The attack on the Capitol on January 6 shook the country to its very core. Despite this, Donald Trump, who incited the attack, will not face no consequences for it. Senate Republicans have already made it clear that they will not convict him on the sole article of impeachment the House delivered to them.
Trump has exposed American vulnerability to an authoritarian con man. What saved us was not our democratic values, much less the structures in place to protect our republic from authoritarianism. Those failed utterly. What saved us was Trump’s inability to control his greed, megalomania, and immaturity. We are unlikely to get that luck again.
At Medium, I explore what happened and offer some suggestions for how to address this yawning hole in our governing structure.