But in the end, the election is a choice between two radically different visions of the future. Despite all his braggadocio and boorish behavior, Trump's policies have been quite conventional Republican ones, albeit with a significant veer toward protectionism more recently typical of pro-labor Democrats. There is also an obvious return to nationalism. But nationalism, as long as it relies on democratic institutions and a healthy civil society, is not all bad. As long as a benign, positive nationalism puts citizenship, and no other restricted form of identity, at its core, it can actually
help heal the awful divisions in the country.