Franklin, Andrews, Kramer & Edelstein

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Can America Move Beyond Trump?
By J.D. VANCE
2016-10-20T08:13:35-04:00 8:13 AM ET

The headline from last night’s debate nearly writes itself: A major party presidential candidate refused to accept the legitimacy of the 2016 election.

This is unprecedented in recent political history, and Donald J. Trump will undoubtedly wallow in the scorn of the mainstream press over the next few days. Yet I found myself wondering, as debate co-watchers gasped over Mr. Trump’s statements, whether any of the Trump supporters I know back home in Kentucky will actually care.

The answer is probably no. At the core of his appeal is a rejection of mainstream political norms, and this is just another example of Mr. Trump slaughtering a proverbial sacred cow.

The question now is not whether Mr. Trump will lose the election — he will — but whether the segment of our country that gasps when he delegitimizes our democratic institutions can ever be reconciled to those who cheer the same.

J.D. Vance is the author of “Hillbilly Elegy” and a contributing writer

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/projects/cp/opinion/clinton-trump-third-debate-election-2016/trump-undermines-democracy-do-his-supporters-care