No tradition can survive beyond the lifespan of a man, unless it is passed down to the children. The ones who voted in 2016 are not children of the revolution.

No tradition can survive beyond the lifespan of a man, unless it is passed down to the children. The ones who voted in 2016 are not children of the revolution. They aren't even children of the children of the revolution. They grew up saying the Pledge of Allegiance every day in school, and standing for the national anthem before every sporting event. It isn't the same authoritarian cultural tradition, but America is very authoritarian at the median. It thankfully retains a long, fat, and largely disorganized tail pointing towards libertarian, that moderates the laws and policies that are able to be enacted. Even now, some people clamor for censorship, establishment of religion, restrictions on the press, gun control, expanded police powers, punishments without due process, abolition of the electoral college, for-profit prison labor, etc. There isn't a right crucial to liberty that some number of Americans isn't shouting to repeal and abolish. But they don't have the votes. Not yet. More voters are being born every day, and they are being taught to believe in certain things, so they will vote their beliefs when they grow to voting age. It can happen here. It can all fall apart within a single generation.