My guess? We've seen the high water mark for the GOP.

[Mike 03]

12. I really want this to be the case

There are demographic reasons to hope this will pan out. I'm crossing my fingers that another "strongman" (charismatic populist) doesn't arrive on the scene in the next four to eight years so that we don't develop the issues that some European countries are facing, where it's becoming more difficult to beat these people back into the fringes of society. There are individuals who, for whatever psychiatric reason, seek out demagogues.

All things considered, I think you are making a strong case. Trump's fans skew older and I don't know if another charismatic populist will appear soon enough to capitalize on that demographic. The younger people who prefer autocracy to democracy is a concern. I don't know where they will go next. The number of Christian Nationalists, we are told, is shrinking. But that entity remains global, powerful, more politically-well connected than ever, and incredibly well financed. I'm perhaps more concerned about them than I ought to be.

Thanks for the thought-provoking post.