Dark spiral

At what point will the ordinary American wake up from the spell that Trump has weaved?

- Joseph T. Gonzales [e-mail]

There are theories that Trump won because the voters were unhappy with inflation and the economy (let's set aside, for the meantime, the accusation that the voters were racist). Will it take a completely wrecked economy before those voters realize they have made a mistake?

Waging a tariff war, erecting trade barriers, and maltreating tourists bringing in foreign exchange revenues don't promise to be good economic pump primers. But the spin doctors are able to overcome common sense and sway public opinion, and so thus far, the charlatans hold sway.

Every day, we wake up to news of yet even more outrageous schemes to attack those that Trump perceives to be his enemies. The left-wingers. Those who possess the smarts to figure out what he's doing. Those who have the tools to call him out. Those who have the power to call him to account.

The press. Universities. Law enforcement. The judiciary. Even foreign nations. Institutions are being systematically targeted, and we have to ask what the ultimate goal is.