and U.S. institutions. And it's not like Donald Trump is going to be walking away from this. He will be spending a lot of time on it, if he's any sort of normal president.

I, personally, think Trump improved pretty dramatically and certainly changed pretty dramatically over the last hundred days. He's less of the populist. He's more of the corporatist. He's less incompetent. He's trying to at least turn toward people who can put a decision-making process. And he's trying to adjust to the job. And so whatever one thinks of him, he is certainly a learning creature.

Politics is based on social identity, and so, again, there is going to be differences between rural and urban and between left and right.