With Donald Trump away vacationing at one of his golf resorts, the rest of us may have a chance to relax. But in truth it’s more like a short break in a continuing nightmare. Just enough time to turn on the light, look at the clock and ponder where we are before the nightmare envelopes us again.
What can we ponder that will make all of this a bit less frightening? For one thing, it could be far worse. Trump could have fulfilled his campaign promises to repeal Obamacare, lock Hillary up, build a wall, and throw out all immigrants without papers.
By now he might have confused so many Americans about the truth that most of us would believe the words coming out of his mouth. Hell, by now he could have incited another civil war.
Trump is a test of our democratic institutions. So far, they've held. Robert Mueller's grand jury, the courts, the press, even the Republican Congress, have so far contained the unhinged man. But mostly it's been a groundswell of grass-roots activism. The damage Trump has wrought so far is real, but not nearly as bad as it could have been. Unless he starts a nuclear war, we will survive.
