The electoral college system is not that dissimilar to the Canadian federal system — we elect local representatives of federal parties, not the leader him/herself directly. The party that wins the most seats in Parliament gets to form a government — sometimes it’s a majority, sometimes it’s a minority. Heavily populated provinces have more electable seats than smaller provinces — same way California gets way more electoral college votes than Nebraska.

So I understand that the electoral college system creates additional layers of complexity, but I would hardly say that it helps prevent voters from electing the “wrong” person. In fact, your example of Bush v. Gore has always stood out for me as an instance when the electoral college system failed the American people.

I worry that your belief that there are “two Trumps” is a common one. I worry that you see his crossing of party lines as a good thing. I worry that you think his words are merely rhetoric. Rhetoric is saying, “Y’know, this immigration situation is so bad, I sometimes think we should build a wall. What do you think, folks? Should I build a wall?” That’s not what Trump is doing. He’s saying, “I will build a wall and Mexico will pay for it.” That’s not rhetoric, it’s a statement of intent. I worry that you don’t see it that way — that you think he will end up being a different president than he says he will be.

I worry that by the time we get to find out if you’re right, it will be far, far too late to change.