In May 2018, in Bayreuth, an American acquaintance asked me my thoughts on the possibility of a Blue Wave in the November 2018 elections. The Blue Wave would return control of the Senate to The Democrats, to the Good People, and Americans would be saved from the ravages of Trump (shudder). I said I saw no reason to think anything like such a wave was likely to occur. „So you’re not optimistic?“ she asked.