In this new installment of Alex’s “Driving Through” series, he is in the car with Cole Costello. Cole literally takes the driver’s seat. He is a frequent guest, has a history graduate degree, and is a history expert living in Los Angeles. As they drive through Nevada’s Great Basin, they discuss why mining movements are important for labor, why socialism has been misconceived (Alex pushes back), and why democracy is failing (they can’t find one defintion that works). The two discuss how late-era Rome provides a mirror into America’s failures (as ideology becomes isolated, parties alientate the other). They also talk about the Lovelock caves (and REAL legends of giants), why autocracy is appealing (because people don’t trust the other), why Trump is eroding our institutions, and how religious fundamentalism led to radical individualism (think the Dutch and British imperialism). The two also touch on Cleopatra, social identity, reparations, and why Joe Biden has been better than expected (though he still shouldn’t run again).