July 19 Open Thread: Back in the USSR

Having just arrived back from the land of Les Bleus, I thought I’d take a look at how Trump’s open treason was playing with the folks back home. As my Magic 8-Ball would say, “Outlook not so good.”

Trump cultists, of course, see nothing but good. That’s how cultists are; nothing can be done about or for them without deprogramming, and frankly, filling the immigration detention centers with Trump cultists seems a better use of our resources. It might even make them happier — they’d be confined with people who agree with them, and virtually all of them will be white.

OTOH, Helsinki seems to have pushed the GOP’s Trump doubters off the fence and into opposition. This is not insignificant. About 85% of GOP voters support Trump no matter what, but a president who lost the popular vote can’t afford to lose that 15%. Back in 1974, every Democrat knew Nixon was guilty; it was only when some Republicans realized it and started to express alarm that the likelihood of impeachment became overwhelming, triggering his resignation.

The best example comes from George Will, whose talent for high dudgeon is on full display in his indictment of “this sad, embarrassing wreck of a man.”

Granted, most elected GOP officials still haven’t come around, for a very simple reason: They are part of the conspiracy, as has been obvious since the first stories about Russian connections to the NRA were reported.

I don’t share the widespread fear that President Pence would be worse for the liberal project than Trump has been, for the simple reason that Pence is a rather stupid standard-issue fundamentalist Republican. Were he in office, we at least wouldn’t have to worry that U.S. officials like ex-ambassador Michael McFaul will be handed over to Putin for his tender ministrations.

Many, many stories are being lost in this upheaval. One of the quietest: The realization by some centrist Democrats that Democratic Socialism isn’t so scary after all. If a reliably centrist pundit like E.J. Dionne has come around, others should follow.